Gunman Flees Into Store; 15 Trapped for 3 Hours

At least 15 people, including a pregnant woman, were trapped for several hours in a Bellflower drugstore Wednesday after an off-duty Los Angeles Police officer chased a gunman into the store.

The people had fled to the back of the store when they heard shooting and were afraid to leave. They were rescued by a SWAT team three hours later.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Paul Snow said the gunman and two accomplices had tried to commandeer a car at the intersection of Bellflower and Alondra boulevards at about 4 p.m. But two of the three occupants of the car pulled out guns and opened fire on the suspects, Snow said.

One of the suspects and two armed occupants of the car were wounded and were taken to Long Beach Memorial Hospital. Another suspect was captured.

The third suspect was chased into the Thrifty drugstore on South Bellflower Boulevard. However, as of late Wednesday authorities were not certain if the man remained in the building or had managed to escape.