A man who police say was armed with an assault weapon fired multiple shots at a woman at the Westfield Topanga Mall in Canoga Park today but missed, then allegedly stabbed the victim in what authorities described as a child custody issue.
Officers responded about 12:25 p.m. to reports of a shooting and/or stabbing near the Cheesecake Factory restaurant in the 6600 block of Topanga Canyon Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Police told reporters at the scene that a man fired several rounds from an AR-15-style rifle at a woman in her 30s who was with her child, but the woman was not struck by the gunfire. The man then allegedly stabbed the woman in a shoulder, prompting her to run inside the restaurant with her young child.
The suspect tried to flee but was arrested a short distance away. His name was not immediately released.
The woman was taken to a hospital in unknown condition. Her child —which NBC4 identified as a 2-year-old girl — was uninjured.
The suspect’s vehicle, a dark-colored Mercedes-Benz, was still parked at the scene and officers could be seen searching the car.