Gunman Sentenced in Westlake Holdup

An Oxnard gang member who shot a Westlake restaurant owner in the neck during a botched robbery was sentenced Monday to seven years in a California Youth Authority facility.

Prosecutors agreed with Superior Court Judge Charles R. McGrath that 20-year-old Henry Mabalot has a better chance of being rehabilitated in the juvenile facility than an adult prison.

Mabalot and co-defendant Rady Doria, 17, were arrested about an hour after trying to rob Almoez Megji on March 3.

The incident began about 10:30 p.m. as the restaurant owner walked to his car in the parking lot outside his business, Fin’s Seafood Grill on Westlake Boulevard.

Mabalot confronted him, pulled a .22-caliber pistol and demanded money, police said. Mabalot then shot Megji in the neck and ran to a car driven by Doria, who is now being tried as an adult.

The suspects were arrested after Megji chased them north on the Ventura Freeway, describing them and their car to police on a mobile phone.

Both Megji and the prosecutor who tried the case said they are pleased with the sentence.

“It’s an extremely serious crime, but he entered an early plea, has no criminal record and appears remorseful,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Kim G. Gibbons. The prosecutor said Mabalot, with good behavior, will probably be released from custody in three to four years.

Megji said he never considered letting his shooter escape without a chase. “I felt I had to do it,” he said.