Robbery Turned Police Ambush Ends in Arrest of Four

LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT
PRESS RELEASE
Tuesday, July 4, 2000

"Robbery Turned Police Ambush Ends in Arrest of Four"

Los Angeles -On July 4, 2000, at approximately 3:50 A.M., Los Angeles Police Department Northeast Area patrol officers heard a radio broadcast of a "211 Robbery Just Occurred" in the area of the 3100 block of Larga Avenue. The comments of the radio call indicated that the suspects, three male Hispanics, were armed with machine guns and fled the location with the victim’s property, in a Honda Accord. The suspects were headed toward Glendale. The officers, took a route they believed the suspects would use in their escape. The officers observed the suspects’ vehicle in the area of Fletcher Boulevard and Riverside Drive. As the officers got behind the suspects’ vehicle in an attempt to conduct an investigation, the suspects accelerated their vehicle. The officers activated their emergency lights and siren and broadcast they were in pursuit of the suspects.

As the officers pursued the suspects to the area of Bemis Street and Brunswick Avenue, they came upon a washing machine that had been dragged into the street in an attempt to impede the officers. A male suspect threw a bicycle into the path of the police vehicle, while an unknown number of other male pedestrian suspects, located at the northwest corner of Bemis and Brunswick, fired several rounds at the officers, from unknown type weapons. The officers put out a help call and continued pursuing the suspect vehicle, eastbound on Bemis Street from Brunswick Avenue. Suspects from the vehicle, then began firing several rounds at the officers, from assault-type weapons. The passenger officer, in fear for the lives of he and his partner, returned fire. The suspects’ vehicle began to slow down and one of the passenger suspects exited and pointed his weapon at the passenger officer. The passenger officer, in fear for his life, fired at the suspect.

Recognizing that they were in an ambush situation, the driver officer pushed the suspects’ vehicle from the rear, forcing it into a fence, in an attempt to immobilize the remaining suspects, in the vehicle. A suspect in the vehicle then began firing rounds at the two officers. Both officers, in fear for their lives, exited their vehicle and returned fire at the suspect. All three suspects from the vehicle were taken into custody. Additionally, the suspect who placed the washing machine into the street, was taken into custody. The three suspects from the vehicle were arrested and booked for Attempt Murder of a Police Officer and the fourth suspect was arrested and booked for Conspiracy to Commit murder.

Other suspects remain outstanding.

One of the suspects received a gunshot wound to the upper torso, during the exchange of gunfire. He was transported to County USC Medical Center and was listed in stable condition. No officers were injured as a result of this incident. Two of the assault-type weapons used by the suspects were recovered at the scene.

Robbery Homicide Division is conducting the investigation.

For further information, please contact Media Relations Section at 213-485-3586.

This press release was prepared by Lieutenant Horace Frank, Media Relations Section.

For Release 5:00 pm PDT
July 4, 2000