3 Killed at Montebello Auto Shop

Three employees of a Montebello automotive shop were shot to death Thursday and one bystander was critically injured, police said.

The shooting occurred at about 5 p.m. at American Performance Auto in the 1500 block of West Olympic Boulevard. Det. Joe Juliano said police found the body of one man at the shop’s entrance and those of two others in the service bay. None of their names have been released.

One man, who requested anonymity, said he was standing across the street when he heard six shots.

“Then I saw three . . . gangbangers run out the front door,” he said. “They ran east on Olympic Boulevard.”

Another witness, who owns a nearby shop and has a direct view of the service bay, said he saw a man with a gun reach beneath a car and shoot an employee. The shop owner hurried back inside his store and then heard five more shots.

“I saw the guy shoot, and then I saw the guy on the ground roll over and cover himself,” he said. “And then I saw the guys run out.”

The injured man, Mark Knutson, 52, was taken to County-USC Medical Center, where he was in critical condition with a gunshot wound to his lower abdomen, a hospital spokeswoman said.

“We believe he was an innocent bystander,” Juliano said. “Paramedics were treating him on the street in front of the shop.”

Juliano said detectives don’t know the motive for the attack.

“At this point, we have no leads and no suspects,” he said.

Detectives were combing the scene for evidence and several witnesses were taken to the police station for questioning.

American Performance Auto is on a busy stretch of the boulevard lined with auto mechanic shops, hamburger stands, liquor stores and small markets.

Before Thursday’s shooting, there had been three homicides in Montebello this year.