Neighborhood Jittery After Sniper Fires Into Police Car : Panorama City: Officers conduct a sweep of the area for the gunman. The motive for the shooting is unknown.

One day after a sniper fired two shots into an empty Los Angeles police car while two officers stood nearby writing a traffic ticket, residents of a gang-ridden Panorama City neighborhood were still jumpy Thursday night.

“As soon as the police leave the territory, the gangbangers take over. This is their territory. We’re all scared,” said Willie Roman, 59, who manages the building from which the shots were fired. “This is a tough area.”

About 40 officers conducted a three-hour sweep of the neighborhood for the sniper late Wednesday and early Thursday, searching several apartments in a building in the 8500 block of Willis Avenue near Chase Street.

Officers Sonya Tiefenbacher, 27, and Ubaldo Zesati, 22, were writing a traffic citation in the driveway of 8529 Willis Ave. about 10:20 p.m. Wednesday when two shots were fired from the back of the apartment complex, shattering the window of one of the patrol car’s rear doors, Lt. Richard Blankenship said.

Police quickly cordoned off a three-block area bordered by Parthenia Street on the north, Chase Street on the south, Kester Avenue on the west and Cedros Avenue on the east. They ordered residents to remain inside as they searched the area with the help of dogs and helicopters.

The search ended at about 1:30 a.m., and most of the officers left the area by 3:30 a.m., Blankenship said.

The motive for the shooting was unknown but “this particular area is inundated with violent street gang members,” Blankenship said.

“The street itself is a little more infamous than some of the surrounding areas, but we have a lot of gang activity all around there,” Blankenship said.

Initially, officers hunted for a young man with a ponytail who they thought had fired from a third-floor apartment on the south side of the building. Police searched several apartments there, including a vacant unit which suspected gang members had broken into recently, Blankenship said.

Later it was determined that the gunshots were probably fired from the roof, said Blankenship, who would not say what type of gun was used.

“We have no reason to believe the suspects in the traffic case were involved. In fact, they were also in danger,” Blankenship said.

Some residents of several nearby buildings disregarded police orders to remain indoors and congregated across from the shooting scene, swapping stories about local gang activity.

“This street used to be nice; now it’s all filled with dopers,” said one woman who lived across the street and would not give her name. “When I moved here nine years ago, it was nice. Now it has so much dope it’s pathetic. I wish I could afford to move.”

Roman and several other residents of Willis Avenue said the area is contested turf between a gang based in Van Nuys and another in Panorama City.

“It’s been bad here for about three years, but this summer it’s really gotten crazy,” Roman said. “It’s terrible. Those young guys are high on drugs and hungry to kill their rivals.”

Roman was briefly detained by police who had heard that he owned five guns. As he was led off in handcuffs he angrily proclaimed his innocence but expressed no resentment against police after his release.

“The cops are great. I wish they were here more often,” he said. “It’s not good to handcuff innocent people either. But they were very nervous after someone shot at them.”

Although most residents similarly praised police, there were some exceptions. Walter and Val Burnett said they were forced to leave their apartment by several police officers who believed the sniper was in an apartment nearby.

“In this building it’s hard not to be angry at police. The drugs and things are everywhere, it’s true, but I’m very nervous about these police who charged in here with their guns drawn,” Walter Burnett said.

Officers returned to the building Thursday to arrest a suspect in an unsuccessful murder attempt, unrelated to Wednesday’s sniper attack. Cesar Gallegos, 22, was arrested in connection with the June 21 stabbing, shooting and beating of Fernando Lopez, 21, just down the street, said Sgt. John De Amicis, who arrested Gallegos as he jumped from a second-story window.

“This has nothing to do with the sniper incident,” De Amicis said. “It’s just one of those buildings.”