Orange County man shot, wounded after chasing gunman who burglarized his vehicle

ORANGE, Calif. (KABC) -- A resident of Orange was shot and wounded early Monday morning after he chased an armed man whom he had found burglarizing his vehicle, authorities said.

The incident began about 4 a.m. in the 2500 block of Skytop Court, where the resident came out of his home to leave for work. He "interrupted" the man stealing unspecified items from his Prius, according to the Orange Police Department.

When the man chased the suspect about two blocks to the area of Portico Terrace and Hawksfield Way, the thief shot him once in the upper torso and fled the scene, a news release said. The injured man contacted a neighbor who in turn called 911.

The victim was transported to a hospital in stable condition. A description of the shooter was not immediately available.

Police warned against civilians taking matters into their own hands.

"We hope that the people would call the police. We don't know what they have, who these people are, and it's better if they call the police and request that we come," said Sgt. Phil McMullin with Orange police.

Neighbors and police say they're surprised such a crime occurred in Orange.

"An area that receives relatively low crime, and it's unusual that something like this would happen in the city of Orange in general and specifically in that neighborhood," McMullin said.

Surveillance footage from the area shows the suspect walking from car to car, appearing to case the neighborhood looking for something to steal.

The search continues for the suspect. Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call Orange police at (714) 744-7571.