Auto Theft Attempt Linked to Slaying
A man who killed himself after shooting a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department civilian employee during a struggle in a Woodland Hills parking lot had attempted to steal a car from a nearby dealership shortly before the confrontation, Los Angeles police said Wednesday.
Investigators said they believe that Anthony Rotella, 21, may have seen Zalai Tibor, 30, running from the Ventura Boulevard car lot or committing another crime early Tuesday morning and approached him in the Taft High School parking lot to investigate.
Rotella, a community services officer, was shot twice in the head after struggling with Tibor. He remained in critical but stable condition Wednesday at Northridge Hospital Medical Center. Detectives have been unable to question him.
The shooting was witnessed by two California Highway Patrol officers who happened by the parking lot. One officer shot and wounded Tibor, a Hungarian immigrant who lived in North Hollywood. He then fled to a nearby office building and shot himself to death.
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