Gunman Killed in House; 2 Others Held

A Canoga Park man shot and killed one of three men armed with shotguns who forced their way into his house, detectives said Tuesday, and two suspected accomplices were later arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery.

The dead man was identified as Minooei Pat Farjad, 19. He was fatally shot Monday night by a 30-year-old resident of a house in the 8500 block of Fullbright Avenue, police said.

Police did not release the names of the resident or the two men arrested Tuesday afternoon.

Officers recovered a shotgun and a car allegedly used in the incident. The two suspected gunmen could face charges of murder in addition to attempted armed robbery because the crime resulted in a death, Lt. Harvie Eubank said.

The shooting appeared to be justified, but detectives were still investigating what appeared to be a botched residential robbery, Eubank said.

The incident took place on a quiet street at the house of two men who worked in construction and also repaired race cars on the property, police said. About 10:30 p.m. Monday, three men carrying shotguns confronted a visitor as he walked from the house to a mobile home parked in front to retrieve clothing, Eubank said.

The gunmen told the visitor that they would kill him if he did not let them into the house, and he said he would comply, Eubank said.

“He made enough noise that he tipped off his friends inside to what was going on,” Eubank said. “One of them armed himself with a .38-caliber weapon.”

As the visitor led the gunmen into the house, he saw his friend standing in the hallway with the handgun and dropped to the floor, police said. The resident fired six shots, killing Farjad with a single shot to the head, police said, and the other assailants fled in a black Mustang without firing a shot.

Police would not say where the two men were arrested or how investigators tracked them down. But Eubank said the suspects and the car matched descriptions given by witnesses. He said the shooting did not appear to be gang-related.