2 Officers Hit, Man Killed in Gunfight

A bullet-proof vest may have saved the life of a Los Angeles police officer who was shot in the chest Sunday night during a gun battle in North Hollywood that left another officer wounded in the neck and one man dead, police said.

The two male officers were rushed by helicopter to Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, where they were described as alert and in satisfactory condition, a hospital spokeswoman said. Their names were not released.

Lt. William Hall, a police spokesman, said the bullet appeared to have hit the edge of the bullet-proof vest worn by the officer who was wounded in the chest.

“It slowed it down, probably enough to save him,” Hall said.

The man, whose name was not available, died shortly after arrival at North Hollywood Medical Center.

Police said it began when the officers stopped a wanted felon driving a black sedan along Vineland Avenue near Burbank Boulevard after it ran a stop sign shortly before 7 p.m.

The man reportedly got out of his car, pulled a .44-caliber handgun from his waist and opened fire on the officers, Hall said. The officers returned fire with their 9-mm service revolvers, mortally wounding the suspect in the head, the lieutenant said.

Witnesses said they heard between 15 and 20 shots fired.

“There was about eight or nine shots, then a pause, then pop, pop, pop, pop,” said Bill Hollinde, 37, who lives in an apartment nearby.

Gene Vasconcellos, 47, who was in Circus Liquor on the corner, said the clerk turned to him and said, “The Fourth of July just started early.” “I said, ‘That’s not the Fourth of July, that’s weapons fire.’ ”

Across the police radio scanner came the voice of one of the officers, gasping for air:

“One suspect down. We’re on Vineland just north of Burbank. I’m hit.”

Five ambulances, five fire engines and a helicopter were dispatched to the corner, which is also home to a bingo parlor and union hall. The shooting took place on the sidewalk in front of the bingo establishment.

Police Chief Daryl F. Gates also rushed to the scene.

“It was a traffic stop,” an officer said. “It just went to pot after that.”

The wounded officers were described by detectives as relative newcomers to the department, with between two and four years on the job.

Although the Police Department does not require all officers to wear bullet-proof vests, high-tech body armor has been issued to new officers in recent years and they are required to wear it, said Officer Mike Schwehr, at detective headquarters.

“I would say a good percentage of patrol officers have them on,” Schwehr said.

In the last five years, 12 Los Angeles police officers have been killed in the line of duty. The most recent was Detective Russell Kuster, a 24-year veteran in the Hollywood Division, who was gunned down last October.

Times staff writers Philipp Gollner and John Rivera contributed to this story.