EL MONTE — Two men shot a corn vendor in the head Friday during a failed robbery, authorities said.
The incident occurred about 4:30 p.m. in the 3600 block of Penn Mar Avenue, El Monte police Detective Ralph Batres said.
The vendor, a South El Monte man in his 30s, suffered a grazing wound to his head and was expected to survive at an area hospital, the detective said.
The suspects, both described as Latino men that looked like gang members, passed by the vendor in a tan, four-door Honda Accord and made a U-turn prior to the attack, Batres said.
The passenger, a man in his 20s wearing brown shorts and no shirt, got out of the car and tried to rob the vendor, he said.
The vendor took of his belt in an attempt to use it as a weapon to defend himself when the attacker pulled a handgun and shot the vendor once in the head, Batres said.
The shooter briefly chased the wounded man down the street before returning to the Honda and fleeing with driver, he added.
“This happened in broad daylight,” Batres said. “Hopefully somebody took down a license plate or a partial license plate.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Batres at (626) 705-1981, or the El Monte Police Department at (626) 580-2100.