Carjacking victim in Southern California shot 3 times, fighting for life

A 69-year-old man is fighting for his life after being shot three times during an attempted carjacking in Los Angeles Tuesday night, authorities confirmed to KTLA.  

The violence unfolded just before midnight at the intersection of Marmion Way and Pasadena Avenue in the area of Montecito Heights, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.  

Authorities say the incident occurred when the suspect approached the victim, identified by friends as Jose Ayala Martinez, from behind and demanded his vehicle. When he refused, police say the 19-year-old suspect, a documented gang member, opened fire on him. 

Officers in the area heard the gunfire and spotted the suspect, who was taken into custody without incident, fleeing eastbound on Marmion Way.  

Martinez, who suffered gunshot wounds to the mouth, neck and shoulder, managed to drive a mile north to the parking lot of a Food 4 Less at the intersection of Figueroa Street and North Avenue 51 where he called police and a friend.  

“He called me,” Martinez’s friend Lourdes Moarde told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo as she tried hold back her emotions. “He was speaking very slowly. I said, ‘What happened?’ He said, ‘They tried to rob or kill me, I don’t know.’” 

Medical personnel with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the Food 4 Less parking lot and rushed the 69-year-old to the hospital where he was listed in critical condition.  

Footage of the aftermath obtained by KTLA shows Martinez’s truck with several bullet holes in the windshield.  

People who live in the area that spoke to KTLA said these types of crimes make them fear for their safety.  

Highland Park resident Noah Collier said the minute he heard the helicopter circling, he locked all the doors in his house.  

Another resident, Alan Resnick, said a situation like that is terrible.  

“It’s scary, I don’t want anyone to get shot.”  

So far, authorities have not released the identity of the suspect.