Dennis RomeroThe Los Angeles Police Department on Monday admitted that at least one “bean bag projectile” was used on a porn star who was threatening to kill himself as he engaged on a Saturday stand-off on the edge of a cliff that ended in his death. Stephen Hill was wanted for the alleged murder of a fellow adult actor and the suspected attempted murder of two others at a Van Nuys porn DVD warehouse Tuesday night. According to the LAPD's account:
“During the course of negotiations, Hill repeatedly threatened to kill himself by placing the sword against his body and walked towards the edge of the cliff. At about 5:30 p.m., Metropolitan Division SWAT officers utilized less lethal tasers and a bean bag projectile on Hill. Hill who was seated appeared to move himself forward, falling off the cliff onto the rocks below.”
Stephen Hill and friend at a porn convention.; Credit: MySpace
The department had originally refused to admit that bean-bag projectiles were used, even though video of the stand-off's conclusion depicts at least one officer open fire with a rifle-like weapon as Hill slips backward and ends up falling down the cliff to his demise. One officer even said he had jumped.
The use of force was under investigation.
Authorities believed Hill might have been upset over his imminent eviction from the porn warehouse when he went off on his friend, fellow porn actor Herbert Wong, a.k.a. Tom Dong.
On Saturday morning someone called to inform police that Hill had possibly been sighted along those West Hills cliffs, in the 8800 block of Azul Drive, and when police arrived a stand-off ensued. Hill was threatening to kill himself with the same kind of Samurai-style sword used in Tuesday's attacks.
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