An 18-year-old man was charged Tuesday with shooting a 22-year-old man last month at the Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance, which caused panic among shoppers and employees.
Jose Manuel Salazar, aka “Issue,” is facing one count each of attempted murder and possession of a firearm with violation of probation, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release. The allegations against Salazar include the use of a handgun to cause great bodily injury, and that the crime was committed in association with a criminal street gang.
Salazar is charged with shooting the victim while inside the mall on June 3. At the time of the shooting, an employee who did not want to be identified, said a man shot another man who had been arguing with a woman in front of the Skechers store. As a result of the shooting, the mall was placed on lockdown and evacuated sending shoppers and employees at the massive shopping center into a panic.
Cellphone video from the mall shooting scene showed bystanders rushing to help a bleeding man on the ground.
The victim was taken to a local hospital and later released.
Police said Salazar fled the mall shortly after the shooting.
He was detained on June 29 after being pulled over during a traffic stop just after 1:15 a.m. in Redondo Beach on suspicion of narcotics sales. Police said Salazar originally gave them a false name, but during the booking process he was positively identified as the gunman in the mall shooting.
Salazar is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon. His bail is scheduled to be set at more than $2 million, prosecutors said.
If convicted as charged, Salazar faces a possible maximum sentence of 47 years to life in state prison.
No further details were provided.
The case remains under investigation by the Torrance Police Department.