Two guards were wounded during the brazen robbery of an armored van at the Hustler Casino in Gardena Thursday morning, officials said.
The guards were ambushed as they were getting out of the vehicle, Gardena police Lt. Christopher Cuff said during a news conference.
Gunfire was exchanged and at least two suspects got away with an unknown amount of cash.
One guard was shot in the leg and is expected to survive, police said in a news release. The other guard suffered cuts and lacerations, Cuff said.
Video shared with KTLA showed one of the injured guards being looked after by two people before first responders arrived.
Witnesses described seeing a suspect run toward the nearby Loyal Order of Moose, but no one was found after an extensive search of the area.
No arrests have been made.
The shooting resulted in a massive law enforcement response to the area, as police and fire crews set up a crime scene perimeter around the casino, located at 1000 W. Redondo Beach Blvd.
Aerial video from Sky5 showed casino employees and patrons were evacuated.
“A truck was getting ready to come in and next thing I know they start pulling out guns,” Alvin Spencer, a patron of the casino, told KTLA.
He described the scene as “chaotic.”
“That’s all I was doing, running, because they let off shots, so I had to get the hell out of there. That’s what I did,” Spencer said.
A business owner across the street from the casino said he heard 12 to 15 shots.
“My initial reaction was ‘hit the floor,’” the business owner said. He eventually made his way outside and saw a man running from the scene.
