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Man who went on shooting spree at Marina del Rey apartment building charged, faces life in prison
Victoryloc Nguyen now faces life in prison if convicted of the dozens of charges he faces after going on a three-hour shooting spree at a Marina del Rey apartment complex over the weekend.
www.cbsnews.com
Man who went on shooting spree at Marina del Rey apartment building charged, faces life in prison
Victoryloc Nguyen now faces life in prison if convicted of the dozens of charges he faces after going on a three-hour shooting spree at a Marina del Rey apartment complex over the weekend.
www.cbsnews.com
Man who went on shooting spree at Marina del Rey apartment building charged, faces life in prison
By Dean Fioresi
Updated on: April 16, 2024 / 11:59 PM PDT / KCAL News
The man who went on a shooting spree over the weekend in Marina del Rey faces life in prison after the Los Angeles District Attorney announced charges against him on Tuesday.
Victoryloc Nguyen, 41, now faces dozens of charges after he carried out the unprovoked shooting rampage that left dozens of residents terrified for several hours starting late Saturday evening.
"I am deeply outraged by the senseless shooting rampage carried out by Mr. Nguyen and I am thankful that no one was injured," said LA District Attorney George Gascón. "Innocent civilians and law enforcement officers were callously targeted without provocation. ... I am grateful to the law enforcement officers who responded to this call, helped protect the public, and de-escalated the situation which resulted in Mr. Nguyen's surrender — all without firing a single shot."
The chaotic incident started at around 10:15 p.m. Saturday at the Marina 41 apartment complex, at Via Marina and Catamaran Street.
Read more: Man arrested after firing dozens of shots off roof of Marina del Rey apartment building
Nguyen, armed with several firearms and wearing a tactical vest, fired dozens of shots off the roof of one of the buildings and at several other locations during the three-hour ordeal.
As such, he has been charged with two counts of willful, deliberate, attempted murder of a police officer, one count of attempted murder — willful, deliberate and premeditated on a civilian, 10 counts of assault with a machine gun or assault weapon upon a peace officer, four counts of assault with a machine gun or assault weapon upon a civilian, one count of shooting at an inhabited dwelling and one count of first-degree residential burglary.
Nguyen pleaded not guilty to all charges during a court appearance on Tuesday. His preliminary hearing is now scheduled for May 13. He is being held on $5.275 million bail.
"This individual jeopardized many lives and terrorized an apartment community," said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Central Patrol Division Chief Bobby Wyche in a statement. "Our deputy personnel, along with other local law enforcement agencies, were able to quickly respond, locate, and arrest the suspect without firing a single shot. We are extremely grateful that nobody was injured during this incident and that he will be held accountable for his reckless actions."
Neighbors living at the complex reacted to the new's of his charges, recounting some of the signs that they noticed in recent weeks.
"The first shot went off, and every single one — we have a neighborhood group chat — and every single person's like, 'It's Victor.' Here it goes," said Bella Blake, who lives at the complex. "Nobody was surprised, that was the worst part ... we've just been waiting for it."
She's one of the many who say they've started to notice him spiraling over the last few months, sometimes calling himself a "messiah" and acting paranoid.
Video taken three days before the incident shows Nguyen involved in an altercation at a pool in the complex.
"In the middle of the hot tub, over everyone, and there's eight children ... and he just starts massaging his private parts," said one man who wished to remain unidentified. "Just standing there and smiling. ... Pulls out a karambit, which is almost a concealed knife, and just starts swinging it at us."
Sheriff's deputies were called to the scene that day, and Blake says she filed a report the next morning.
"We went in because he's threatening to kill himself and he's threatening to shoot up the building and that's what we addressed with them," she said.
Days later, and the terrifying scene unfolded as she hid in her bathroom.
If convicted as charged, Nguyen faces life in prison.