Gunman Fires Two Shots in Attempted Robbery at Target

A gunman fired two shots during a holdup at a Target outlet Saturday morning as employees were preparing to open the store, police said. No one was injured.

The gunman entered the store in the 6800 block of Katella Avenue at 5:01 a.m., showed a gun to employees and ordered the manager to lead him to the safe, said Police Sgt. David Birozy.

“He forces the manager to open the safe,” Birozy said. “As the manager’s doing so, he says, ‘Hurry up. Hurry up.’ As he’s telling the manager, he fires one shot into the floor.”

The man left on foot without taking any money. Birozy said he did not know whether the safe was empty or the man became nervous after he pulled the trigger and decided to flee.

Once outside the store, the gunman fired again--most likely into the air, Birozy said. Only the shell casing from the first round was recovered.

Units from both the Cypress Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department responded in minutes.

A Target manager contacted three hours after the attempted robbery declined comment.

The shooter was described as a black male, 200 pounds, 5-foot-8, with long black hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a red sweatshirt, khaki pants and a lower-back support brace. Employees could not provide descriptions of anyone in the car.