Guard Shoots Unarmed Teen Thief, Police Say

A Los Alamitos Race Course security guard allegedly shot an unarmed 17-year-old in the back Friday night as the youth and his friends, suspected of breaking into a car, tried to flee, police said.

The youth, Binh Van Phan of Garden Grove, was reported in fair and stable condition at UCI Medical Center in Orange on Saturday and probably will be charged with vehicular burglary, Cypress Police Sgt. Ray Peterson said.

The security guard, whose name police were withholding Saturday, has not been charged. Peterson said police are investigating the incident and will present a report to the district attorney, who will decide whether to press charges.

The incident began about 11 p.m. Friday, when track security guards spotted four young men breaking into a Volkswagen Jetta, Peterson said. They allegedly stole a compact disc player and attempted to flee in their pickup truck but were stopped by security officers inside the race track’s main gate, he said. The CD player was recovered from inside the pickup, Peterson said.

“On being ordered from the vehicle, three of the four suspects ran from security officers,” Cypress Police Sgt. Mike Idom said. “One suspect was shot.”

Two 17-year-olds, whose names were not released because of their age, were arrested on suspicion of vehicular robbery and taken to Juvenile Hall, Peterson said.

A fourth youth of about the same age got away on foot. None of the four suspects was armed, Peterson said.

Peterson said that Phan, who was shot once in the back, was 17 at the time of the incident but had his 18th birthday on Saturday.

“He was a juvenile when the crime happened, but he’s an adult today,” Peterson said. “He’ll probably be tried as a juvenile.”

Peterson would not comment on the details of the shooting but noted that the regulations that cover shootings by security guards are not as restrictive.

“Our policies do not apply to them,” he said.

Race track officials did not return phone calls requesting comment Saturday.