Arcadia shooting suspect charged with attempted murder

A man accused of shooting at Arcadia police officers responding to a domestic-disturbance call at his family’s home, striking one officer in the face and sparking an hours-long standoff, was charged Friday with five counts of attempted murder of a peace officer.

Nurhan Venk, 47, was also charged with another attempted murder count for allegedly shooting his 73-year-old mother in the chest during the Wednesday night rampage, according to the District Attorney’s Office. That charge includes a sentence-enhancing elder-abuse allegation.

He was also charged with one count of mayhem and two counts of elder abuse, with prosecutors saying Venk allegedly beat his mother during the disturbance.

An 83-year-old man who lives across the street from the Venk home was struck in the face by a stray bullet. Sheriff’s officials said all three shooting victims were expected to survive.

Venk was scheduled to be arraigned in a Pasadena courtroom Friday afternoon.

Arcadia police initially responded around 5:40 p.m. Wednesday to a home in the 2500 block of Greenfield Avenue to a report of a family disturbance.

According to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Derrick Alfred, Venk’s mother owns the home and had “kicked out” her son Nurhan, who used to live there. On Wednesday, he returned to the residence, prompting a family dispute that led to the police response.

Alfred said that as police approached the home, they heard gunfire inside. Moments later, shots were fired toward the group of officers, striking one in the face, authorities said.

Officers backed away from the home, and Venk’s mother and her 12-year- old grandson ran from the home to safety, according to the sheriff’s department. Venk’s mother was then taken to a hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the chest, while the boy was not reported to be injured.

Another police officer suffered a minor ankle injury during the fray.

Zoo Yang, the 83-year-old neighbor across the street, was struck in the face by a stray bullet that passed through a window of his home. Yang’s son told reporters the man was watching his 4-month-old grandson when he was shot, but the boy was not injured.

Authorities said Venk holed up inside the home for roughly five hours. He surrendered around 10:45 p.m. after law enforcement fired a flash-bang device at the home.

He emerged from the house with a limp, suffering from what authorities called an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities said no police or sheriff’s deputies fired their weapons during the standoff, which prompted evacuations of nearby residents.

While the identity of the injured officer was not released, Arcadia police Lt. Brett Bourgeous said the officer has been with the department for about six months, but has about three years of overall law enforcement experience, having previously served with the sheriff’s department.

Neighbors told reporters at the scene that the family at the center of Wednesday’s violence has been repeatedly involved in fights and arguments.

The shooting marked the second time this week a police officer came under fire. On Monday, off-duty Monterey Park Police Department Officer Gardiel Solorio was fatally shot during an apparent robbery attempt outside a gym in Downey. Solorio was off duty at the time, and there’s no indication the shooting was related to his job as a police officer.

Two suspects — a man and a teen — were arrested in connection with Solorio’s killing. The man was charged Wednesday with murder and other counts.

More from Arcadia Weekly