Gardener Shot in Confrontation With Thief

NORTHRIDGE —  A gardener was shot and seriously wounded when he refused to give up his lawn mower and tools to a thief Thursday afternoon, police said.

The gardener was working in the back yard of a home in the 19600 block of Citronia Street with two helpers when a man with a gun entered the side yard where the gardener kept his tools and attempted to steal them, police said.

The two helpers ran when they saw the gun but the gardener approached the man to protect his tools and was shot once in the upper body, said Sgt. Jill Niles of Los Angeles Police Department.

The two helpers returned to find the gardener wounded and asked neighbors to call 911, she said.

“The guy just had his lawn mower stolen two weeks ago and started keeping his tools in the side yard of the property instead of the front yard,” Niles said. “I don’t know if this whole thing is coincidental or not.”

“I am so shaken,” said Phyllis Wasserman, owner of the house, who was not home when the shooting occurred. “He was such a nice guy, a real gentleman.”

The gardener was taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center where he underwent surgery and was listed in serious condition, authorities said. Because of fears for his safety, police did not reveal his name.

Police said they are searching for a white man, 25 to 30 years old, 5 feet, 10 inches to 6 feet tall and about 160 pounds. He was wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans, Niles said.