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Subscribe to RSSUpdated 3:44 p.m. ET: The gunman who died after a shootout with police in Hollywood was identified Saturday as 26-year-old Tyler Brehm, NBC Los Angeles reported.
A spokesman for the Los Angeles County coroner's office said Brehm during the shootout with police, after opening fire Friday morning in a busy area near Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street.
Earlier:
LOS ANGELES -- A gunman firing randomly at cars and shouting "kill me" and "I'm gonna die!" was shot to death by police in the heart of Hollywood Friday, authorities and a witnesses reported.
The unidentified man was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were hurt, Los Angeles police Officer Cleon Joseph said.
"I saw a guy in the middle of the street on Vine with a gun (above his head) and started shooting," witness Oscar Herrera told NBCLosAngeles.com.
Read complete coverage from NBCLosAngeles.com
Police had few details, but Herrera told Los Angeles television stations that he saw the gunman walking down the middle of Vine Street near Sunset Boulevard, firing at least nine shots into the air and at passing cars while shouting "kill me!" and "I'm gonna die!"
Police officers responded to the busy Hollywood intersection about 10:20 a.m. on a report of a gunman.
The 40-year-old male driver of a Mercedes-Benz was wounded in his upper body and taken to a hospital in unknown condition. A truck and another car were struck with bullets.
The gunman eventually ran out of bullets and pulled a knife before a policeman shot four or five times at the attacker, Herrera said.
He died at the scene, police said.
Dave Pepper told KCAL-TV that he was in his car when the gunman attacked him.
"This guy came running across the street and he put the gun right up to this window," Pepper said as he sat in the car. "Why he didn't pull the trigger I don't know? I thought maybe he was out of bullets."
Investigators were trying to determine a motive for the attack. The area was cordoned off, snarling traffic in the heart of Hollywood, as the gunman's body remained in the street under a white sheet for more than an hour after the attack.
The intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street remained closed Friday afternoon. About 2 p.m., traffic was being diverted around the crime scene.
Another witness described the surreal incident as something that might have been staged for a movie.
"When I heard it, I didn't react to it being real," said witness Greg Watkins, who was walking along the street when the shooting began.
"This is Hollywood, and they do film stuff all the time," he told the Los Angeles Times. "I honestly thought they were filming something."
This article contains reporting from NBCLosAngeles.com and The Associated Press.
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I wonder what the statistics are on suicide by cop. They have to be staggering.
Impossible to judge, most suicides-by-cop don't go announcing it publicly like this guy.
Well, he got his wish. I got mine too....................... that these jerkoffs get theirs!! Saves alot of money and time.
Good riddens - jack-ass.
Typical day in LA LA land, I guess.
The man was just having an off day, tomorrow he would of acted normal and went to work or jacked off at his moms but this man was only crazy for 30 minutes of his entire life and he got shot.....how do I know he had only been crazy for 30 minutes? ...because he is me...I am on the other side right now looking at you all...I dont know what came over me but im really a nice guy. I see jesus.
Good job Cops, they need to kill more freaks like this. If a person is doing something like this (shooting at others, robbing/mugging others, ID theft, sex charges on children) they need to be killed-there is NO rehab for SOB's like this....eliminate them before WE have to pay for them to enjoy Country Club living in prison.
Why would you not shoot at cars...as a REDNECK...NOT...I have plenty to shoot at.
People that do bulls**t like this are beyond selfish. Putting the burden of having a cop kill you, because you don't have the balls to do it yourself? The cops have to sleep at night and once you've taken another life, you're not the same.
Next time--do your own dirty work.
@sandtrich - Yeah, plus he he put a lot of drivers lives at risk. Even if he wasn't trying to kill them and just wanted attention. He obviously owned a gun. He could have done the work himself.
I love how people are calling this guy a coward and he should have done it himself. Guess you never heard of mental illnesses and have been lucky enough to not have a family member with a mental disorder like schizophrenia. No one without some sort of severe mental disorder would try to end their life like this, they would simply have swallowed a bottle of sleeping pills or left his/her car running with the garage door closed or some other relatively painless method. Glad there's plenty of perfect, sinless people on here to cast the first stones though..
No doubt this guy was a genuine danger to others and to himself. Unfortunately, there aren't too many human beings who care to understand the scourge of mental illness and its underlying causes. It's also unfortunate that there aren't too many people who care about anyone, period. Sad, sad circumstances for everyone concerned.
I get a kick out of the bystanders!
"When I heard it, I didn't react to it being real," said witness Greg Watkins, who was walking along the street when the shooting began.
