Doctor Is Wounded in Ambush at His Home : Violence: Obstetrician had just arrived at house after delivering a baby at Cedars-Sinai. His family had moved to North Hollywood after being displaced by the quake.

Physician Paul Hackmeyer stayed up late to bring another baby into the world, only to be nearly robbed of his own life when he returned to his North Hollywood home early Sunday.

Hackmeyer, a 41-year-old obstetrician, was returning from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center when he was ambushed and shot in the chest shortly after midnight in what may have been an attempted robbery, Los Angeles police said. He was reported in stable condition after undergoing surgery at Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills.

Hackmeyer had been at Cedars-Sinai delivering a baby boy, colleagues and police said.

“He pulled into his driveway and observed a couple of (men) in front of his residence,” Sgt. John Stilo said. “He turned to go into his house and was shot several times.”

Hackmeyer may have been followed home from work, Stilo said.

One of Hackmeyer’s neighbors said: “I heard scuffling and then shots. Then I heard a lady screaming, ‘Paul’s been shot.’ ”

Shortly afterward, she said, she went to her balcony and saw a car drive away, though she could not determine the make.

Sue Galen, a family friend, said Hackmeyer was conscious after the surgery. “He was able to talk with his wife,” she said.

Hackmeyer, his wife--attorney Nancy O. Hackmeyer--and their three children had rented the North Hollywood home less than two months ago because their house in Sherman Oaks needed earthquake repairs, real estate agent Jane Kim said.

“The earthquake devastated their home,” said Kim, who found them the house on the 12600 block of Addison Street.

The neighbor said she had met Hackmeyer only last week, when she noticed that thieves had broken the window of his late-model Chrysler convertible, which was parked on the street.

“He told me he left his car on the street because he was a doctor and sometimes had to leave home fast,” Nichols said.

Colleagues say Hackmeyer is a popular obstetrician and gynecologist on the staff of Cedars-Sinai. News of the shooting traveled quickly among the staff.

“Everyone is just horrified,” said Virginia Siegfried, an obstetrician.

Hackmeyer, who completed medical school at New York Medical College, has worked at Cedars-Sinai since 1978, through his internship and residency.

Sanford Tisherman, a physician who shares an office with Hackmeyer, said he has rescheduled appointments with 50 to 60 patients, many of whom are pregnant women who “are beyond distraught at the news. Some of them can’t even speak on the phone.”

Tisherman said Hackmeyer is known for his caring manner and clinical skills. “This is someone I would trust taking care of members of my own family.’

Neighbors on Addison Street said they have had little trouble with crime in the past, which is in the Valley Village area of North Hollywood. Homes there typically sell for between $500,000 and $1 million.

No suspects have been arrested and robbery detectives have been assigned to the case, police said.