The Region : Kidnap Foiled; Man Slain

One man died and his companion was seriously wounded when an attempted kidnaping in Koreatown turned sour. Police said Luis Edgardo Palma and Noe Lavio Cerna were walking on Kenmore Avenue near 9th Street around midnight Friday when three men pulled up in a car and ordered Cerna to get into their car. A struggle ensued and when Palma came to Cerna’s aid, one of the suspects began shooting, wounding both pedestrians several times. They ran a short distance, then collapsed. Palma, 29, died at the scene. Cerna was in serious but stable condition at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The suspects, described only as Latinos, fled the scene, police said.