2 Hurt in Gunfire Attack on Taxicab

A taxi driver and a passenger were slightly injured Sunday morning when four suspected robbers opened fire on them on a Pacoima street, Los Angeles police said. A second passenger in the taxi was not injured.

The incident occurred at 4 a.m. as taxi driver Donald Shanks, 49, was driving Denice Harris, 37, and Janice Thomas, 30, both of Los Angeles, in the 11300 block of Borden Avenue, Sgt. Leonard Cross said.

Four men attempted to flag down the taxi but Shanks saw that they had guns, including a shotgun, and attempted to speed by them, Cross said. The suspects opened fire on the cab as it went by, shattering its windows, Cross said. Shanks continued to drive until the cab was safely away from the shooters and then stopped to call police.

Harris was struck by a shotgun pellet in the scalp and was treated at an area hospital and released, police said. Shanks was treated by paramedics for cuts he suffered from shattered glass.

Thomas was not injured. No suspects were arrested in what investigators believe was an attempted robbery, Cross said.