Doctor was beaten with bats months before being shot, killed at Woodland Hills clinic, report says
WOODLAND HILLS, LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- Slain Woodland Hills physician Dr. Hamid Mirshojae suffered an earlier assault that left him in fear for his life, according to a report published Tuesday.
"They came and they beat him with baseball bats. ... They were some strangers that we didn't know," an employee who worked for Mirshojae and requested anonymity out of concern for her safety told the Los Angeles Times.
It was not immediately known whether the baseball bat attack was related to Mirshojae's fatal shooting Friday. Los Angeles Police Department Detective Christine Moselle said detectives are aware of the earlier assault, which remains unsolved.
Police did not reveal precisely when the attack occurred.
Mirshojae was fatally shot outside the urgent care facility he worked at. The shooting occurred at about 5:30 p.m. Friday at 5995 Topanga Canyon Blvd., just south of Oxnard Street. The doctor was walking to his vehicle at the time of the shooting, according to the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations Division.
His body was found near the driver's side of a white SUV in the building's parking lot, ABC7 reported.
Mirshojae likely did not see what occurred because he was shot from behind, according to the employee, who reviewed surveillance video of the doctor's final moments.
Mirshojae's employee who spoke to The Times had left the office 15 minutes before the killing. By the time she returned, after 7 p.m., the parking lot had been swarmed by police. She told The Times she could see her boss' legs splayed out on the ground.
The doctor's slaying shocked the many in Woodland Hills. Mirshojae was heralded as a caring and beloved practitioner, The Times reported.
Moselle told The Times that the shooter likely did not exchange words with Mirshojae and that Mirshojae was "shot almost immediately."
Moselle said the video is not entirely clear, but it appears the shooter was a man.
Police say they are looking into possible interactions Mirshojae may have recently as well as the doctor's history. The motive for the shooting remains unknown, Moselle said.
No arrests have been made in the earlier attack or the fatal shooting.
Anyone with information about the killing was urged to call the LAPD's Topanga station at (818) 756-4800. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls can be directed to (877) 527-3247. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477 or go directly to lacrimestoppers.org.
