Officer Wounded During Officer Involved Shooting in North Hollywood

LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT
PRESS RELEASE
Monday, January 4, 1999
Officer Wounded During an Officer Involved Shooting in the
North Hollywood Area

On December 31, 1998 at 9:00 p.m. uniformed police officers assigned to North Hollywood Division, responded to a radio call of a man with a gun at 10983 Bluffside Drive. Police Officer Cynthia French, serial No. 23988, 40 years of age and sixteen years with the Department and Police Officer Paul Lin, serial No. 34411, 33 years of age and one year with the department, responded to the incident.

Police Sergeant Joan Leuk, serial No. 24135, 39 years of age and fifteen years with the department, along with Police Officer Romik Keshishi, serial No. 34712, 25 years of age and seven months with the Department, entered the multiple story apartment building. The suspect described as a male, White, 32 years of age, fired multiple rounds at uniformed police officers from within his apartment and then exited his apartment with automatic rifles and a semi-automatic pistol.

The suspect advanced on the police officers while continuing to fire his weapons at them. Police Officer Cynthia French was shot multiple times by the suspect. Police Officers Richard Blue, Bradley Kolfschoten, Christopher Michaelides, and Scott Young rescued Officer French from the line of fire.

Officer French was dragged to safety and carried to a responding paramedic ambulance. French was transported to an area hospital where she is listed in serious, but stable condition.

The suspect was shot and killed after he moved to the entrance of the parking area, and continued to fire at uniformed officers with his automatic weapons.

Although the suspect fired multiple rounds during the gun battle, no one else was injured. Additionally, police officers received two previous calls regarding a man with a gun at the same location. However, the suspect was not in the area when officers arrived. Two automatic rifles equipped with multiple magazines were recovered at the scene along with a semi-automatic handgun.

An additional handgun and hundreds of rounds of automatic weapons ammunition was recovered from the deceased suspect’s apartment and car.

Robbery Homicide Division is handling this investigation with the assistance of North Hollywood Detectives Division.

Prepared by: Lieutenant II, Anthony P. Alba, Officer-in-Charge, Media Relations Section, Los Angeles Police Department.

For Release 1:40 pm PST
January 4, 1999