CHULA VISTA (KGTV) — "He was here with a woman, and he was pulling her and hitting her car," 16-year-old Marla Rangel said.
The scene unraveled in front of Rangel on Sunday night.
"It looked like they knew each other," she said. "She started screaming 'Help me, help me.'"
Rangel just got off work and was sitting in the car with her mom at around 8 p.m. Just before they were about to leave; they say they saw a man hitting nearby cars with parts of a wheelchair.
"My mom called 911," she said.
Chula Vista police arrived soon after. They say a canine officer found the man hitting the windows of a black truck.
RELATED: Officials: Man armed with knife shot, killed by Chula Vista Police officer
"They told him to stop hitting the car. And he didn't stop. He started coming toward the police," Rangel said.
Rangel says she didn't see the man holding anything, but police say he walked toward the officer with a knife in his hand. The officer asked him to put down his weapon. When the man didn't listen, the officer shot him multiple times. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
"There's been a few shootings in the past here," said Christina Martin, a local employee. "So it's just solidifying how unsafe it's getting."
People working nearby say just walking to their car is a safety concern. One of them was Martin.
"I don't let my associates leave work without each other," she said. "They walk each other to their cars."
Police say the officer involved in the shooting has been with the department for about five years. The San Diego Police Department's homicide unit is investigating the incident, which is standard procedure.
