NORCO, Calif. (KTLA) – A would-be robber was critically injured after being shot by a store owner in California early Sunday in a dramatic incident that was captured on surveillance video, authorities said.
An employee who reached out to KTLA said the video shows a man armed with an assault-style rifle walk into the Norco Market in Norco around 2:45 a.m., point the weapon at the owner, and order him to put his “hands in the air.”
Within seconds, the owner steps behind a glass display and fires a shotgun at the suspect, who immediately runs out of the store screaming and shouting, “He shot my arm off!”
Officials later indicated that three men entered the store armed with long guns and wearing facial coverings and hoods.
A second camera in the parking lot shows the suspect jumping into a dark-colored BMW SUV with at least three accomplices and then driving away.
Four suspects were later found at a hospital. One of the men “was suffering from a gunshot wound consistent with a shotgun blast,” according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. The 23-year-old remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition and will be booked into jail after being released, officials said.
The suspect vehicle, which had been reported stolen, was also found at the hospital. Inside the dark-colored BMW SUV authorities found numerous stolen firearms.
Three suspects were taken into custody in the hospital parking lot and were booked for robbery and conspiracy. They are being held on $500,000 bail.
The men were identified as Justin Johnson, 22, of, Inglewood; Jamar Williams, 27, of Los Angeles, and Davon Broadus, 24, of Las Vegas.
“In this case, a lawfully armed member of our community prevented a violent crime and ensured their own safety, while being confronted with multiple armed suspects,” the Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.
The employee told KTLA that the store owner called 911 and was later transported to a hospital with a possible heart condition, but he is expected to be OK.
The shooting remains under investigation.