Police open fire on man armed with machete

Knife-wielding man killed by officers after robbery and carjacking

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KYMA, KSWT, KECY/NBC News) - Los Angeles police open fire on a suspect after a bizarre robbery and carjacking.

Police say the suspect used a machete to hold up an auto parts store late Monday morning.

They say he then used the large knife to carjack a driver while trying to make his escape.

Witness Clinton Gunnels described the scene. " He ran into a car, he hijacked a car. The driver hops out of the car, that's when he hops into the drivers seat and pretty much drives off. When he drove off, I guess his wheel spun out of control because he hit three cop cars and another civilian car. After that, they told him 'get out of the car, get out of the car' and he got out of the car, but he just took off running. Then he tried to get into other cars along the way." says Gunnels.

Police officers say they opened fire on the suspect after he refused to surrender. Paramedics took him to the hospital, where he later died.

One officer suffered minor injuries during the pursuit. No civilians got hurt.

Police continue their investigation. They says they'll view security camera footage for additional clues. They're also asking witnesses to turn over any cell phone video of the chase.