Police hunt for gunman who opened fire at Los Angeles casino
The guards were ambushed as they got out of armoured vehicle, police say
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Police are hunting for a gunman who opened fire on an armored vehicle during an attempted robbery at a California casino.
Officials say that two guards were injured in the incident that took place on Thursday morning at the Hustler Casino in Gardena, which is 15 minutes south of Los Angeles.
The guards were ambushed as they got out of the vehicle and were fired upon, said Gardena police Lt. Christopher Cuff.
“From what I understand, as soon as they got out of the (armored truck) they were met with gunfire,” Lt. Cuff told reporters during a news conference.
Los Angeles County fire officials said they were called to the casino at around 10.15am after reports of a gunshot wound.
Multiple shots were fired and at least two suspects fled the scene with money.
One of the guards was shot and critically injured but is expected to survive. The other guard suffered cuts and lacerations, Lt. Cuff said.
Law enforcement was searching the casino and the surrounding areas for the suspect. A casino patron told KTLA that the scene had been “chaotic.”
“A truck was getting ready to come in and next thing I know they start pulling out guns,” Alvin Spencer told the news station.
“That’s all I was doing, running, because they let off shots, so I had to get the hell out of there. That’s what I did.”