Would-Be Robber Shot in Van Nuys

The manager of a Van Nuys check-cashing service shot and apparently wounded one of two would-be robbers Wednesday morning, Los Angeles police said.

Detective Mike Sullivan said the shooting took place in the 12700 block of Sherman Way at 10 a.m. when the manager of a nearby check-cashing business arrived for work in a car driven by his wife.

The manager told police that a car pulled up near him and a passenger jumped out with a gun. Fearing that he and his wife were in danger, the manager drew his own gun and fired, he said. The gunman jumped back into the car without returning fire and it sped away, Sullivan said.

The car, containing bloodstains indicating that an occupant was wounded, was found abandoned a short while later in a nearby parking lot, Sullivan said. Police learned that the car had been reported stolen earlier.

The manager of the check-cashing store was not identified as a precaution and because police are investigating why he was carrying a handgun without a license, Sullivan said.