2 Wounded in Gun Battle on Busy Van Nuys Street : Crime: Robbery suspect, security guard are hit. Two other suspected gunmen are arrested.

Two people were critically wounded in a running gun battle that erupted on a busy Van Nuys street Thursday afternoon after officers foiled the escape of three armed men who had just robbed several patients at a dental office, police said.

In a scene that horrified witnesses compared to a Western movie shootout, the gunmen fled on foot, shooting over their shoulders at pursuing officers who had rammed the robbers’ car as it left a parking lot in the 7300 block of Sepulveda Boulevard.

One of the suspects was shot several times and a second surrendered moments

later after a second exchange of gunfire. A third was caught without incident after a dramatic two-hour standoff at a nearby apartment house during which police escorted terrified residents out of danger. A private security guard was also shot and two employees of the dental office were pistol-whipped, police said.

Witnesses said the three men stormed into the dental office at 2:30 p.m. demanding jewelry and money from five patients and three employees.

“They said, ‘Give us your money. Give us your jewelry. Don’t you have a safe here?’ ” said one patient.

A witness phoned 911 and several patrol cars arrived as the suspects were driving out of the parking lot. Police rammed the getaway car, a battered Camaro, witnesses said, and it careened through the lot before it crashed into a power pole.

“The cops left their car and started running after them,” said witness Alex Cota. “The gunfiring was something else. Pow, pow, pow, like the OK Corral.”

Police said the suspects ran south, jumping a low wall and opening fire on a motorcycle officer, who returned the fire.

“There were a lot of bullets flying,” said Bob Martyn, owner of a car rental firm.

“People started screaming and ducking,” said Jack Lefton, 47, of Simi Valley, a motorist who was on his way to a dry cleaner. “All hell broke lose.”

Ducking inside the Central Valley Bazaar, an L-shaped building in the block south of Sherman Way, the suspects exchanged shots with the security guard, whose name has not been released, and were still shooting when they encountered officers who opened fire again, police said.

The second suspect surrendered, but the third took refuge in an apartment complex several hundred yards south.

Police said it was not clear whether police or the guard shot the suspect.

The guard was being treated at Northridge Hospital Medical Center.

The wounded suspect underwent surgery at Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills. A police officer said, “There were several gunshot wounds, and he was in a lot of pain.”

Trapping the final suspect in a two-story apartment complex, police closed off Sepulveda, set up a command post and began escorting tenants out of the apartment house and a motel next door.

Residents said SWAT team members went into the complex with dogs and came back leading a shirtless youth, who was found hiding in a garage storage bin.

Police identified the gunmen as Michael Mitchell, 29, who was wounded, his brother Lamont Mitchell, 21, and Charles Knight, 21.

Times staff writers Vivien Lou Chen and Jocelyn Stewart and correspondent Ed Bond contributed to this story.