CHP officer shot man who walked on freeway and charged at officers with metal, police say

A man walking on the 110 Freeway early Tuesday in downtown Los Angeles allegedly grabbed a piece of metal and charged at a California Highway Patrol officer, who opened fire and wounded the man, authorities said.

The shooting forced the closure of the northbound 110 Freeway for about nine hours, snarling traffic for thousands of motorists during the morning commute.

Before the shooting, about 11:50 p.m. Monday, a CHP officer responded to a report of a man walking in traffic lanes on the freeway near Olympic Boulevard, according to a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department.

The man, identified by the LAPD as Mardell Leon Peirson, 38, held what police described as a metal stanchion and allegedly refused to obey officer’s orders to leave the freeway.

Peirson then swapped the stanchion for a 2-foot piece of metal, probably a leaf spring from a vehicle’s suspension system, police said.

Authorities allege he charged at the officers about 12:30 a.m., and one CHP officer shot Peirson, who fell to the ground.

It’s unclear how many times Peirson was struck by gunfire.

After the shooting, all northbound lanes of the 110, including transition roads to the 10 Freeway, were closed.

The California Highway Patrol shut down northbound lanes of the 110 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles after a man was shot by a CHP officer.

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times )

The northbound lanes from the 10 Freeway to 8th Street remained closed until 9 a.m.

Peirson was taken to a hospital in unknown condition and was booked by LAPD officers on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer.

The assault investigation was being conducted by the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division. The CHP was conducting an inquiry into the officer’s shooting.

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UPDATES:

7:20 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details on the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

9:20 a.m.: This article was updated with the freeway reopening.

6:30 a.m.: This article was updated with additional details.

This article was originally published at 5:40 a.m.