Police in Walnut Creek shot and killed a man that they claim charged at them with a crowbar after receiving complaints that he was threatening family members on Sunday afternoon.
The unidentified man's mother warned a 911 operator that her son "has mental health problems and will be aggressive with police," according to a statement from the Walnut Creek Police Department.
Neighbors were in shock, however, saying that the 23-year-old man that he was not known to be dangerous.
"He's got a heart of gold and is just an amazing kid," said one woman to KPIX-5.
The encounter began when police received a report at 4:41 p.m. that the man entered his grandmother's room and threatened her with a crowbar. Another call came minutes later from the his mother, saying that he had broken a glass door and menaced her with the pointed end of a metal pole, according to police.
Another call from a neighbor reached dispatchers that a man with a red bandana on his head and face was pounding on his front door while holding a crowbar.
Officers said that when they found the man on Arlene Lane he raced toward them with the pry bar, ignoring commands to drop it. One officer fired several rounds of bean bags that did not stop him from charging. Two officers shot at him with their handguns, authorities said.
He died later at John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek.
The police department said in a statement that it "is deeply saddened by this event as any loss of life is tragic."
Five officers who were on the scene were placed on paid leave while the department and Contra Costa County District Attorney's office reviews the shooting.