Doughnut Shop Shoot-Out Leaves 1 Dead, 1 Wounded

An attempted robbery led to a shoot-out at a mid-Wilshire doughnut shop early Saturday, with a seriously wounded clerk returning fire and killing one of his two assailants, police said.

Eduardo Alaya, 38, of Los Angeles, who was working alone at the Winchell’s Donut House at 1000 S. La Brea Ave., was shot in the abdomen about 2:30 a.m. after he failed to immediately open the cash register for the two gunmen, police said.

The pair fled, but returned moments later, by which time the bleeding Alaya had been able to grab a gun from behind the counter.

A shoot-out ensued, and suspect Stanley Gibbons, 28, of Los Angeles, was hit in the chest. He staggered, mortally wounded, about 70 feet down Olympic Boulevard before falling to the ground. Gibbons, police said, died at the scene.

A second suspect, Arvie Henry, 27, of Los Angeles, was captured two blocks away. Henry was booked on suspicion of murder for his alleged involvement in the robbery attempt that resulted in Gibbons’ death.

Alaya, a veteran Winchell’s employee, was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he underwent surgery for multiple bullet wounds to the abdomen. Alaya, who was placed in the intensive care unit, was listed in serious condition Saturday afternoon.