A man who police say opened fire on two security guards who confronted him at a Target store in downtown Los Angeles faces multiple counts of attempted murder and robbery, authorities said Friday.
Standing outside the Figat 7th shopping complex where the Dec. 30 shooting took place. Atty. Nathan Hochman said Jabril Metoyer was also involved in another shooting on the same street three days earlier.
“This type of brazen theft and violence is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in Los Angeles County,” Hochman said.
Police previously said Metoyer was confronted by loss prevention officers and armed security guards after he allegedly stuffed more than $1,000 worth of merchandise into a briefcase inside a Target inside a busy shopping center near 7th and Metro Center. , announced that they had started firing wildly. station. One of the guards returned fire and at least 10 shots were expended during the engagement.
Hochman said Friday that the loss prevention officer remains hospitalized. He was listed in critical condition on Tuesday. The armed guard was treated and released from the hospital Tuesday morning.
Metoyer is scheduled to be arraigned on Friday. A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office, which is handling his case, could not be reached for comment.
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell said investigators were able to identify the suspect after his photo was circulated in the media. Metoyer was arrested on New Year’s Eve after an hours-long standoff at a residential building in the 1200 block of West Ingraham Street, McDonnell said.
McDonnell said officers evacuated the building Metoyer had barricaded himself in and spent hours trying to calm him down. Officers eventually sprayed tear gas into his room, forced him outside, and arrested him. According to the police chief, a handgun was recovered at the scene.
Three days before the confrontation with Target, Hochman said Metoyer shot and killed a man near the intersection of 7th Avenue and Figueroa Avenue. Authorities said the victim refused to give Metoyer money, but did not say whether it was an attempted robbery or if he was begging. A spokeswoman for the District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to questions about the Dec. 27 shooting.
Hochman said Metoyer’s last known address was the Ingraham Hotel. Hochman said he did not believe Metoyer had a criminal history prior to the recent shooting.
Hochman said Metoyer could be sentenced to 25 years in prison if convicted on all charges. He said he would face a harsher sentence reduction for the gun charge than he received under the administration of his predecessor, former District Attorney Georges Gascón.
“We want to send a very strong message to those who think it is OK to use guns in connection with violent crime. “We will deal with the maximum consequences,” he said.
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