Killing in Brentwood Sparks Fear

Brentwood residents Sunday anxiously discussed ways to improve neighborhood security after a daylight attack by apparent carjackers killed Craig Harrington, 42, in the underground garage of his condominium complex.

Harrington was fatally stabbed in the chest while trying to defend himself and his wife against a robbery and attempted carjacking at 11:35 a.m. Saturday, Los Angeles police said. The attack took place just after Harrington drove his 1992 Mercedes-Benz into his garage in the 11700 block of Montana Avenue; a small white truck followed the car inside as the security gate opened.

The three male assailants grabbed the wife’s purse and fled in the pickup with wood side paneling, police said.

The slaying shocked residents of Montana Avenue, which police described as generally a safe neighborhood.

Some neighbors are planning to bolster security by installing more outdoor lamps and ripping down decorative vines that block sunlight from the garages.

“It’s just a very horrifying thing to happen, and we’re all very upset,” one neighbor said. “We pay high rents to live here because this is a safe place.”