Man shot and killed after interrupting catalytic converter theft in Inglewood
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (KABC) -- Inglewood police are searching for two suspects after a man was shot and killed when he interrupted a catalytic converter theft outside his home Tuesday morning.
The shooting happened around 3:22 a.m. in the 1000 block of North Chester Avenue, according to the Inglewood Police Department.
Loved ones say Juan Sanchez was heading to work when he heard a noise at his neighbor's house and tried to stop the theft.
Police say he was shot in the chest area and later died.
Police released images of the suspect vehicle, described as a gold, 2002-2006 Toyota Camry sedan with tinted windows and a sunroof. The car's left front fog light is out, police said.
Surveillance video shows the suspects flee south on North Chester Avenue and east on 65th Street, police said. Footage from a Ring camera also captured the shooting.
Sanchez's sister says he was excited about a recent promotion at Clean Harbors and had just wrapped up a project in the Palisades Fire zone.
"It's been a very difficult time trying to understand how somebody could do this to another human being," Juan's sister Susana Sanchez said.
Sanchez leaves behind a wife, two children and grandson. He was also an avid church volunteer.
Sanchez is described in a GoFundMe campaign as a "devoted husband, a loving father, a proud grandfather, and a cherished friend to so many."
Anyone with information can contact Inglewood police Detective Luis Rodriguez at 310-412-5124.
The deadly incident is drawing comparisons to the killing of "General Hospital" actor Johnny Wactor in downtown Los Angeles last May.
He was shot as thieves tried to steal the catalytic converter from his car.
