Off-Duty Detective Kills Robbery Suspect

An off-duty Los Angeles Police Department detective shot and killed a 15-year-old suspected gang member and critically wounded a teen accomplice when they attempted to rob him after a daylong crime rampage in the east San Fernando Valley, police said Saturday.

Salvador Gallegos, a veteran homicide detective with the Devonshire Division in Northridge, shot the two youths about 11:55 p.m. Friday in a parking lot at Foothill Boulevard and Maclay Street in Pacoima, police said.

The youths, whose names were not released because they are juveniles, were among five gang members, ages 14 to 17, suspected in three robberies and a drive-by shooting before attempting to rob Gallegos at gunpoint, police said.

Gallegos had finished a call at a pay phone when he was confronted by a 15-year-old who pointed a .25-caliber pistol at him, said Officer Roy Riley. Gallegos fired his gun several times at the teen, hitting him once in the neck, Riley said.

Gallegos then saw the driver of the van stick his hand out of the window and, fearing the driver also had a weapon, shot him, Riley said. Police would not say whether a second gun was recovered from the scene.

The driver was struck in the left arm and cheek, Riley said. He collapsed and the van rolled forward over the fallen teen, Riley said.

Gallegos held his gun on three other teen-agers in the van while he summoned police, he said.

The wounded youth was taken to Holy Cross Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition, officials said. The others were in custody Saturday at Sylmar Juvenile Hall, where they were booked on suspicion of murder.

The shooting is under investigation by the department’s officer-involved shooting unit. The suspects’ gang affiliations were not released.

The crime rampage began about 2 p.m. Friday when the 15-year-old allegedly stole a car in the Northeast Valley area, police spokesman Sgt. Dennis Zine said.