SIMI VALLEY : Man Shot, Wounded by 2 Detectives

Two Simi Valley detectives trying to arrest a Hollywood man outside his hotel room shot him repeatedly after he suddenly pulled a gun on them, police said Friday.

David Childress, 30, was listed in fair condition at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, with bullet wounds to his chest, left arm, left thigh and right leg, said hospital spokeswoman Paula Correia.

The detectives involved in the Thursday night shooting, Gene Hostetler and John Parks, were taken off active duty until they check in with a department psychiatrist, said Sgt. Mike King, a department spokesman. This is standard procedure in any officer-involved shooting, he said.

“My observations are--and obviously this is before a full investigation is completed by the Los Angeles Police Department Officer-Involved Shooting Unit--my indications were it was a fully justified shooting,” said Simi Valley’s acting Police Chief Richard Wright. “Our officers did an excellent job in trying to take the suspect into custody.”

Hostetler, 46, and Parks, 31, had gone to the Best Western Hotel at 2011 N. Highland Avenue in Hollywood to arrest Childress at about 5:15 p.m. Thursday on suspicion of a Simi Valley auto theft, King said.

When Childress opened the door of his hotel room, he recognized the pair from earlier interviews and ran out of the room, King said. As he ran, Childress pulled a small-caliber semiautomatic pistol out of his pants pocket, turned and pointed it at the detectives, who shot him several times with their 9-millimeter pistols, King said.

The detectives then administered first aid and called for help. Within minutes, Los Angeles police and paramedics arrived, King said.

While it is not clear whether Childress actually fired at the officers, King said, police intend to charge him with assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, when he is well enough to leave the hospital.

Los Angeles police are investigating the shooting, and Simi Valley police are conducting their own, internal investigation--also standard procedure, King said.