CHP Officer Fatally Shot in Freeway Fight

An off-duty California Highway Patrol officer, who flashed his headlights in frustration at a pickup driver who cut him off on the freeway, was pursued for several miles and then fatally shot after he confronted the motorist on a street near the Convention Center, authorities said.

Officer Fidel Aleman, 33, of Whittier was felled about 8:40 p.m. Thursday, as he drove to work at the Central Los Angeles station with his fiancee, who is also a CHP officer, police said.

“This is a freeway-type thing, another encounter on the freeway,” said Detective Frank Garcia of the Los Angeles Police Department. Police say they have no motive and there are no suspects.

Chief Edward W. Gomez of the Highway Patrol’s southern division said his office is conducting an exhaustive investigation. Although he said there is nothing to indicate that the gunman knew that Aleman was a CHP officer, he would not rule that out. Aleman and his companion were wearing civilian clothes.

Aleman, who was divorced and the father of two girls, ages 6 and 3, was a seven-year veteran of the CHP. He had served all seven years at the Central Los Angeles station, where he worked most recently as a training officer.

Police said the incident began after Aleman flashed his headlights at the driver of the pickup that cut him off on the Pomona Freeway east of the Santa Monica Freeway. The truck driver then tailed the officer’s car with his high beams on as the drivers continued westbound on the Santa Monica Freeway, exiting at the Pico Boulevard off-ramp, officials said.

Aleman pulled his Toyota Camry to the curb on Pico, and the pickup drove alongside. Then, as Aleman stepped out of his car to talk, the pickup driver pointed what one officer described as a shotgun through the truck’s passenger-side window and opened fire. Detectives said Aleman managed to return fire as he fell back into his car. There was no indication that the gunman was hit.

As the gunman sped off, Aleman’s passenger drove him to the California Medical Center-Los Angeles, where Aleman died of a gunshot wound to the chest a short time later, investigators said.

Police said they are looking for a Latino, between 30 and 35 years of age, about 5 feet, 10 inches tall, and weighing 170 pounds. The gunman was driving a light-blue Toyota or Nissan pickup, 1990 or 1991, with pin stripes and a white camper shell. Gomez said officers retrieved a partial license number, 3J33.

He urged anyone with information about the shooting to call the CHP at (213) 736-3374 or investigators assigned to the LAPD Major Crimes Section at (213) 485-2129.

The fiancee provided some information on the suspect, Gomez said. “But she didn’t know all that happened because it happened so fast,” he said. “She is obviously quite upset.”

Gomez was asked at a Glendale news conference Friday whether he thought Aleman did the right thing in pulling over while being followed. “I’m not going to second-guess what he did,” Gomez said. “We don’t know what set this guy off . . . Let’s face it. If you have a suspect driving around with a loaded weapon and willing to use it, you are not talking about someone with a lot of common sense.”

The last time a Highway Patrol officer was killed by gunfire was in 1982, according to CHP public affairs coordinator Mark Lunn. In all, 168 CHP officers have died in the line of duty since the patrol was founded in 1929.

In recent months, Lunn said, there has been an upsurge in freeway violence reminiscent of 1987, when reports of motorists trying to settle traffic disputes with guns drew national attention.

Earlier this month, a 16-year-old girl was killed while riding on the Harbor Freeway near Carson. A gunman in a car on the San Diego Freeway critically wounded a 26-year-old tow truck driver in May.

Two Pacoima men were arrested in February after one of them allegedly stood up through the sunroof of a car and fired several shots at a CHP motorcycle officer on the Hollywood Freeway in Sun Valley. The officer was not hit and a motorist noted the car’s license number.

At the Central Los Angeles station, officers wore black tape over their badges and struggled to overcome the shock of their colleague’s death. A flag flew at half-staff.

Officers praised Aleman for his work in breaking in new recruits.

“Everyone is in a very somber mood,” said Rhett S. Price, public affairs officer. “He was one of the best training officers we had. He was very concerned with safety. It goes to show what can happen.”

Price said the streets are dangerous, even for professionals.

“It’s clear this is an example why every motorist should be more patient out on the road,” he said. “It’s very dangerous. People need to calm down.”