Hollywood police charged Jason Robert Melendez, 23, of Hollywood with armed robbery and murder after an early morning robbery attempt in Hollywood was foiled by the victim. Police responded to call for a shooting at 2706 Grant St., at 1:30 a.m. where, police said, Christopher Welker, 26, fought off two masked men, leaving one suspect dead and the other wounded by his own gun. Welker was home with his girlfriend and their 16-month-old daughter when he went to investigate a car in his driveway parked next to his Silver Dodge Ram Pickup, police said. Welker said that when he approached the car, a masked man opened the driver-side door and stuck a gun under Welker's chin demanding his car keys. The two men fought over the gun while another masked man police identified as Melendez got out of the car on the passenger side and joined in the fight. The firearm discharged numerous times during the fight and the masked driver was shot once in the head and fell to the ground. Melendez was shot once in the leg and was bitten by Welker, police said. He was later caught in the 2600 block of McKinley Street hiding in the rear shed of the residence. The dead suspect, a man in his 20s, has not been identified.
