A security guard was shot multiple times Monday morning outside the home of a record label executive who has worked with The Weeknd and other famous musicians.
Iranian-Canadian producer and talent manager Amir Esmailian, also known as Cash XO, co-founded and worked with XO Records Many hip hop actsincluding Travis Scott, Lil Uzi Vert and Beyonce-Jay-Z's super duo The Carters.
Shortly before 2:30 a.m., officers were called to the 17500 block of Jayden Lane in Encino for reports of a shooting at a residence, Los Angeles Police Officer Kevin Terzis said.
Esmailian was recently criticized by Drake in a diss track Central Drake's ongoing feud with the rap industry. But law enforcement and music industry sources said the incident appeared to be an attempted home invasion unrelated to the music industry.
Investigators said one of the callers was the wounded guard, who described his attackers as wearing T-shirts and surgical masks and fleeing on foot after the shooting, according to law enforcement sources who were not authorized to comment publicly on the matter. Emergency radio dispatchers reported the victim was a man in his mid-to-late 30s who had been shot multiple times and called 911. Several other callers also reported hearing gunshots in the area, according to dispatch reports shortly after the shooting.
Paramedics took the man to the hospital, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Nicholas Prange.
Law enforcement sources said the 37-year-old guard was near a guard shack on a private road outside the property when he was shot several times.
The wounded guard is expected to survive after undergoing surgery in the early hours of the morning. The motive behind the attack remains unclear, but investigators believe it may have been an attempted home invasion.
The sources said that at least four people were inside the Encino Palace at the time of the shooting, but they did not know if Ismailian was among them. Investigators suspect that the gunmen planned to storm the house and may have been aware of Ismailian's wealth.
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