Man Found Guilty in Murder Attempt

In a case that led to three bystanders being hailed as heroes, a Panorama City man was found guilty this week of attempted murder after he grew obsessed with a woman and tried to shoot her, prosecutors said Thursday.

Carlos Rojas, 28, also was convicted of the attempted kidnapping of the woman, a co-worker in her 40s, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Jennifer Turkat.

Jurors in the courtroom of Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Hoff deliberated less than three hours before reaching a verdict Monday.

Because both counts carried special allegations that Rojas used a firearm, he faces the possibility of 14 years in prison, plus a life sentence, Turkat said. Rojas is scheduled to be sentenced April 27.

Rojas and the woman had been romantically involved and she tried to break off the relationship, Turkat said. He refused and sent her numerous letters and e-mails, according to court exhibits, including a note that said: “You are my obsession now.”

On Aug. 12 of last year, Rojas forced his way into the woman’s car as she stopped at the intersection of Burbank Boulevard and Coldwater Canyon Avenue in the Van Nuys-North Hollywood area.

He pointed a loaded 9-millimeter Maadi semiautomatic pistol at her and pulled the trigger, but the gun didn’t fire, Turkat said.

“He did everything he needed to kill her,” Turkat said. “We don’t know why the gun didn’t go off. She was so lucky.” Investigators who tested the gun fired it successfully, she added.

Near the intersection, three passersby noticed the commotion, stopped their cars and came to the woman’s aid, Turkat said. Before police arrived, the men fought Rojas and tried to get the gun away from him. Their intervention allowed the woman to run to safety.

Last week, the men--Hason Graham, 25, an Army private stationed in Missouri, and cousins Carlos Vargas, 29, of Sun Valley and Jimmy Vargas, 32, of Newhall--were among 10 Angelenos honored as “courageous citizens” by Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti and the Rotary Club of Los Angeles in an awards ceremony at the Wilshire Grand Hotel downtown.

“They didn’t know [the victim]. They had never seen her before,” Turkat said. “They were just at the right place at the right time. It was very heroic.”