Alleged Porn-Star Killer Dies After Police Shoot And He Falls Off A Cliff
[Updated throughout at 10:20 p.m.] Alleged porn-star killer Stephen Hill died Saturday night following a day-long standoff with police that ended when officers used what they said was a stun-gun/Taser against him -- although at least one other cop appears to shoot a less-than-lethal projectile -- and he stumbled back and took a fatal fall off a cliff in West Hills. We assume there will be some controversy -- and an investigation -- surrounding the suspect's death.
The suspect with porn actress Sasha Grey.
The 34-year-old was spotted along the bluffs in the 8800 block of Azul Drive by a resident who recognized him as the outstanding suspect and called police, according to reports. A possible foot chase led to the standoff, with Hill holding a Samurai-style sword at the edge of the cliff and threatening to kill himself. A Los Angeles police SWAT team was called to the scene and paramedics were put on standby as authorities tried to talk him into surrendering.
Hill, who performed in adult films as Steve Driver, is alleged to have killed fellow porn actor Herbert Wong with a Samurai-style sword Tuesday night at a Van Nuys porn-DVD warehouse. He was charged with murder and with attempted murder for allegedly slashing two others who survived.
Police said he might have been upset about being evicted from the Ultima warehouse, where he had been staying. Victim Wong, who performed as Tom Dong, was a friend. At least one source told Adult Video News that the pair were a kind of Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan of porn.
At about 5:30 p.m Saturday multiple officers were seen via news footage opening fire with less-than-lethal force -- police said they were using stun-guns, but it appears possible that less-than-lethal, bean-bag-type projectiles were fired -- which apparently pushed Hill toward the edge of the cliff as he went down and stumbled backward, falling an estimated 50 feet. Paramedics were seen wheeling him away on a stretcher.
Police declared hill dead some time before 8 p.m. Saturday. We assume there will be a use-of-force investigation by the department. Police were already spinning the incident, saying that Hill clearly wanted to take his own life, that it's not clear what kind of weapons cops used against him, and that he actually jumped -- although that didn't appear to be the case after watching footage.
In fact, while stun-gun/Taser chords appear to have been attached to Hill, at least one other officer is seen firing a rifle-like weapon at Hill -- and the sound of one or two shots is heard -- hastening his descent.
"He jumped down off the cliff after he was Tased,'' said LAPD Officer Bruce Borihan.
-With reporting from City News Service. Got news? Email us.
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