"This is Hollywood, and they do film stuff all the time," he told the Los Angeles Times. "I honestly thought they were filming something."
Wow! An astroid will strike LA and those people will wait for the director to say,"CUT!"
I read so often on Newsvine about how heartless the conservatives act towards the poor and needy and then I read these comments written by liberals and I am struck by how little compassion they show to an obviously troubled man. Hypocrites!
Mentally ill, or perhaps ingesting crack cocaine or methamphetamine, or just pissed off at the world, I don't wanna deal with @!$%#s with guns! Start shooting at innocent bystanders, and you're gonna get taken out one way or another! I don't hear anyone empathetic for the person driving the Mercedes Benz who took a bullet shot by the shooter/@!$%# drug addict/mental case, when he was just driving down the road in the morning minding his own business. ACT OUT WITH A GUN AND I SAY SOCIETY TAKES YOUR ASS OUT EITHER DEAD OR ALIVE! I'm sick and fn tired of people running around shooting innocent people who have nothing to do with the shooter's own personal issues! Let's see uh.. Fort Hood, etc., etc., etc. etc.,,, excuses are like @!$%#s, everybody's got one! Oh and the third party responsible for the victim's injuries is DEAD - so he'll have to pay his own damn medical bills won't he. And not all bad behavior can be justified by mental illness like people are commenting here.... speculation without facts is a waste of everyone's time. Mental or whatever - shooting a gun at the public IS UNACCEPTABLE!!
For those that assumed he was mentally ill...He received the proper treatment for his condition.
You need to see a shrink.
Diana64,
Thank you. You were right on the money with that comment and saved me time. It seems that the first thing people want to do is to take the high road. It usually goes something like this: "I'm disgusted at all the of the selfish, inconsiderate, ignorant people who condemn batsh*t crazy people who shoot others. You people don't understand X mental condition" People just want to wear the sensitivity badge. Like you, I'll try to understand the schizophrenia after the fact.
nice shot officer!
So, AFTER he ran out of bullets they shot him? He sounds like a real dirtbag, but they could have tasered him, or do they save that for old people only?
Thank you LA Police for saving the California taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars...
Notice he shot at a Mercedes the truck was foreign to no doubt, the reason for his anguish.
Jobless Carpenter, they film a lot of things in Hollywood. If you saw a zombie or E.T. walking down the street of your town, you would probably be concerned and rightfully so. In Hollywood, it happens all the time. You shouldn't fault Angelinos for wondering if something that bizarre was a movie or TV show set.
good job by the cops, no trial no waste of time, or money, except for a few bullets !!!
Applause from Texas
The death penalty is alive and well. Too bad lawyers weren't involved in this one too, it would have made the story that much better.
I agree MFR4. A few dead lawyers would improve the story.
Case closed. Next!
A bullet is cheaper than feeding, clothing and housing him for 20 years. I would say very cost effective alternative achieved.
Clearly this is a "suicide-by-cop" case. Kudos to the cops for neutralizing the threat AND granting his wish.
Right Spartan...After all, maybe Santa brought him what he wanted most.
That guy must be psychic , he did yell out that he was going to die...
I wonder what Jesus is thinking right now?
I wonder if he's questioning if it was really worth it.
Jesus is waiting with his manson. He is ready to welkum him to hevven
What the heck are you even talking about? I love how with every single story somebody finds a way to make it religious or political.
chinese chicken: Apparently everything IS political or religious. You and I just don't get it :(
And all this time, I thought that only Hell had a Manson(Charles), and he was still in prison. Hmmmm, go figger 'eh.
I don't know, JohnnyT, but since he decided to go shooting up cars and putting other lives in peril, I bet he doesn't find out either.
Why??? Sounds like a death wish to me. The one I feel sorry for is the officer, he has to live with it.
Why would you feel sorry for the cop?...
He's doing what HE signed up to do!...
I don't care who you are, if you are human, it must be tough to have to take another human life.
It is.
I wonder if this guy was the same guy in the movie "Pretty Woman" who was shouting on the street?
I normally wouldn't agree with the cops shooting and killing people(it has to be tough on the officer) but in cases like this, with the very little info we have to go on, it seems appropriate. As others have stated, no tax payer subsidized housing, clothing and feeding of this scumbag.
"I normally wouldnt agree with the cops shooting and killing people..."
you know, the rest of your statement actually made sense, but the beginning typifies someone seriousley un-informed.
