SHERMAN OAKS : Man Pleads Guilty to Assault in Robbery
A Los Angeles man pleaded guilty Monday to charges stemming from a robbery that was cut short when the intended victim’s husband--a retired Beverly Hills police officer--shot and wounded the assailant.
Marque Todd Fisher, 28, pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon in the Jan. 7 incident in the 4400 block of Matilija Avenue in Sherman Oaks. Fisher also pleaded guilty to another armed robbery committed earlier in the day.
Authorities said Vincent Downey, a Van Nuys resident who retired from the Beverly Hills Police Department in 1977, shot Fisher twice, in the upper body and leg. The former officer pulled his service revolver when Fisher grabbed Joelle Downey and aimed a starter pistol at her.
The victim was just getting out of the couple’s car to pick up her purse, which had been recovered by a good Samaritan after it had been either lost or stolen at a supermarket earlier in the day. Police said the missing purse and the attempted robbery were not related.
As part of a plea-bargain agreement, Fisher is expected to be sentenced to nine years in state prison during a hearing May 18.
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