An asset protection professional for Target and an armed security officer at a downtown Los Angeles shopping plaza were shot by an alleged shoplifter this week after the suspect attempted to make off with stolen merchandise from the store.
According to reports, the shooting happened after the suspect attempted to leave the Target store with a briefcase he had stuffed full of merchandise including clothing, stationery items, and other merchandise believed to be worth an estimated $1,400 to $1,600. The Los Angeles Police Department reported that surveillance video from the store shows the suspect attempting to walk out with the briefcase when he was approached by the Target asset protection representative along with the security officer who worked for the outdoor shopping mall where the store is located. When the man was confronted, he pulled a firearm.
“During that scuffle, the suspect produced a pistol and fired indiscriminately—shooting two people,” claimed LAPD Captain Raul Jovel during a Tuesday afternoon news conference. He reported that the suspect fired at least five rounds and the security guard fired back—with at least ten rounds fired over the course of the confrontation. The suspect fled the scene, with both the security guard and the asset protection representative left severely wounded. When officers arrived on the scene, they found both victims suffering from gunshot wounds, with one of them unconscious and not breathing.
Both individuals were transported to a local hospital. The security guard was treated and released, while the Target asset protection professional remains hospitalized in critical condition
There were no immediate reports of shoppers injured during the incident.
In a statement, LAPD described the suspect as believed to be 20 to 25 years old, standing six feet tall, and weighing about 170 pounds. Police said the firearm he used was a 9mm semi-automatic pistol. They revealed that he was wearing a purple scarf, black jacket, black head covering, and gray pants at the time. The merchandise was left behind during the confrontation and later recovered.
“I want to say that we have a great relationship with Target and that whole plaza,” states Jovel. “They’re following their internal protocols…they have a very professional staff that I have personally met…They have done this many, many times where this has not happened. Unfortunately, this is what we fear when we have shoplifters in these deadly confrontations where someone pulls a gun, and unfortunately it happened yesterday…This incident is particularly troubling because people were doing their lawful duties to detain this individual who demonstrated a wanton disregard for human life.”
Suspect Arrested
The events sparked a manhunt that ended hours later with police saying a suspect was arrested following an hours-long standoff at a nearby apartment complex in Westlake, California. The unidentified suspect had barricaded himself inside his apartment as officers attempted to serve a warrant at the residence. Several canisters of tear gas were allegedly delivered into the makeshift bunker and the suspect was arrested without further incident.
The shooting ends a year in which California voters showcased their frustration with retail theft and other crime. California’s Proposition 36, a ballot measure making shoplifting a felony for repeat offenders, passed easily, rolling back a law passed by voters a decade ago that downgraded theft under $950 to a misdemeanor. Prosecutors now have the latitude to more readily charge theft cases as felonies when they involve repeat offenders.