Security Guard Slain at Restaurant

A 42-year-old security guard was shot and killed Sunday morning when he exchanged gunfire with a robber inside a Panorama City restaurant.

Miguel Gabara, a Lynwood father of four, died from a bullet to the chest in the Rincon Taurino at 14551 Nordhoff St., police said. The robber was hit twice by shots fired by Gabara and was taken by an accomplice to Pacifica Hospital in Sun Valley, where he was found by police, according to reports.

The incident occurred at 2:30 a.m. when the gunman, identified by police as Ricardo Reynoso, 29, of Van Nuys, walked into the crowded Mexican-style restaurant and demanded money from the cash register. Gabara confronted the robber and shots were exchanged, according to Los Angeles Police Detective Steve Fisk.

Restaurant manager Reggie Tix, 35, said he was working in back when he heard three gunshots. When he came out front, he found Gabara, who was already dead. His killer had fled.

The wounded robber, hit in the arm and leg, met an accomplice outside the restaurant who drove him to the hospital, Fisk said. Reynoso was listed in stable condition.

Gabara had worked for the restaurant for several months, according to Tix. “He was a good person,” Tix said. “There were no problems.”