WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – A tragic and shocking story has unfolded in California, where police have arrested five people, including a man from Texas, in connection with the fatal shooting of a 61-year-old doctor. Investigators believe the killing was part of a cold and calculated murder-for-hire plot.
Dr. Hamid Mirshojae, a respected family physician, was ambushed outside his clinic in Woodland Hills on August 23. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, Dr. Mirshojae was heading to his car when a masked man, who had been hiding near the clinic, suddenly approached him and opened fire. The gunman fled the scene, leaving the doctor fatally wounded in the parking lot.
Months of investigation led to a breakthrough in the case. On December 10, police arrested two suspects: 41-year-old Evan Hardman from Tomball, Texas, and 40-year-old Ashley Sweeting from Reseda, California. Hardman has been charged with murder, and Sweeting faces charges of being an accessory to the crime. Prosecutors allege that Sweeting drove the shooter to and from the scene of the ambush, suggesting her involvement in the murder-for-hire plan.
Deputy District Attorney Benjamin Schwartz stated that this was not a random act of violence but a carefully planned attack. Hardman is also facing additional charges, including allegations that he personally used a firearm and has prior serious felony convictions.
The investigation didn’t stop there. Over the next two days, police arrested three more suspects: 26-year-old Sarallah Jawed, 46-year-old Shawn Randolph, and 53-year-old Ahang Mirshojae. All three are facing murder charges. Ahang Mirshojae, notably, was once married to the victim, and police raided her home in connection with the case on December 12.
Adding another layer to the story, Hardman and Jawed are also accused of attacking Dr. Mirshojae with baseball bats in a separate incident back in May. While authorities have not yet revealed a clear motive, the arrests suggest a deep and troubling web of events leading up to the doctor’s death.
This case has left the community in Woodland Hills shaken as they come to terms with the loss of a beloved doctor in such a brutal and senseless act. As the investigation continues, more details are likely to emerge, shedding light on the motive behind this tragic crime.
