Two armed robbery suspects got a taste of their own medicine when a victim pulled his own gun and shot them in the legs. Surveillance footage of the incident in Los Angeles shows a man standing with two women while holding a shopping bag when a Dodge Avenger reverses and stops near them.
Two assailants then come out of the car near Melrose Avenue and Vista Street. One of the robbers pulls out a gun and points it at the man while the women beside him run, the clip from the incident around 7.10pm on Monday shows.
The male victim proceeds to pull a gun from his pocket and shoots the two assailants at least four times while dropping the shopping bag. The victim then flees, as the robbers also run without grabbing the shopping bag left on the ground. The robbers’ driver takes off without the two assailants.
‘Words were apparently exchanged, and the victim ultimately produces a handgun, apparently to defend himself and others in his group from the would-be robbery suspects,’ the Los Angeles Police Department said in a press release.
‘The victim fired his weapon towards the suspects and then all parties immediately fled the location.’
Los Angeles police arrested Nicholas Brown, 22, and Markeil Hayes, 28, for the attempted robbery. Cops were still looking for the driver as of Wednesday.
Brown was shot in his upper left thigh while Hayes was shot in his right calf. Both are on parole for other convictions.
Los Angeles has experienced an uptick in shootings since January, with 782 victims compared to 546 during the same time period last year, according to Compstat statistics. That represents a 43.2% increase.
Meanwhile, homicides in Los Angeles are up 28.9% year-to-date, aggravated assaults are up 10.3% and violent crime rose 5% year-on-year. There have been 4,241 robberies reported year-to-date versus 4,403 during the same time frame last year. Arrests are down 4.1% year-on-year.
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