Man Slain by Deputy Was Holding a Pen, Officials Say

A man who authorities say refused repeated orders to submit to arrest was wielding a silver ballpoint pen rather than a knife when he was fatally shot by a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy, officials said Tuesday.

Roger Marito, 30, of Los Angeles, was killed at Heritage Classics, a vintage car dealership in West Hollywood, after apparently lunging at a deputy Monday evening, sheriff’s officials said. The deputy told supervisors he thought Marito was about to stab him when he fired one round from his 9-mm handgun.

Officials said Deputy Sean Ruiz--who was responding to a report of a suspicious person--tried to persuade Marito to calm down. But Marito became “combative,” prompting Ruiz to use pepper spray and then his baton. Marito then pulled an object from his pocket and ignored Ruiz’s orders to drop it, officials said. Instead, they said, Marito raised his arm and took a step toward Ruiz.

Marito was shot once in the upper body and pronounced dead at the scene.