A Los Angeles police officer has fatally shot a man wielding a metal chair after he tried to reach for the officer’s gun during a scuffle at a hospital, authorities say.

The combative vandal, 26, died about half an hour after he was shot on Saturday night at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, police officials said.

Earlier on the day, the unidentified man “viciously attacked” two officers outside an apartment building where he was reportedly throwing bottles.

He also punched and kicked the officers and knocked a stun gun out of a cop’s hand during the encounter.

Police finally arrested him and sent him to the hospital with minor injuries. Even though he was “very cooperative, very somber,” his demeanor changed when he was ready to be released.

“There wasn’t an expectation on the officer’s part that he would attack again like that,” Los Angeles Police Commander Phillip Tingirides said.

The moment the officers unhooked his handcuffs from the hospital bed, he allegedly attacked officers and picked up a metal stool.

Following an unsuccessful attempt to taser the vandal, a policeman shot him dead after the suspect tried to snatch his gun.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the incident marks the police department's 20th fatal shooting so far this year.

In a similar occurrence in Texas, a US policeman shot and killed a student suspected of vandalism last Sunday.

The officer shot dead the axe-wielding student suspected of knocking out car windows.