Knife-Wielding Burglary Suspect Shot Outside Van Nuys Church
VAN NUYS (CBSLA.com) — A security guard shot and wounded a man he said was acting suspiciously outside a Van Nuys church Sunday morning.
The shooting occurred about 8 a.m., an hour before services were to begin, outside The Church On The Way located near Sherman Way and Hazeltine.
The guards followed the man off church property. They said they shot when he threatened them with a four-inch knife.
They also accused the 20-something suspect of trying to ransack church cabinets and burglarize the property.
CBS2's Art Barron spoke to witnesses.
Michelle Cano said, "I just heard a gunshot. I didn't know it was a gunshot, but then I looked outside my window and I saw a guy fall."
She added, "They took him away and ... they closed down the whole side of my apartment [building]"
LAPD Rob Bub said four security guards confronted the man, and "he had a four-inch knife and he started to come at them."
Officials described the suspect as a transient.
The suspect was shot once in the chest. He ran and collapsed about a half block away. He was taken to Holy Cross Medical Center.
LAPD's Bub says the suspect is out of surgery and is reportedly in critical condition.
Barron reported the man had no ID on his person and officials are still trying to determine his identity.
