The victim of a shooting at an East L.A. cannabis dispensary last week has been identified as a 25-year-old security guard.
Rafael Saldana, who worked at East L.A. Greens located at 6170 Whittier Boulevard, was shot around 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 30 during an attempted robbery, according to Lt. Daniel Vizcarra of the Los Angeles Sheriff Department’s Homicide Bureau. He was identified by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner.
Two suspects, both described only as male, entered and tried to rob the store, authorities said. A shooting occurred during the attempt and the dispensary’s security guard was struck in the chest.
Authorities said the suspects then left in a dark-colored SUV. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, Vizcarra said.
Ross Mazariegos, who owns a bakery a few stores down, said he sometimes bakes until midnight but didn’t stay late the night of the shooting. When he arrived to work last Monday morning, he said he saw the plaza’s parking lot full of law enforcement vehicles, a stark difference from what he considers a quiet shopping center.
“It’s always been chill here. The only thing I really see is homeless people and people doing graffiti. It’s unfortunate what happened,” Mazariegos said.
He said Saldana would come to his bakery to buy bread and remembers him as quiet and kind.
A separate business owner in the plaza who declined to share his name over privacy concerns said the shooting came as a shock as the shopping center is generally calm. He said different dispensaries have come and gone at the same location. Some have been raided by law enforcement only to reopen that same day.
“People who go to the dispensary are in and out, but [past businesses] have gotten raided every now and then. It’s been going on forever,” he said, noting that he’s seen more pot shops pop up along Whittier Boulevard recently.
It’s unclear if East L.A. Greens is an unlicensed dispensary. A search on Google and Yelp turn up results for East L.A. Greens, however no listings are found for the business on the Department of Cannabis Control’s website, the government site that lists licensed cannabis retailers.
On Sept. 24, L.A. County issued a motion calling for online search engines to only promote legal, licensed shops in search results. The county argues that illegal storefronts undercut legitimate businesses and avoid taxes and regulation by the cannabis industry.
Carlos Ramirez, who is a regular at the dispensary, said he often drives from Bell Gardens to East L.A. Greens because the deals are unmatched. The plaza never struck him as an unsafe location to shop for cannabis products.
As he rolled up to the plaza on his scooter, he stopped to look at the candles arranged outside the store in memory of Saldana.
“He was a nice guy and I feel really bad. I hope this place doesn’t have to close,” Ramirez said.
A search for the suspects is ongoing. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.
