A man was shot by Los Angeles police early Friday morning after officers say he raised what appeared to be a handgun during a traffic stop in South Los Angeles — a weapon later determined to be a replica torch lighter.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the officer-involved shooting happened around 3:34 a.m. Friday near the intersection of Gladys Avenue and 8th Street in the department’s Newton Division.
LAPD said officers from the Central Patrol Division had pulled over a vehicle for a traffic violation and contacted the driver and front-seat passenger. During that interaction, officers noticed what they described as a pistol grip between the passenger’s legs…