A victim of an attempted robbery was shot at a gas station before he fled the scene and crashed his car into a nearby church in Exposition Park, police said Wednesday.
Three men tried to rob the man around 9:15 p.m. Tuesday on Western and Vernon avenues, according to Sgt. Rick Rodgers of the Los Angeles Police Department's 77th Street Station.
The victim struggled with the men while he was leaving the gas station's convenience store before he was shot several times, Rodgers said.
The man drove away northbound on Western Avenue but crashed into a church next to a pharmacy located in the area of 39th Street and Western Avenue, Rodgers said.
No one was injured in the crash, but it caused extensive damage to the church.
Bricks and debris were cast all over the ground after the crash. Walls and pillars were caved in, and the building was red tagged.
The man was taken to a hospital where he was rushed into surgery, Rodgers said. He was in stable condition.
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The attempted robbers were still at large Wednesday.
Jonathan Gonzalez contributed to this report.