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.

Police said the passenger — later identified as 38-year-old Angel Elijah Cruz — was repeatedly

ordered not to move or reach for the object. While officers were giving commands, dispatchers advised them that the vehicle had been reported stolen, and backup officers and a supervisor were called to the scene.

Despite repeated commands, Cruz allegedly raised the pistol-grip object toward officers, prompting them to open fire, police said.

Cruz was then removed from the vehicle and taken into custody without further incident before he was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for gunshot wounds and survived, according to LAPD.

Investigators later determined the object Cruz raised was a replica handgun-style torch lighter, not a real firearm. The item was recovered at the scene and booked into evidence.

Cruz was booked on suspicion of drawing or exhibiting an imitation firearm, police said. The driver was also taken into custody without incident. No officers or bystanders were injured.

LAPD’s Force Investigation Division is investigating the shooting. Officials emphasized the investigation remains ongoing and that details could change as additional evidence is reviewed.

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