The Arrest Came Less Than 24 Hours After a Shooting at the figat7th Shopping Mall That Left Two Target Employees Injured
The suspect in a Monday night shooting at a downtown Los Angeles Target store was apprehended Tuesday evening following a five-hour standoff with police in the nearby Westlake District.
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that the man, whose identity has not been released, was taken into custody at 4:52 p.m. at an apartment on the 1200 block of West Ingraham Street. The standoff began at 11:38 a.m. when officers attempted to serve a warrant, according to KTLA. Viewer footage shared with KTLA showed several broken windows and the deployment of tear gas by officers before the suspect surrendered.
The arrest came less than 24 hours after a shooting at the FigAt7th shopping mall that left two Target employees injured. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the suspect, described as a man in his early 20s, was confronted by security after he attempted to leave the store with over $1,000 worth of merchandise stuffed into a briefcase.
LAPD Capt. Raul Jovel, speaking at a press conference Tuesday, said the suspect opened fire “indiscriminately” during the confrontation. One of the security guards, who was armed, returned fire, resulting in a gunfight with at least 10 shots exchanged. Walls in the area were pocked with bullet holes, Jovel told the Los Angeles Times.
Two Target employees were wounded in the shooting. One, a loss prevention officer, remains in critical condition, while the armed security guard was treated and released from the hospital on Tuesday morning, according to KTLA.
Witnesses described the chaos as shoppers scrambled for safety. “We all just started running toward the back,” Judith Conway told KABC. “We heard several rounds go off and tried to get to safety.”
Images released by LAPD on Tuesday morning, as reported by KTLA, showed the suspect wearing a black jacket, gray pants, a purple scarf, and a black do-rag. Police described him as armed and dangerous before his eventual capture.
The FigAt7th mall expressed its concern over the incident in a statement to local media, stating it is cooperating fully with the police investigation. Target also released a statement, reported by KTLA, expressing sadness over the violence and noting that the store remains closed as of Tuesday night.
This is not the first act of violence at the downtown Target. In 2022, a homeless man fatally stabbed a 9-year-old boy and a 25-year-old woman inside the store before being shot and killed by a security guard, according to ABC.
