Update Saturday, Feb. 1 (KHTS): The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office has identified the man shot by deputies as 47-year-old Steven Pettersen.
Public records show a Steven Pettersen, age 47, with a Sunland address.
Update Jan. 31: [Sheriff’s Statement on Shooting of Man Wielding Spear, Knife]
An armed man was shot and killed by one or more Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s deputies Thursday evening on Soledad Canyon Road near the Canyon Country Library.
No details about the suspect’s identity or the incidents leading up to the shooting were available from official sources Thursday night as the investigation continued.
Shortly after midnight Friday, officials at the SCV Sheriff’s Station confirmed that the suspect had died. They had reported earlier that no deputy was hit in the officer-involved shooting.
It’s not clear what type of weapon the suspect was carrying. Early reports indicated that that a man wielding a long metal bar approached a deputy in the 18600 block of Soledad Canyon Road around 8:22 p.m.
Then came a report from the field to the sheriff’s dispatcher: “998 … 998” (officer-involved shooting), with a “999” in the mix (officer in distress). Then came quickly: “Suspect is down.”
Soledad Canyon Road was temporarily closed between Vilna Avenue and Sierra Highway as deputies cordoned off a wide area and questioned a number of residents in the Vilna area. Two sheriff’s helicopters hovered overhead.
Homicide detectives were called up to investigate; it’s standard procedure in an officer-involved shooting.
A woman getting gas at the corner of Soledad Canyon Road and Sierra Highway said a man who appeared to be under the influence approached her vehicle in a threatening manner while waving a 3-foot long metal bar shortly after 8 p.m., down the street from her home. She was unsure exactly what was in the man’s hand.
That incident occurred shortly after 8 p.m. near Soledad Canyon Road and Galeton, about three blocks east of the gas station, she said.
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12 Comments
Has Santa Claritas finest run out of bean bags. Sounds to me like deadly force was not called for. I understand that there is a vidio of the insadent as it unfolded. Do we have another Long Beach Police Force developing here in Santa Clarita.
Guy deserved to get shot. Saves taxpayer money from having to house this clown.
You deserve to be shot in the F***ING HEAD!!! Screw you. Believe it or not Steven did have a son, girlfriend and a family.
This was SOOO uncalled for!..cops out here are soo quick to kill a suspect..this is ridiculous..they could of tazed him..bean bags (like above comment said)..if he was under the influence he probably was not in his right mind..i would understand if he had a gun..but a metal bar?..i just think the police force could of used way better tactics than jumping to shooting him..and (boo..from above comment) thats messed up..nobody deserves to die..you have major issues man..it makes me sick to know theres people like u out there..ugh
At Nick, The Sheriff’s action in this incident was based on a man who was threatening residents in SCV. In general I am surprised what these officers let slide. 6 months ago a guy charged at a sheriff up here with a knife and the did not shoot him. They should have but they didn’t. When a person is swinging a weapon at residents it is the appropriate response to eliminate the threat. Maybe if they were willing to use a show of force a bit more often, we would eliminate the threats we are being faced with as a city.
None of you guys were in the officers shoes. You don’t know how close he was to the officer. Tazers and pepper spray don’t always stop the suspect. Put yourself in the officers shoes for once. What would you do? One of you has to go home, the officers were protecting not only the people but themselves. You have no idea what officers have to deal with on a daily basis. They put their lives on the line to protect their city. What do you do? Before you go about judging and criticizing the officers decision making skills put yourself in their shoes. There will always be that, “oh he didn’t have to shoot the guy” “he could have tazed him”… Officers are highly trained and they have a split second to make the decision. Do not compare our deputies to the long beach police force. They were in fear for the lives of the innocent by standers and fear of their own life, that causes them to take action. If you’re going to complain about our deputies than I hope you never have to call them to back you up when someone is trying to harm you.
Coming from a military police officer, I agree with what happened. If the suspect had ability(alive and able to swing), capability(weapon), and intent (verbal threat or threatening gestures), the officers should have the right to open fire and have the right to self defense and defense of others.
