Sandy MaloneLos Angeles, CA – A terrifying robbery and gunfight that left an employee of a smoke shop in Los Angeles shot in the face and a would-be robbery dead was captured on surveillance video (video below).
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) said the incident occurred after four men walked into a smoke shop located in the 1500-block of South Wilmington Avenue in Compton just before 7 p.m. on April 3, KTLA reported.
Security video from inside the store showed what happened when four men walked into the store and walked up to the counter one at a time.
The fourth man to approach pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the employee behind the counter who was also the shop’s security guard.
Video showed the security guard immediately reached for the weapon that was holstered at his hip.
That was when the suspect in a red jacket opened fire on the store employee and shot him in the face and neck.
The security guard returned fire and a gun battle ensued, KTLA reported.
Security video showed the gunman in the red jacket tripped over the suspect standing behind him as he tried to back away from the armed security guard and both suspects went down to the ground.
The suspect in the red jacket quickly recovered, got up, and dashed toward the rear of the store where he took cover at the end of an aisle and continued shooting at the security guard behind the front counter.
The suspect who had been run over by his co-conspirator appeared to be wounded as he dragged himself to the end of the aisle, the video showed.
Another suspect shot at the security guard through the glass display counter before fleeing to join his crew in shooting at the employee from the end of the aisle.
Security video from the back of the store showed the suspects continuing to fire at the employee on the ground behind the counter from the opposite end of the store before they fled the scene.
The security guard sustained gunshot wounds to his face and neck, KTLA reported.
He was transported to the hospital for treatment and has since been released.
LASD said that one of the would-be robbers who was shot by the store employee was dumped at Martin Luther King Hospital about 30 minutes after the incident, KTLA reported.
Authorities said that suspect died at the hospital.
The identity of the dead suspect has not yet been released, KTLA reported.
LASD said a second suspect was arrested on May 4 but they didn’t provide any details on the arrest.
Authorities have identified the other two wanted suspects as 23-year-old Kahlel Malik Lundy and 21-year-old Keith Terrion Rachel, KTLA reported.
Police said both Lundy and Rachel were already wanted by police for murder in connection with an unrelated incident.
Watch the incident unfold in the video below. WARNING – Graphic Content:
A mostly peaceful shootout at a smoke shop in California. Also it’s good to see the shooters were wearing masks so nobody would catch covid. pic.twitter.com/OhcXJ54A0L
— Cassady Campbell (@Ccampbellbased) May 5, 2022
Holly Matkin
