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A man armed with a knife was fatally shot Tuesday afternoon after running into a crowded Southern California barbecue restaurant, where authorities say he was confronted by a legally armed concealed carry permit holder.
According to NBCLA, the incident happened shortly after 2 p.m. at a Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que in Cerritos. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said the man entered the restaurant acting erratically while armed with a knife.
Investigators said the man ran through the restaurant’s kitchen and service area, frightening both employees and customers.
“The person describing the call was the decedent who ran into Lucille’s while armed with a knife, ran through the kitchen and service area of the restaurant, scaring customers and staff,” an LASD lieutenant said during the investigation.
Authorities say the suspect was then confronted by another man inside the restaurant who possessed a valid concealed carry permit.
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The decedent was confronted by an armed citizen who possessed a concealed carry permit,” the lieutenant said.
The armed citizen opened fire, fatally shooting the knife-wielding man. No other injuries were reported.
NBCLA reported that investigators have not released the identities of either man, and the circumstances leading up to the confrontation remain under investigation. The shooting scene was cordoned off with crime scene tape as sheriff’s investigators processed evidence outside the busy shopping center.
Eyewitness News spoke to a Lucille's employee who described a graphic scene, saying that what he saw was straight out of a horror film. @abc7abigail
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) July 20, 2026
A Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department source told Eyewitness News that a person with a concealed carry permit shot and killed… pic.twitter.com/a8sakNsHbL
Authorities emphasized that the investigation remains active.
The concealed carry permit holder is cooperating with investigators, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and no arrests have been announced.
As of Tuesday evening, investigators had not released additional information about what prompted the knife-wielding man to enter the restaurant or whether any relationship existed between him and the armed citizen.
The case remains under investigation. Stay tuned for updates.
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is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
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This is good. That said, been out of CA for 30 years, now, and not familiar with CA laws anymore and so much has changed. Are retired LEOs still allowed to carry for life…? CCW permits in/from CA for the average CA citizen used to be hard to come by…like nearly impossible unless by those in a few certain excepted positions. Curious to learn more of what comes out of this.
But, I thought self defence is illegal in The People’s Socialist Republik of Kalifornistan!
Welcome to the Peoples Republic of Kalifornistan. Ten to one the so-called “decedent” was an illegal alien allowed in by the dumbocrats. They’ll probably charge the CCL and ruin him financially over the next 5 years fighting for his right to defend himself and others. You get what you vote for people – enjoy!
You shouldn’t assume everyone voted for or deserves what they’ve got when it comes to Commiefornia. Or any other democrat run state like Illinois, New York, Colorado as other examples.
I’ve had family living in Kalifornistan for 60 years. They are constantly bitching about EVERYTHING going on out there; the taxes, crime, cost of fuel, illegals, ridiculous rules and laws, revolving-door justice, rigged elections, people living and shitting on the streets, and low-life’s like Grab’em Newscum and turds like Karen Bass doing all their thinking for them.
But when you ask them why they continue voting for these communist bastards, they get the preverbal deer in the highlight look come over them without even one good reason that makes one iota of sense. Same with all the other blue states you mentioned.
The reason is they are all sheep with a sever case of TDS and can’t think for themselves. The lying media and The View does all their thinking for them. They are extremely gullible. If you rub their noses in a plie of dog shit and tell them it’s pumpkin pie they’ll eat it. I have ZERO sympathy for ANY dumbocrat.
“Let them eat cake…” (or pumpkin pie) and suffer in ignorant bliss.
I can relate to having family, people in general living there and bitxhing about how things are. But my point was and what I said was, because you said they’re getting what they voted for, those bitching, those family members you spoke of, many others, don’t vote for what they’ve got.
And for some, many even, moving isn’t an option. Some are stuck, like me and mine. Unfortunately we’re stuck in Illinois. And we sure didn’t vote for what we’ve got. We just can’t leave. No one’s business why that is.
My point was, maybe don’t blame people who didn’t vote for what they’ve got. Maybe like us, they too are stuck and can’t leave.
At least he wasn’t nekkid with the knife.
Lol… No one needs to see that
Just a question for the LA crowd: what is Gavin Newsom’s response time to violent felony calls?
“…their in disbelief that something like this could happen.”
Normalcy bias, good thing there was at least one unafflicted with this condition.
correction;
“…they are in disbelief that something like this could happen.”
ban knives now………sarc.