Metallica Bassist Robert Trujillo Shares He Was Caught In A Manson Family Shootout
via Deák Tamás / Youtube
Metallica’s bassist, Robert Trujillo, recently recounted a remarkable incident from his childhood during an interview on the Offspring’s Time to Relax podcast.
When he was just six years old, Trujillo and his family found themselves in the midst of a violent confrontation between the Manson Family and the local police in the Hawthorne area of Los Angeles, where his grandmother resided. Trujillo explained:
“I’m staying at my grandma’s house. The gun shop, the army surplus shop around the corner on Hawthorne Boulevard, was robbed. And basically, the Manson family had this grand scheme. You can check it out on the internet.”
According to Trujillo, the Manson Family intended to rob the gun store, acquire weapons and ammunition, and then head to Los Angeles International Airport with a hijacking scheme. Their goal was to demand the release of Charles Manson and take control of a plane, destination unknown.
In retrospect, Trujillo noted that the plan ultimately failed. “Cops show up. There’s a shootout. We’re hearing gunshots, the whole deal,” he recalled:
“All of a sudden you get the [police helicopters], and they’re flying around. They’re talking through their kind of intercom, whatever they got going up there: ‘Everybody, take cover.’ … And so my dad turns off all the lights. We’re hiding in the shower. And it was really eerie.”
Manson Family Members Convicted
Mary Brunner, Catherine (Gypsy) Share, Lawrence Bailey, and Kenneth Como, the four Manson Family members who took part in the event, were later found guilty of the robbery and shooting. As a result of his participation in several killings, Charles Manson was already behind bars in 1969, making this one of the most well-known criminal cases of the 20th century. Manson passed away at the age of 83 in 2017.
Meanwhile, Robert Trujillo continues his musical journey with Metallica, as the band’s tour is set to resume on November 3 with two shows in St. Louis. Earlier this month, they delivered an exhilarating performance at the inaugural Power Trip festival in Indio, California.
