June 10, 2026: Man Convicted of 2018 Attempted Murders, Standoff at Trader Joe’s in Silver Lake

LOS ANGELES - A 36-year-old man was found guilty yesterday of the 2018 attempted murders of his grandmother and girlfriend prior to a standoff at a Silver Lake Trader Joe's where he held shoppers hostage inside for more than three hours.

"On July 21, 2018, Gene Atkins went on a trail of terror, attempting to kill two people, trying to carjack innocent bystanders, engaging in a gun battle with police and holding dozens of terrified people hostage," Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. "Melyda Corado was needlessly killed, and others were gravely injured as a result of the defendant's deadly actions. He may not have fired the shot that killed Melyda, but we still firmly believe he is responsible for her death."

Jurors deliberated for three days before finding Gene Evin Atkins (dob 1/12/90) guilty of three counts of attempted murder, six counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, 24 counts of false imprisonment of a hostage, two counts each of attempted carjacking and mayhem and one count each of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury, fleeing a pursing peace officer's vehicle and driving or taking a vehicle without consent.

The jury deadlocked on a second-degree murder charge that killed 27-year-old Melyda Marciela Corado, an assistant manager at Trader Joe's.

Atkins faces a sentence of more than 80 years to life in prison. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.

On July 21, 2018, Atkins got into an argument with his grandmother when he opened fire, striking her and his girlfriend. He then fled in a vehicle, with his wounded girlfriend in his front seat and led police on a pursuit. At one point, Atkins tried to carjack someone at a gas station but was unsuccessful.

The pursuit continued, but Atkins later got into a collision and hit a utility pole near a Trader Joe's store in Silver Lake. He ran into the store, firing a weapon at police.

As police and Atkins traded gunfire, Corado was fatally shot.

The standoff lasted more than three hours as Atkins held more than two dozen shoppers hostage before Atkins was arrested.

A hearing is scheduled for June 26 to determine if the Office will retry a second-degree murder charge.

The case was prosecuted by Benjamin Schwartz of the Major Crimes Division and Ani Bailey of the Target Crimes Division and was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department.