Store Operator Is Arrested in Shooting
A Moorpark liquor store operator who became fed up with a man trying to sell electronics in front of his shop was arrested after he shot at the man to force him to leave, police said.
Abdulrahman Barakat, 31, was arrested Saturday outside his store in the 400 block of High Street in Moorpark after he allegedly shot at Juan Carlos Salazar, 26, of Los Angeles.
Barakat asked Salazar to leave the property, and the two men began arguing, according to police.
Police said Barakat went into his store and retrieved a semiautomatic pistol, then shot at Salazar as he was running away.
No one was injured in the incident, police said. Barakat was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.
More than a year ago, Barakat was the victim of a stabbing at his store, which has been owned by his family for more than 24 years. In that incident, Barakat was attacked after he refused to cash an income-tax refund check for the assailant.
Following Saturday’s shooting, Barakat was released from Ventura County Jail on $5,000 bail. He could not be reached for comment, and a woman working at the store declined to discuss the shooting.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
