SAN DIEGO -- A San Diego police officer fatally shot an apparent transient Monday who allegedly stole a steak knife from a Gaslamp Quarter restaurant and refused to put it down.

The officer-involved shooting occurred late this afternoon at Fourth Avenue and E Street, said Monica Munoz of the San Diego Police Department.

According to broadcast reports, police were called shortly after 4 p.m. about a man believed to be a transient who had allegedly stolen a steak knife with a five-inch blade from a table at Greystone the Steakhouse on Fifth Avenue.

The man allegedly became belligerent when employees confronted him about the theft, and minutes later, an officer spotted the man a few blocks away, at E Street and Fourth Avenue.

According to broadcast reports, the officer opened fire when the man repeatedly refused to halt and drop the weapon.

The man died at the scene.

Police shut down traffic lanes in the area while homicide detectives investigated the shooting.