Uninformed about what Jim? That it is just fine for a cop to shoot and kill someone? Maybe you are saying you are/were a cop, but I strongly doubt that it is a priority for any cop to make it his or her duty to shoot and kill someone, because if it is, then you're nothing more than a murderer at that point. Shooting and killing someone is obviously the last option when no other options are logical. Too many times, a trigger happy boy in blue has pulled the trigger and killed someone who just needed help, not a bullet in the chest or abdomen, and you know that that is true.
Maybe you would have been happier if he killed a few motorists or pedestrians first.
R. if that reply is to me, you obviously can't comprehend what you read. As I stated that in this case, I believe that the cops did the correct thing and took this lunatic out, so next time you feel the need to attack someone, make sure you know what the facts are before you shoot off at the mouth, or, in this case the keyboard.
Okay, so how about showing us some cases where someone received a bullet to the chest or abdomen from a cop, when all he needed was "some help." (I assume that means the the person shot wasn't endangering anybody.)
I would like to politely correct everyone here who said the cop "killed" the gunman. No, the cop "exterminated" the gunman.
I suppose they always cudda used him fer target practice & like only blown off the idiots' gun toting arms & or mebbe just a leg, sos he couldn't stand up good' nuff fer tah shoot at no-buddie else. <> But naah les jus waste-umm fer the sake of the tax-payers & humanity. <> yessssireeBillyBobThornton & co. (this izz thaa-take no prizzinorz theme park era).
There we have it "To Protect And Serve", I guess this is the serve part.
OK , I am a gun owner , and fully back the officers in this. But I do have to ask simply because they said he was out of bullets and resorted to attacking with a knife. Could he of not been tazed first ? You know just a thought of sparing his life only since at this point he had not killed anyone as of yet. Don't get me wrong , I fully back the officer who had no idea if he was carrying another gun.
Ehh, dude was shooting at folks, pulls a knife. Cops don't know he's out of ammo, he could've had another gun even.
I don't know what the rules of engagement are, but I'd go by "If the bad guy shoots, you shoot back, to kill."
so, a guy comes running at you with a knife. Lets say he is 25 feet away. 7 to 8 yards. You take your taser, fire, and miss. Now what? Given the fact different tasers shoot a maximum of 25 ft., the prongs spread apart the further away the target, BOTH darts have to stick to be effective. One dart does nothing.
Rules of engagement in my state used to be 15 feet from you with an edged weapon to use a firearm, that was back in 1990, I think they pushed it out to 20 feet or more now, given the wonderful world of drugs, and suspects taking multiple hits and still moving forward because of the state they are in.
Given this situation, I would say he passed the tazer and went straight to firearm when he started shooting at people in cars.
I don't give a flying F if he was out of ammo, or not. In this case, I support the cops. Now, all of you, stop and think if you were the officer that killed him. What is he mentally thinking, and what mental problems he may end up with? Huh, some of you probablly never thought about that, right?
That is something that officer has to live with for the rest of their lives, they did, in the line of duty, took another person's life. That IMO, would be very hard to live with.
But I would have no problem doing that to someone who wanted to attack, rape, or kill me. How would I live with that, I don't know. But I do know one thing, that attacker will never attack or rape another women.
@GrandNapper
"had no idea if he was carrying another gun". Don't you think you perhaps answered your own question? Key word is THINK!
Not a good idea to bring a tazer to a gun fight. He could have reloaded. He could have grabbed a hostage at knife point. The prudent thing to do is neutralize the threat. He was neutralized in the most efficient method available given the circumstances.
Hilarious you have folks walking around waiting for someone to yell "CUT, THAT`S A WRAP!" while led is flying;)
I hope that they did not need more than 1 Bullet.
MFR4, An interesting fact about lawyers in the U.S. We are only around 5% of the worlds population yet we have 80% of the worlds lawyers. That's what's wrong with the U.S. we need to reduce it by 79.9%. ;o)
Just don't touch my lawyer! I got a lovely-paying medical malpractice lawsuit going on! It's my retirement money.
C_D_J55, "I got a lovely-paying medical malpractice lawsuit going on!"
That's not something to brag about. Malpractice suits are for people who regret that something terrible happened to them due to in-competence of medical staff that left them traumatized, disfigured, or with life long injuries. Sounds like yours is frivolous and therefore is part of the reason healthcare cost have skyrocketed to a point that many can't get it.
It could be possible, that this was the only way he could make sure his family would be taken care of, you know by life insurance. If he killed himself, it wouldn't pay anything. We don't know why he did it, but most people who are trying to get a cop to kill them, is for reasons such as this.
It could also be possible he was a drugged out moron....
Insurance companies also get out of paying if the death results from the commission of a crime.
