Dramatic video shows deadly shootout in California smoke shop: "They're pretty brazen"
Authorities on Wednesday released dramatic video of a shootout at a Southern California smoke shop last month that killed a robber and wounded a security guard.
A second suspect has been captured and two other men are being sought for the armed robbery that occurred shortly before 7 p.m. on April 3 at the Smoke Shop in Compton, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a statement.
Video from a surveillance camera shows the security guard standing behind the counter when four men enter the store. One pulls a gun from his waistband and points it at the guard's face.
#LASD Homicide Bureau Seeking Homicide Suspects, #Compton On April 3, 2022, at 6:54 p.m., Kahlel Malik Lundy (23yrs old), Keith Terrion Rachel (21yrs old), and two other individuals entered the “Smoke Shop” located at the 1500 block of S. Wilmington Avenue, Compton. The four individuals attempted to commit an armed robbery of the store and pointed their handguns at an employee. The employee, and armed security guard for the business, withdrew his handgun, and a gun battle between the armed men ensued. The suspects left the “Smoke Shop” and fled the scene. The employee sustained gunshot wounds to his face and neck and was later released from the hospital. About 30 minutes after the botched robbery, deputies responded to Martin Luther King Hospital regarding a gunshot victim. Investigators discovered the gunshot victim was one of the “Smoke Shop” robbers whom the store employee had shot. The second suspect was apprehended by LASD the following day (April 4th). Kahlel Lundy and Keith Rachel were identified as participating in the robbery and are currently at large. Both Kahlel Lundy and Keith Rachel are wanted for murder, and LASD Homicide Bureau is seeking the public’s assistance in locating them. https://twitter.com/LASDHQ/status/1521833371017437184?s=20&t=BXZHBImAqMjFzuZIiAJEiQ Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call "Crime Stoppers" by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile APP on Google play or the Apple App Store or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org
Posted by Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on Wednesday, May 4, 2022
The guard starts to pull a handgun from a holster and the robber fires. The guard ducks and falls to the floor behind the counter as glass shatters while the robber backs up and trips over one of his accomplices. A second suspect also fires at the guard, video shows.
All four men then scramble to the front of the store and cower behind shelves, with at least three shooting at the guard before they manage to escape.
The guard, who wore a protective vest, was treated at a hospital for gunshot wounds to his face and neck and was released, the Sheriff's Department said.
A short time later, Justin Culberson, 18, turned up at a hospital with a gunshot wound to his abdomen and died later that night.
"It scared me," said Carolyn Um, a store clerk next door who called the police, CBS Los Angeles reported.
Kamren Nettles, 18, was arrested the next day and has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and to murder for the death of Culberson during the holdup.
Authorities said they're still searching for suspects identified as Kahlel Malik Lundy, 23, and Keith Terrion Rachel, 21.
"They're pretty brazen. I'm assuming this is not the first time this crew has done this," said Lt. Hugo Reynaga of the LA County Sheriff's Department.
Business owners told CBS Los Angeles that there's been violence there before.
"I'm scared [and] nervous because it's not right. There's a lot of people [in the strip mall] all the time," said Roy Lugo, a frequent customer. "If it keeps going like this, I don't know what's going to happen."