Police Shoot 2 Suspects in Break-In : 3 Hostages Used as Shields Escape Unharmed in La Mesa

Two men were listed in stable condition Saturday following a late Friday night shoot-out with police that involved the taking of hostages after a residential break-in went awry, police said.

The hostages escaped without injury, as did police, who had surrounded a house at 5260 Mary Fellows Ave. at 9:53 p.m. Friday to investigate reports of a break-in in progress.

Soon after police arrived, three men armed with handguns came out the front door. Each one was holding a hostage as a shield, according to police.

The armed men--who had apparently burst into the home through an open garage door--refused to release their hostages. For several tense minutes, the suspects walked down the street holding the hostages as officers shadowed them.

Finally, about a block away on Magruder Street, one of the hostages fell down and the suspect who was holding him--identified as Cesar Tomas Inzunza, 28, of San Diego--bolted away.

He ran into a policeman, however, and surrendered without a fight, police said.

At about the same time, the two other hostages were pushed to the ground and the two remaining suspects attempted to flee.

As they ran through the backyard of a home at 7245 Magruder Ave., they were confronted by officer Ken Peterson. Police said the two suspects opened fire on the policeman and that Peterson shot the two men.

Wounded in the fight were David Hernandez, 27, and Robert Vargas, 20. Hernandez was shot in the face and Vargas was hit in the upper right arm. They were flown by Life Flight helicopter to Sharp Memorial Hospital, where they underwent surgery and were listed in stable condition Saturday afternoon.

They will be charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, robbery, kidnaping and first-degree burglary, police said.

Inzunza was booked into county jail on identical charges.

The hostages were identified by police as Bob Kalmas, Linn Carlson and Bill Rose. A fourth person who was also in the house, Scott Bazewick, 17, was pistol whipped. He was treated for cuts and bruises at Alvardo Hospital and released.

The owner of the home, Rob Whittle, fled when the intruders entered and called police from a neighbor’s house.