Woman hospitalized, suspect in custody after shooting outside Westfield Topanga shopping center
A shooting and stabbing outside of the popular Westfield Topanga shopping center in the San Fernando Valley left one woman hospitalized on Thursday afternoon.
It happened at around 12:20 p.m. in the 6600 block of Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Canoga Park, where Los Angeles police say that a man shot at a woman. He missed, but stabbed her before she ran into the shopping center for help, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
She was eventually treated at the scene by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics and taken to a nearby hospital, police noted. Authorities said she was in a stable condition.
At around 12:45 p.m., police said that they had detained a person of interest in the shooting, just a short distance away.
Investigators believe the suspect randomly attacked the woman based on their preliminary investigation. LAPD's Topanga Division said the man walked up to the woman, claimed that she was carrying his baby and then attacked her. LAPD said the individuals had no relation to each other.
Police believe the suspect may have been suffering from mental health issues.
SkyCal flew over the spot of the incident, where there were two large investigations underway. Investigators could be seen outside of the mall's Cheesecake Factory, where police said the woman entered the shopping center. Across the parking lot, more officers were spotted scouring the area outside of an AT&T store, where they said the suspect was detained.
Police recovered 200 rounds of ammunition, an AR-15 and notes indicating that the suspect may have wanted to hurt someone, according to LAPD's Topanga Division.