Life insurance does pay in cases of suicide after 2 years of the policy being bought. I know. I am a life insurance agent. The 2 years is to prevent people from buying a policy and immediately taking their life for the payout.
however, steel toed boot is correct. it doesn't pay if you are killed during the act of a felony such as what this guy was doing.
Haze-1958846, If you sell life insurance, you must know that most policies have a suicide clause which will not pay in the event of suicide. Very few pay even after 2 years due to this clause. It's in the fine print.
Insurance doesn't pay on suicides.
Welcome to Los Angeles Albert Pujols
Why is this news?
Well, tell me why would it "NOT" be news. What if it were you being shot at, or your daughter/son/mother/father, and as it is, one person was actually shot and had to be taken to the hospital, yeah really, why is this news again?
Maybe he was upset because David Stern nixed the Chris Paul trade?
"LOS ANGELES -- A gunman firing randomly at cars and shouting "kill me" and "I'm gonna die!" was shot to death by police in the heart of Hollywood Friday, authorities and a witnesses reported."
Story should have ended there lol!
Too bad he didn't rid us of some lawyers, xanax & oxycodone prescribing MDs and some Big Pharma execs. He could've got a medal and a parade.
it nice to run into a blog that isn't run by christians. all you 'i'm glad he's dead' people know where you're going at the end.
I'm not glad he's dead. I'm sorry he didn't go down to the local pain management clinic and shoot the Dr., owner, guards and receptionist.
Xanax is what got Travis. The benzodiazopenes have an interesting side effect if you bother to read the package insert: Rage. Travis was the 10 year old who ripped that lady's face off, as you may recall. Chimpanzee, humanzee, no significant difference really save muscle. His adopted 'Mum' gave him Xanax for the effects of puberty. Taking Valium prescribed for a ripped muscle, I had the interesting experience of observing this side effect from the inside. If you have never experienced a mindless rage and you are a student of humanzee behavior, it will be a very broadening experience. Fortunately for me it was 2 a.m. and all I did was mindlessly attack a CTA bus trying to get to the driver who had cut me off, crawled right up the windshield while beating it with my fists. Had I the opportunity, I would like to do a study of how many people are in prison for violent crimes committed while they were taking one of the diazopams, for example, but for whom no one bothered to make the connection. This guy could have been on some 'normal' drug such as tweak or crack but, then, we'd have a lot of these cases. We don't hear about what happens to people who run amok on the treats Big Pharma peddles because, well, gee, they're 'legal', they can't hurt you, can they? And Big Pharma has the sole of a big black boot for anyone who would try to make such a case. 'bjorn' in Norske means 'bear' and is the root word for 'berserker', a Viking's favorite mood when conducting foreign relations. It resembled what wed see here. Anyway, we don't know why this soul lost his mind, but, none of us knows when or if we might find ourselves in such a situation for reasons completely out of our control. Most of you here would have done well watching christer's get gnawed in Nero's (and the average Roman's) version of football, judging by the depth of your analyses. It must be strange, albeit you cannot know it, to live alone in such complete human voids as you portray here. Ask not for whom the bell tolls (or the neurotransmitters fail)...
If thinking that this was the proper solution to the situation at hand, then I guess I bought my ticket alright....Probably have had it for awhile. Wonder if they ever expire.
Who is going to pay for the parade
Certainly a better solution than years and years of legal wrangling, postponements, appeals, etc. at the cost of us taxpayers. Next, they need to start with the 600+ sitting on death row. Costs go down--frees up prison space.
If half the lawyers and pill pushing MDs self combusted would anyone notice?
I think the prescription drug addicts might notice. The lawyers? Nope. Guess it depends if you are trying to get your retirement out of a malpractice suit.
Hey anybody getting ready to go off the deep end and go on a shooting spree? Do the world a favor and start at the local pain management clinic. Make sure you get the guards, owner, Dr.s and receptionist.
I guess to you, obviously a Bush/Palin/Perry worshipping dirtwad, this is humor. You just basically endorsed someone going out and killing innocent people, how special is that? But, as I said, that is the far right wingers mentality for you, if you aren't in the republican club, your a worthless drain, aint that right leftsux, you bozo.
LOL - where is Tyler (the great moderator) when he is actually needed?
bryan-2876208, I'm right winged and I can tell you Leftsux is not on our side. He's not on the human side to condone murdering a poor receptionist or guard or anyone else who is just trying to get by with something called a job and actually paying taxes. I disagree with many of the pain clinic practices but murder?
If you are going to make a stupid statement like that, why not just identify yourself and tell us why? Wouldn't give you legal weed?
Hey Joe, where you going with that gun in your hand? I'm going out to shoot my old lady. Seriously, good job LAPD.