Man Wounded as Carjackers Strike 3 Times : Crime: Robbers accost drivers twice in Fullerton, once in Anaheim. Resistance by one driver almost costs him his life, but two motorists who did not resist are unhurt.

Carjackers struck three times within two days in Orange County this week: twice in Fullerton where one victim was shot in the back, and once in Anaheim where a woman’s car was taken at gunpoint.

“This is a first for Fullerton,” Police Sgt. Geoff Spalding said Tuesday. “I don’t think we’ve ever had anyone shot during a carjacking before. And to have two in two days, that’s more than we’ve had in the last several months, and it’s a lot more than we’d like.”

The attacks and robberies occurred just a week after Sherri Janine Foreman, a former Orange County resident, was stabbed to death in Sherman Oaks by a would-be carjacker as she left an automated bank teller machine.

“Carjacking is definitely on the rise,” Anaheim Police Sgt. Karl Fonceca said. “It’s prevalent everywhere. Crooks are seeing it as an easy way of obtaining a car or more than a car.”

In Fullerton on Monday evening, two armed men confronted Mohammed Kamil, 28, outside of his apartment in the 3300 block of East Yorba Linda Boulevard and demanded that he hand over his the keys to his 1991 Honda Civic, police said. Kamil refused and was shot as he tried to run.

He was in stable condition Tuesday night at UCI Medical Center in Orange.

Only a few blocks away and less than 24 hours later, a 52-year-old woman and her 12-year-old son were confronted by four men who demanded her 1993 Toyota Camry at gunpoint. She complied, and neither of them was injured.

The robbery occurred about 4:30 p.m. in the 3100 block of Pearl Drive. Police said the men may have followed the pair from Garden Grove.

“If you compare these two cases, it’s obvious that if you resist, the likelihood of getting harmed is greater,” Spalding said. “There is no vehicle or personal property that is worth getting yourself hurt over.”

In Anaheim, two men stole a woman’s 1975 Datsun 280 ZX at gunpoint at 4:24 a.m. Tuesday when she stopped for a red light at Harbor Boulevard and Freedman Way, police said.

The 27-year-old Garden Grove woman, whose name was not released, was not injured.

A short time later, police stopped two men in the woman’s car on Brookhurst Street north of Lincoln Avenue. Tracy Steven Kovach, 27, and Brian Lee Moore, 26, were arrested after the victim identified them, police said.

Kovach, a transient, and Moore, a resident of Anaheim, are being held at Anaheim City Jail on suspicion of robbery, auto theft, and possession of drugs. Bail has been set at $50,000 each.

Police said that drivers should avoid poorly lighted streets, be aware of their surroundings, and keep car doors locked and windows rolled up at all times.

“Be alert to what’s going on,” Spalding said. “If you ever suspect that someone is following you, drive to the nearest police station or go somewhere well-lit and where there are crowds and call police.

“But my advice is, above all, don’t resist.”