Carjack Resister Recovering From Gunshot Wound to Leg

A 35-year-old North Hollywood man who leaped onto the back of his vehicle as two carjackers drove it off is at home today in good condition recovering from a gunshot wound to the upper leg, a Los Angeles police investigator said.

The man reportedly had just parked in the 12000 block of Tiara Street, near the Hollywood Freeway, at 1:10 a.m. Thursday when he was approached at gunpoint by two young men who ordered him to get out of the 1993 white Chevrolet Blazer, LAPD Det. William Krulac of the North Hollywood Division said.

As the robbers began to drive away, the man leaped onto the rear bumper of his vehicle, grabbing the utility rack on top. He was still holding on as the stolen vehicle entered the southbound on-ramp to the freeway at Oxnard Street when one of the robbers turned and fired a shot through the rear window, Krulac said. The man released his hold, falling to the pavement, then hobbled to a nearby 7-Eleven store to summon police.

Krulac said the man, whose identity is being withheld, was treated at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center for a single gunshot wound and abrasions and released.

Police said the man was at home but under sedation Thursday and they had not yet interviewed him to learn why he challenged the robbers. “People do some strange things when the adrenaline starts flowing,” Krulac said. “We all have car insurance. We don’t know what compelled him to try to stop them.”

Neither the suspects--described as 18 to 20 years old, with shaved heads and wearing baggy clothes--nor the vehicle have been found. Police said they have not determined whether the suspects or the crime are gang-related.