Suspect in Denny Assault Had Prior Weapons Arrests

The man charged with firing a shotgun at the gas tank of Reginald O. Denny’s sand-and-gravel truck was arrested two years ago with a similar weapon and again two months ago with a stolen handgun, according to a declaration filed Tuesday by prosecutors.

Lance Jerome Parker, 26, was arraigned in Municipal Court Tuesday and charged with assault with a firearm and attempted arson for firing at the gas tank of Denny’s truck. Investigators have characterized it as an attempt to blow up the vehicle and said dozens of people could have been badly injured or killed if the truck had exploded.

According to prosecutors, Parker is shown on videotapes of the April 29 attack checking the truck’s gas tank, then stepping back, pulling a shotgun from an athletic bag and firing at the truck. Police say that the truck’s gas tank was dented by what appeared to be shotgun pellets. Prosecutors said in the declaration that Parker also fired at gas pumps a few feet from the site of the attack on Denny.

Parker, a native of Niagra Falls, N.Y., was arrested without incident last week and is the sixth suspect being held in connection with the assault on Denny. That beating was aired on live television in the opening hours of the Los Angeles riots. It left Denny critically injured.

Parker pleaded not guilty at Tuesday’s brief hearing, and Judge Patti Jo McKay set bail at $75,000. That is higher than the bail schedule calls for, although lower than prosecutors had requested. They had sought the increase partly because of Parker’s history with weapons.

“Defendant was arrested with a 12-gauge shotgun concealed in a van on Oct. 28, 1988,” prosecutor Lawrence C. Morrison wrote in the declaration, which was presented to the judge. “This shotgun was later returned to him. Defendant is shown on videotapes of the Reginald Denny assault carrying a pistol-grip shotgun, appearing to be a 12-gauge similar to that with which he was arrested in 1988.”

Less than a month after the riots, Parker was arrested and charged with carrying a loaded, stolen, concealed 9-millimeter pistol. That gun, according to prosecutors, was stolen during the riots, and Parker pleaded guilty to possessing it illegally.

Parker’s lawyer, La’Chelle Woodert, told the judge that Parker purchased the gun on the street and needed it to protect himself in his job as a process server. Woodert added that Parker has twice been robbed.

“He did not use good judgment in purchasing that gun,” said Woodert. But “he did not at the time know that it was stolen.”

Woodert said her client plans to be married on Aug. 8, holds a steady job and has many family members in Los Angeles. He “is a member of the community and a good member of the community,” she said.

The county bail schedule called for bail to be set at $45,000, and prosecutors had asked that it be set at $100,000. The judge ruled that an increase was warranted over the bail schedule but settled on $75,000.

Parker’s friends and family--including his mother, father, fiancee and boss--were in court for the arraignment and they appeared to welcome the judge’s decision on bail.

“Thank you, Jesus,” Parker’s mother said over and over, clutching his father’s hand as the judge announced her decision.

After the session, friends and family members huddled tightly outside the courtroom, bowing their heads close together. A few cried as Parker’s mother led the group in a quiet prayer. Then they consulted with Parker’s lawyer, and left without commenting to reporters.

Woodert also declined to comment on the case.

In addition to the details of Parker’s history with weapons, Morrison alleged in his declaration that Parker fired shots into gasoline pumps at the Unocal Station at Florence and Normandie avenues, a few feet from where Denny was dragged from his truck and beaten.

Morrison’s declaration states that Parker “was observed” shooting into the pumps, and Morrison said in court that police are investigating other crimes that Parker may be charged with.

A second suspect in the Florence and Normandie attacks also was arraigned Tuesday. Lewis Curl Foster Jr., 40, was charged with assault and robbery in an attack on Manuel Vaca, a motorist who was assaulted as his car passed through the intersection. Bail for Foster was set at $15,000.