2 Girls to Stand Trial in Fatal Robbery Try

Two teen-aged girls have been ordered to stand trial for their part in an attempted robbery last month in Canyon Country that left an accomplice dead and an off-duty Los Angeles police officer critically wounded, authorities said Friday.

Judge Jaime Corral on Thursday ordered the girls, who are 13 and 14, to stand trial Aug. 9 at the North Juvenile Justice Center in Los Angeles on charges of attempted murder, attempted robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.

The girls accompanied Arvin Mani, 20, and Joel Valenzuela, 16, of the Highland Park area, as they followed off-duty Officer Stacy Lim’s 1988 Ford Bronco when she drove from Highland Park to her house in Canyon Country on June 9, authorities said. As Lim got out of the car, she was confronted by Valenzuela and the 13-year-old, who attempted to steal it, according to reports.

Valenzuela and Lim exchanged shots, each hitting the other. Valenzuela was killed, and Lim was wounded in the chest. She was hospitalized until earlier this month and may eventually be able to return to duty, officials said.

Mani and the two girls were captured shortly after the shooting. Mani was sentenced last week to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted second-degree murder.