A 66-year-old Los Alamitos woman was physically unharmed after a botched carjacking on Sunday night, Nov. 28.
The criminals ran away after one of the two would-be carjackers fired a gunshot through her passenger window.
“This definitely could have been a lot more tragic than it was,” said Capt. Bruce McAlpine of the Los Alamitos Police Department.
Police have not released the victim’s name.
This is the Police Department’s account of the incident:
The victim was in her car at the intersection of Bloomfield Avenue and San Bonito Avenue when two light-skinned men approached the passenger door of her Volvo.
Capt. McAlpine said there was nothing special about the victim’s car. The two men ordered her out of the car. However, the victim was too shocked to get out.
One of the two men took out a dark semi-automatic handgun and fired one gunshot through the passenger window.
The window shattered.
The bullet passed through the car without hitting the woman inside. Apparently realizing that the sounds of a gunshot and shattering glass would attract unwanted attention, the two men ran off on foot.
“Who knows what they were thinking,” McAlpine said.
They were last seen headed toward the nearby flood control channel.
The victim reportedly drove to an unspecified shopping center and then called police.
Officers from the Seal Beach and Cypress police agencies joined Los Alamitos officers in searching for the two men.
They remain at large.
McAlpine said this was apparently a crime of opportunity. He advised the public to be vigilant. He also said it was best to give up your property rather than risk losing your life.
McAlpine said Los Alamitos Police do not yet know what type of gun was fired, though investigators apparently believe it was a 9 millimeter.
The suspects were both described as 18 years old with light skin, either Hispanic or Caucasian, about 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches. They both had medium builds and each wore dark colored jackets and khaki shorts.
