Bar Owner Hurt, Robber Killed in Shootout

A gunfight erupted between a bar owner and two would-be robbers early Thursday morning, leaving the bar owner wounded and one robber dead, Los Angeles police said.

Police said Tommy Puyot, owner of The Tryst bar, had closed down for the night at about 4 a.m. and was leaving through the building’s back door when two men approached and demanded his money bag. Puyot refused and a tussle ensued. During the struggle, one of the two men shot Puyot in the lower body.

Puyot, who also had a gun, then shot one of the suspects several times in the chest. The other man fled on foot, leaving behind the money bag and his partner, said Devonshire Division Detective Mike Oppelt.

Puyot was treated and released from Northridge Hospital Medical Center. The 39-year-old man died at the bar, which is in the 8700 block of Tampa Avenue, near Nordhoff Street. His name was not released pending notification of relatives.