Valley Man Suspected Of Trying To Kill Grocery Store Worker Taking Out Trash

SHERMAN OAKS, CA — A 30-year-old Sherman Oaks man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a Pavilions employee was stabbed in the back while taking out the trash Tuesday night, authorities said.

Jonathan Rangel was taken into custody Wednesday by the California Highway Patrol and turned over to Los Angeles Police Department Van Nuys Division detectives, according to the LAPD.

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Rangel was booked on suspicion of attempted murder and was being held on $1.1 million bail, police said.

The stabbing occurred around 10:55 p.m. Tuesday at the Pavilions at 14845 Ventura Blvd., about five blocks west of Van Nuys Boulevard.

The employee was taking out the trash when he was stabbed in the back, according to police. He was taken to a hospital with stable vital signs.

Police initially described the attacker as a man wearing glasses who fled the scene.

Detectives launched an investigation and identified Rangel and his vehicle. Investigators shared the information with surrounding law enforcement agencies, and the CHP arrested Rangel the following day, according to the LAPD.

Video from the scene showed the injured employee, who appeared to be wearing a grocery store uniform, being loaded into an ambulance. The video also showed numerous LAPD officers and Los Angeles Fire Department personnel at the scene.

An Albertsons representative previously said that the company was focused on supporting the employee following the attack.

"The safety of our associates and customers is our top priority," the representative said. "We are aware of the incident that occurred outside our store and are focused on supporting our associate. Because this is an active investigation, we cannot provide additional details at this time."

City News Service contributed to this report.