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On January 22, 2023, at approximately 5:14 PM, deputies assigned to the Altadena Sheriff’s Station responded to a call at a gas station on the corner of Fair Oaks Avenue and Woodbury Road. The call was regarding a male chasing and attempting to stab people with a sharp metal object. The male was later identified as 47-year-old Charles Towns. When deputies arrived at the location, they saw Towns walking south across Woodbury Avenue.

The deputies followed Towns in their patrol vehicles as he walked west on Woodbury Road along the south sidewalk. One of the pursuing deputies exited his patrol vehicle and ordered Towns to stop and drop his weapon. Towns did not comply and continued to walk south onto the 2100 block of El Sereno Avenue, where they witnessed him stab an elderly female in her face. Towns, while still armed with the sharp object, was actively attempting to stab another person, at which time a deputy-involved shooting occurred.

Towns fell to the ground, got up, and advanced toward deputy personnel as the deputy-involved shooting continued. Towns collapsed at the apron of the driveway, approximately 10 to 12 feet from where he initially fell. Towns sustained gunshot wounds to his torso. Deputies rendered first aid to Towns until the Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics arrived. He was pronounced dead at the scene. There were two civilians injured from stabbing /cutting injuries in this incident. The sharp object, later determined to be scissors, was recovered from the ground in the area where the male originally fell.