[symple_googlemap title=”Chain saw attempted murder” location=”17600 block of Yukon Avenue, Torrance, CA” height=”300″ zoom=”16″]
A 44-year-old man is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday on a charge of attempted murder after he allegedly tried to kill a former co- worker with a chainsaw at a storage yard in Torrance before police fired shots to try and stop him.
Jose Cortez remains jailed in lieu of $2 million bail, according to L.A. County jail records.
According to media reports Cortez was a former employee at the storage yard where the attack occurred.
He was arrested shortly after 6:30 a.m. Tuesday after a security guard called police to the storage yard in the 17600 block of Yukon Avenue, Torrance Police Sgt. Paul Kranke said.
Cortez was spotted driving erratically in the area, and then seen using a chain saw to attack another man, according to police.
Officers opened fire to stop Cortez, but did not hit him, Kranke said. Cortez was then taken into custody and brought to a hospital for a mental examination, according to police. He was subsequently released into police custody.
Kranke said he had no information on the victim. Cortez was booked on suspicion of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and vandalism.
When asked who the suspect was trying to attack, Kranke would only say it was “another employee.”
—Staff and wire reports