A Redondo Beach man has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly firing over two-dozen shots at a woman’s car earlier this year before fleeing the country for the Philippines.
John Paul Christman, 47, appeared in a Los Angeles County courtroom Monday to face charges for attempted murder and multiple firearms-related crimes, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
On May 9, Christman allegedly drove up behind a woman’s parked car in Rolling Hills Plaza shopping center in Torrance and began shooting indiscriminately, striking the woman’s vehicle 20 times and hitting an occupied dance studio at least six times.
Miraculously, no one was injured in the shooting.
“The victim faced a barrage of bullets, and we are thankful no one was hurt in this senseless rapid-fire attack,” District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a news release.
Days after fleeing the scene of the shooting, Christman fled the country for Philippines, where he remained until this past week. Local authorities partnered with the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Marshals Service to locate Christman overseas and extradite him back to California.
Hochman thanked the local and federal law enforcement partners who returned Christman to the U.S. to “face these allegations in court.”
Christman made his initial court appearance on Monday. He remains in custody after having his bail set at $1.95 million.
If convicted as charged, he faces a potential sentence of life in state prison.
Christman is scheduled to appear in court again on Aug. 13.
The investigation remains ongoing and anyone with information is urged to contact Torrance Police Department Detective Division at 310-618-5570.