LOCAL : Off-Duty Officer Shoots Suspect Chased by Bystanders in Valley
An off-duty police detective helped a group of bystanders chase a pair of alleged robbers in Woodland Hills and then shot one of the suspects as he raised a butcher knife to attack his pursuers, Los Angeles police reported today.
Lt. William Hall said Edward Lujan, 27, was in critical condition at Northridge Hospital Medical Center and will be arrested on suspicion of robbery when his condition permits. Mario Carello, 25, was arrested on suspicion of robbery.
Detective Ted Ball, a member of the robbery-homicide division, was off-duty and taking his wife to dinner about 5:30 p.m. Thursday when he saw two men assaulting and robbing a woman in the parking lot of a drug store in the 22000 block of Clarendon Street, police said.
Ball, 39, and several other bystanders who saw the attack began to chase the men, who split up during the pursuit.
Lujan turned toward a small group of people who had chased him into an alley and allegedly raised the knife, Hall said. Ball fired a shot, which struck Lujan in the back.
After the shooting, police went to a nearby home where Lujan had been staying with friends. Carello was found there and arrested.
The 50-year-old woman who had been robbed was treated for a bruise on her head, police said.
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