A man accused of opening fire on two security team members after walking out of a downtown Los Angeles Target with unpurchased merchandise was charged Friday with attempted murder and other crimes.
Jabril Metoyer, 25, was expected to be arraigned Friday on three counts of attempted murder and five counts of attempted second-degree robbery. The charges include various allegations of personal discharge of a firearm, use of a firearm and great bodily injury.
At a morning news conference, the county prosecutor's office announced the charges and revealed that Metoyer also was suspected in an armed robbery shooting three days earlier at the same downtown LA shopping area. In that case, the attacker is accused of shooting a man at an ATM after the man refused to hand over money.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
More details about that shooting and the victim's condition were not immediately available.
In the Dec. 30 crime, officers were called to the 700 block of S. Figueroa Street for a report of a shooting just before 9 p.m. at FIGat7th mall. Two people were found with gunshot wounds at the FIGat7th shopping mall, where police said the security guard and Target employee tried to stop a shoplifter.
A man seen on store security camera video walked out of the store with unpaid merchandise in a suitcase and was confronted by the guard and loss prevention Target employee, police said. The man armed with a handgun opened fire, sending shoppers running for cover.
One of the victims, a 33-year-old armed security officer employed by the mall, returned fire, police said. It was not immediately clear whether the gunman was struck.
The armed guard was treated and released from a hospital. The Target employee remained in critical condition Tuesday afternoon.
Metoyer was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon following a standoff in the Westlake District.
Earlier that day, Los Angeles police released a security camera photo of the man in the search for the shooter. Hochman said a person came forward with information after recognizing the man in the LAPD release.
"This morning, my office filed serious charges against a man accused of attempting to shoplift from a Target store and then escalating his actions to a violent attack that left two security guards injured, one critically, by gunfire," Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said. "This kind of brazen thievery and violence is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in Los Angeles County.
"My thoughts are with the injured guards and their families during this difficult time. I want to assure them, and all residents, that we will use every resource available to bring justice to those who commit such heinous acts. If you engage in criminal behavior that endangers lives and disrupts public safety in LA County, you will face swift and decisive consequences."
Anyone with information about the suspect or the shooting was asked to call 213-833-3750.
