VIDEO: Victim opens fire on would-be robbers in Melrose shootout

Man targeted by would-be robbers turns the table on suspects by opening fire in Fairfax

A man who was targeted by would-be robbers turned the tables on the suspects by shooting at them in Fairfax.

LOS ANGELES - Two men who allegedly tried to rob some shoppers on Melrose Avenue ended up with gunshot wounds when one of the victims opened fire on them in self-defense, police said.

The brazen daytime robbery happened Monday evening near the intersection of Melrose Avenue and Vista Street. The Los Angeles Police Department said that the two suspects exited from an idling Dodge Avenger and confronted the victim with a handgun in hand.

"Words were apparently exchanged, and the victim ultimately produces a handgun, apparently to defend himself and others in his group from the would-be robbery suspects," LAPD wrote in a press release.

Police said that after the victim fired at the suspects, all parties involved immediately fled the scene.

The suspects who attempted the robbery were apprehended by officers a short time later and found to have suffered non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.

The two would-be robbers were identified as Nicholas Brown, 22, and Markeil Hayes, 28, both from Los Angeles.

Brown was booked for attempted robbery and is currently on parole, the LAPD said. He sustained a gunshot injury to the upper left thigh. Hayes was booked for attempted robbery and is also currently on parole, according to the LAPD. He sustained a gunshot wound to the right calf.

Investigators are still searching for a third suspect, who was reportedly behind the wheel of the Dodge Avenger.

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The LAPD said it is aggressively addressing a rise in violent crime in the Melrose area over the past year and is pursuing all leads involved in this and other crimes.

Anyone with information on this crime was urged to call Wilshire Robbery Detective J. Maloney at 213-922-8216.

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