san fernando valley

Student, Teacher Injured in Gunfire at Jack in the Box Near Van Nuys Charter School

Officers fanned out in a neighborhood near the school to search for two men wanted in the shooting

What to Know

  • Officers, fire rescue vehicles responded to reports of shooting near CHAMPS Charter High School of the Arts.
  • The school is in an office building in the neighborhood located in the west San Fernando Valley.
  • Officers searched the school and a nearby neighborhood

Shots were fired outside a Jack in the Box Thursday near a Van Nuys charter high school, leaving a teacher and student hospitalized and leading to the arrest of two suspect.

Los Angeles police said they received a report of a shooting, possibly in the restaurant's drive-thru area, near CHAMPS Charter High School of the Arts. Nearby streets were closed for the investigation in the 6800 block of Van Nuys Boulevard.

Police say the shooting happened after some sort of argument between the teacher, who was on a lunch break, and the suspects, two men between 18 and 20 years old. During the argument, one of the men pulled out a gun and fired multiple shots, striking the teacher and a student, police said.

The victims' injuries are not considered life threatening.

After the gunfire, police fanned out in the school and a nearby residential area in the search for the two suspects. It was not immediately clear whether the men are affiliated with the school, which was locked down during the search, but police said the only reason the school was a factor was because of its proximity to the shooting.

The gunfire erupted while students were taking their lunch, leading school administrators to quickly shepherd them back inside.

"I'm just thankful that I'm alive. And I locked myself in the bathroom," one student said as he and other students were finally released to their parents.

The independent public charter school, located in an office building in the west San Fernando Valley, offers classes in liberal arts, dance, drama, film, music, digital arts and robotics. The school has about 70 faculty and staff members.

"It's a tragic incident. Even though it didn't happen on campus, the fact that it even happened near campus is tragic," LAPD Sgt. Barry Montgomery said.

One of the men was in custody early Thursday afternoon, but the second man fled, only to be found hours later, Montgomery said.

NBC4's John Cádiz Klemack and Conan Nolan contributed to this story.

Contact Us