Wounded Merchant Shoots Bandit, Second Escapes

A Buena Park merchant opened fire Wednesday on a man who reportedly had just tried to rob him and had shot him in the right shoulder.

Lew Friend, co-owner of Cypress Floor Covering, was struck by a shotgun blast but still managed to hit one of his assailants in a hail of gunfire that shattered windows in the store at 8944 Knott Ave., officials said.

The second robber fled and, according to Lt. Gary Rooney, was still at large Wednesday afternoon.

Rooney said Friend, 50, was alone making coffee at about 10 a.m. when a man entered the store and indicated he was interested in buying carpet.

As a second man came in, Rooney said, the would-be customer grabbed Friend from behind. The second man then fired a shotgun, striking Friend in the right shoulder.

Although wounded, Friend managed to pull the first man in front of him as a shield and then fired four shots at the armed robber. When the other man broke free from his grasp and tried to flee, Rooney said, Friend shot him in the side.

The wounded suspect, Mark Anthony Pass, 24, was lying on the floor when officers arrived and was taken by helicopter to UCI Medical Center, where he was reported in good condition. Rooney said he expects Pass will be charged with attempted murder and attempted robbery.

Friend underwent surgery to remove shotgun pellets from his shoulder on Wednesday afternoon at Buena Park Community Hospital.

Jack Ross, Friend’s business partner for nearly 20 years, said he couldn’t imagine anyone trying to rob the store, which opened last February, because “we don’t have any cash here. Everything is in checks or credit card receipts.”

Ross said Friend has kept a gun in the store for self-defense, noting that his partner had been concerned over an earlier robbery incident at a Los Angeles County restaurant.

“But he usually keeps it in a drawer. He only keeps it on him when I’m not here,” the partner said, adding that Friend was carrying a large amount of cash for a trip to Arizona over the Thanksgiving holiday.

“When I got here after the robbery and saw all the commotion, I just couldn’t believe it,” Ross said.