LAPD fires on man suspected of holding gun, misses him entirely. Turns out it was a water pistol

Los Angeles police officers shot at a man wielding a water pistol Monday in South Park, the department said in a news release.

Officers in the Newton Division received a call around 5:30 p.m. about a man armed with a gun walking near South Broadway and West 54th Street, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement Tuesday.

Police found the man, saw that he was holding what looked like a gun, got out of their car and ordered him to stop, according to the release.

The suspect kept going, then at one point looked toward the officers and pointed the “gun” at them, prompting at least one of them to shoot, the department said.

The shots did not hit the suspect, who dropped the object that was in his hand, police said. It was later “determined to be a water pistol designed to resemble a firearm,” police said. After dropping the water pistol, the man was arrested. Nobody was injured in the shooting, according to the department.

Los Angeles police have shot at 13 people this year, compared with 27 by this time last year, according to department statistics. Of the people police shot at in 2026, five were killed and seven were injured.

Times staff writer Libor Jany contributed to this report.