Police - Suspect assaulted woman

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A man who was shot to death by police had just assaulted a pregnant woman and was threatening officers, the Police Department said Monday.

Juan Meraz, 21, was shot early Sunday morning and died at a hospital.

Capt. Rich Lockhart, a police spokesman, said Meraz was killed after police went to an apartment complex on a disturbance call around 12:30 a.m. When officers arrived, Lockhart said, they found Meraz smashing a car window with a 5-foot metal weightlifting bar. Meraz was shot when he came toward the officers and refused orders to drop the bar, Lockhart said.

The officer involved was placed on administrative leave with pay pending an investigation, as is standard in police shooting cases.