Police fatally shoot man spotted roaming through Carmel-by-the-Sea streets with assault weapon

CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, CA - JANUARY 11, 2024 - - Shoppers visit the weekly Carmel Farmer's Market in Carmel-By-The-Sea on January 11, 2024. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Shoppers visit the weekly Carmel Farmers Market in Carmel-by-the-Sea in January. A man armed with an assault rifle was shot by police in Carmel-by-the-Sea on Friday. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Residents of the small and tranquil beach community of Carmel-by-the-Sea were rattled Friday afternoon when a man armed with an assault weapon was shot and killed by police after being spotted strolling through the streets, according to news reports.

A spokesperson with the Carmel Police Department did not respond to a request for details on the incident, including the condition of the man.

Meanwhile, the Monterey County Sheriff's Office, which responded to the scene as well, forwarded all media inquiries to the Monterey County district attorney's office, which would say only that it was investigating the shooting.

Video obtained by KSBW Action News 8, which was the first to report the shooting, shows a man wearing gray pants and a white shirt with a black vest and a helmet. The man is seen holding up an assault weapon and what appears to be a yellow metal crowbar with his other hand. Trailing the man is a woman in a red jacket who residents said is his mother.

The news station reported that the mother had called 911 and reported that her son was having a mental breakdown.

Stephen Moorer, the Pacific Repertory Theatre executive director, told the news station that he noticed a man who was wandering Monte Verde Street between 8th and 9th avenues with a rifle. The man then went into a home on Monte Verde Street, and police responded and closed the street.

At some point the man was shot by police but no details have been provided by authorities. It is unknown if the man fired a weapon. The man, the station reported, was killed. The man has not been identified.

It's unclear if residents were notified about a gunman strolling through the city with an assault weapon. Social media accounts for the city, police and sheriff's office show there were no alerts about the danger in any of its social media accounts.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.