A deputy sheriff got stabbed doing his job. Then he shot the man who did it. That’s the whole story, and bodycam proves it.
What happened
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call just after 2:00 p.m. on June 20 near the Lancaster Metrolink station. The caller reported a man swinging two knives in public, saying he looked like he was fighting with someone.
Three patrol units arrived. The suspect, 23-year-old Robert Castro, was sitting near a bus stop. When deputies approached, he walked away across the parking lot. Then he turned around.
Before the first deputy’s car even came to a stop, Castro was moving toward him. Fast. He closed the distance in seconds, pulled a knife, and stabbed the deputy in the upper body. The deputy fired. A second deputy fired too.
Castro was struck. Deputies gave him aid until fire personnel arrived. He was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The deputy was treated for non-life-threatening stab wounds. Investigators later recovered three knives at the scene, including the one used in the stabbing.
Why this was justified
This is the 21-foot rule playing out in real time. Everyone wants to talk about tasers, beanbag rounds, calling in a social worker. Watch the video. Castro closed that distance in under two seconds. A deputy does not have time to reach for a less-lethal option when a man is already inside arm’s reach with a knife.
Castro rushed a deputy sheriff, drew a knife, and stabbed him. The second deputy backed his partner. That is not a close call. That is a deputy defending his life after he was already cut.
What’s next
The shooting is under investigation by the California Department of Justice’s California Police Shooting Investigation Team. Findings will go to the DOJ’s Special Prosecutions Section for independent review.
