By Niki Cervantes
Staff Writer

October 6, 2016 -- A still unidentified man remained in critical condition Wednesday after being shot by a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy after he lunged at deputies with a knife at the Expo Line station in Santa Monica’s busy downtown, a department spokesperson said.

LASD Deputy Kimberly Alexander said the man’s medical condition was unchanged as of Wednesday evening. She said no additional details were yet available.

Authorities said the shooting occurred at the Metro Station just before 1 p.m. on Tuesday.

The suspect was seen coming from the same direction of an arriving train and then wielded a kitchen knife and lunged at deputies stationed on the platform for security, LASD said.

LASD said that as they struggled with the man, the deputies realized the suspect also had a second knife in his hand, which led to the shooting.

He was shot in the upper torso. Neither deputy was harmed, authorities said. Knives were reported to be found at the scene.

Paramedics transported the suspect to the hospital shortly after 1:15 p.m., authorities said.

The incident triggered temporary closure of the station, which is at Colorado Avenue and 4th Street -– a particularly busy part of the city near the 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica High School and the Civic Center, home to government buildings such as the courthouse and City Hall.

The station was re-opened later in the afternoon.

Tuesday's incident marked the second time in a week downtown found itself in the middle of a law enforcement emergency.

On September 28, the Santa Monica Courthouse was also temporarily evacuated as deputies, who also are responsible for court security, dealt with a report of a “suspicious package” ("Santa Monica Courthouse Evacuated After Report of Suspicious Package," September 29, 2016).

The incident, at about 2 p.m., resulted in the arrival of the sheriff’s bomb squad. Although no damage or injuries were subsequently reported, officials alerted the public to police activity at the courthouse and urged it to stay away, closing some areas to traffic.

That incident occurred at a time which also is typically car-clogged in downtown, with Samohi parents picking up departing students and traffic starting grow in the late-afternoon to evening rush hours.

An all-clear was tweeted from the City about 5:45 p.m.