Do I think they could have used less than lethal force(taser or OC spray), yes, but their actions at justifiable.
In the connor vs. grant case, it gave police officers the power to take officer perception into account without having to deal with 20/20 hindsight of the incident. If the officers perceived the suspect to be able to harm themselves and others they can take appropriate actions to eliminate the threat.
I hear this guy was wielding a HOCKEY STICK.
It’s very clear that this investigation is still pending and all the facts are yet not available to the public. But, one thing that is for certain, someone was shot multiple times by one of our Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff Deputy yesterday and died. And in fact, might have been your neighbor, close friend or even a family member
Could this been handled differently, some may ask? Was it justifiable? Well, thats the million dollar question everyone is debating with in this forum… Who knows for certain what really happened yesterday, especially with this persons state of mind. And did alcohol/drugs play a role for his actions? Was he possibly developmentally disabled or ill? And furthermore, what kind of “weapon” did he really have? Questions… Questions…. Questions…
It’s also very clear, that more than a few individuals in this forum are completely ignorant and naive to this horrific shooting, and immediately take sides with the SCV deputy in question. And of course justifying their reasoning with comments / responses such as:
“Guy deserved to get shot, it saves tax payers money..”
“Officers are highly trained and they have a split second to make the decision,” “Their actions are justifiable, in the “Connor vs Grant case,” “Coming from a military police officer, I agree with what happened.” and “Officers should have the right to open fire, and the right to self defense and defense of others.”
Hmmmm? After reading those absurd comments… Especially, the ignorant and heartless statement….It “saves tax payers money”. And the other comment about our “highly trained” officers. Please, don’t get me started about “highly trained!” law enforcement and judicial system we have in California. Haven’t you been watching the news, reading the newspaper or even listening to the radio? Lots of corruption indeed.
Open your EYES!! And get your head out of the gutter…I hate to say this, but this country is turning into the wild wild west. Shoot first and get answers later… That’s where we’re headed.
Since yesterday, and reading today’s newspaper. I heard that the deceased person in question was “swinging a weapon,” “hockey stick,” “metal pole,” and even a “knife.”It’s still unclear and all the facts have not been layed out yet…. But hopefully soon.
Having said that, I pray that all the facts come out and the truth reveal itself to the public. We demand to know what really happened on Thursday, January 30th 2014. Hopefully, more witnesses will come forward or better yet maybe a witness captured the entire incident on their cell phone as evidence… If so, please step forward and she’s some light on the truth and bring closure to this investigation.
No matter what the outcome is for this investigation. We must find alternative ways to stop using deadly force as as the only means to resolving a dangerous conflicts. Too many people have died due to gun violence in this country and around the world. Guns, violence and war are not the answer! It begins with heart to heart dialogue understanding and respecting each others culture and education for all…that will be the key for the future!!!
Everyone saying that he deserved it, the officers did the right thing…u make me sick! He was my family member , not blood but still my cousin. He served our country in the military. For all we know, it could have been post traumatic stress disorder. So yeah, thanks for bashing a man that helped protect you & your freedoms.
Thank you so much, for your post! I love Steve. Steve’s been in my life for over 12 years and I can guarentee everyone that Steve was probably scared to death, during this whole ordeal!! The most important thing to Steve was making people smile and making sure “you are okay.” HE DID NOT DESERVE TO BE KILLED & MOST DEFINATLY DOES NOT DESERVE THE HORRIBLE THINGS PEOPLE ARE SAYING!!!! I miss him so much & I would do anything in the world to be able to hug him and tell him everything’s going to be okay…”
I think we should be doing more for our vets. It’s not uncommon for them to come home and suffer from post traumatic stress disorder or turn to drugs. These men & women see and/or do things that traumatize them and they might not know how to deal with it. This whole thing makes me very sad & hearing all the ridiculous, heartless comments makes me sick.