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Neighbors say deadly shooting in Southcrest started because of a machete attack

Posted at 10:28 PM, Aug 08, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-09 01:35:12-04

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Neighbors said the officer-involved-shooting in the South Crest area of San Diego, all started with a machete attack between acquaintances. 

It was a frightening scene on Boston Avenue Wednesday afternoon. A man was seen lying on the street, clutching his bloody head. Neighbors said he was beaten over the head with a machete. According to San Diego Police, the first 911 call came in at around 5:15 pm.

RELATEDPolice investigating fatal officer-involved shooting in Southcrest

10News spoke to a man who lives at the home where the attack happened. He said the attacker is his sister's boyfriend. He said the boyfriend came over to the house and got into an argument with a family friend over a dog chain. The boyfriend then grabbed a machete and began striking the victim over the head, then to the rest of his body. First responders soon took the victim to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

After the attack, witnesses said they saw the attacker run westbound on Boston Ave., then north onto 40th street. That is where a San Diego Police officer confronted him. The officer first fired a taser to try to mitigate the situation. However, the department spokesperson said the taser was deemed "ineffective." The officer then shot the attacker at least once. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Those who know the machete-wielding man said he is usually a nice person. But he had been acting up lately. Neighbors said they saw him swinging around a bat a day before the attack. While they knew he had violent tendencies, no one thought it would escalate to this level.