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Tujunga man faces attempted murder, carjacking charges

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Prosecutors charged a reputed gang member Friday with trying to kill two Glendale men during a brazen carjacking and separate shootings earlier this week.

Manuel Jesus Rodriguez, 28, of Tujunga faces two felony counts of attempted murder as well as a charge for carjacking in one of the incidents and a count of assaulting a man with a firearm in the other, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court records.

The men were not wounded during the incidents.

Rodriguez is expected to be arraigned on the attempted murder charges Monday in the Los Angeles Superior Court in Glendale.

Rodriguez was arrested on Tuesday after he carjacked a Toyota Camry from a 37-year-old Glendale man at about 10 p.m. in the 100 block of Sinclair Avenue.

Rodriguez fired at least two shots at the man and then fled in his car, police said.

Rodriguez was reportedly driving on the northbound Glendale (2) Freeway in the stolen Toyota, but crashed and tried to flee the scene.

A Good Samaritan was also driving on the 2 Freeway and stopped to ask Rodriguez if he was hurt.

Rodriguez reportedly fired three rounds toward the 42-year-old Glendale man, police said. The rounds struck the man’s car.

Rodriguez continued running and jumped over a chain-link fence onto Stancrest Avenue.

At some point, Rodriguez accidentally shot his left foot, police said.

But police eventually spotted Rodriguez in the 3700 block of Park Place and arrested him.

He was treated at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital and later released to police.

Rodriguez, who is also known as “Trouble,” is reportedly a listed member of the Glendale-based Toonerville gang, according to police.

In 2009, he was served with an injunction, as were many members of the gang.

Gang members named in the court order are prohibited from engaging in gang-related activities and from associating with each other within the so-called Los Angeles River-Glendale safety zone, which includes Palmer and Chevy Chase parks.

Rodriguez has been previously convicted of weapons and drug possession and sales charges, according to court records.

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Follow Veronica Rocha on Google+ and on Twitter: @VeronicaRochaLA.

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