Would-be car thief fires shot at owner

Four people escaped injury Wednesday morning when a man fired a shot at the owner of the vehicle he was trying to steal, police said.

The incident unfolded at about 6:30 a.m. Wednesday in the 200 block of North Florence, Lt. James Espinoza said. That’s southwest of Second and West streets.

A 22-year-old man started his vehicle and then went inside for a few minutes, Espinoza said. When he came back out, there was a man sitting in the driver’s seat. The owner yelled at the suspect, who got out and fired one shot.

The bullet missed the owner but hit the house behind him, where three other people — including a 2-year-old girl — were inside. They were not hurt.

The suspect ran to a red car down the street and got into the passenger’s seat. That car then left the scene.

This story was originally published February 19, 2015 at 1:16 PM with the headline "Would-be car thief fires shot at owner."