Police Kill 1 Man, Wound Another in Separate Incidents

Los Angeles police officers shot two men in the San Fernando Valley on Monday, bringing to four the number of suspects shot in unrelated incidents in less than 48 hours. Three were killed and one wounded. Two of the four were paroled prisoners who faced “third-strike” imprisonment if convicted again, police said.

Two were killed in remarkably similar incidents--by officers who said they were trying to arrest suspects in cars, who then tried to drive off, dragging the officers along.

The wounded man, shot in a gun battle with police in North Hollywood on Monday, was later wrestled to the ground and captured by two passersby--praised by police and witnesses as heroes--apparently as the suspect tried to take a hostage as a shield, police said.

The most recent shooting happened in an alley near the 7300 block of Canoga Avenue in West Hills about 5 p.m. Monday, when a bicycle officer killed a suspect who was trying to drive off with the officer halfway lodged in the getaway car, investigators said.

Police said two other young men were in the car. They were not injured and were arrested.

The officer suffered minor cuts and was treated at a hospital, police said. No weapons were immediately found in the car or on the suspects, and it was too soon to know whether the officer might have reacted too quickly in firing his gun, police said.

Earlier Monday in North Hollywood, a 35-year-old parolee shot in a gunfight with police fled to a nearby business, where he briefly held a man hostage before being captured by the passersby, authorities said.

The incident began when police were called to a domestic disturbance in the 5600 block of Klump Avenue. As they arrived, a man identified later as Myron Bowers opened fire on their patrol car with a .38-caliber revolver, police said.

Officer Raymond Valois, 38, a five-year LAPD employee, suffered minor injuries from shattered glass fragments. A bullet passed through his jacket but did not strike his body, police said. Valois’ partner, Officer Clemente Toscano, 24, shot Bowers in the right shoulder, police said.

Bowers then ran to the parking lot of Bouchard Communications on Burbank Boulevard, where he held his gun to the neck of employee Tom Alleeson, officers said.

Alleeson, 48, said Bowers grabbed him around the neck and pointed a gun at him. As soon as Bowers averted his gaze, Alleeson said, he pulled Bowers’ arm down, and the two passersby wrestled him to the ground and held him for police.

Bowers was being held in Van Nuys Jail on suspicion of attempted murder and kidnapping after treatment at North Hollywood Medical Center.

Bowers, who faces life imprisonment without the possibility of parole if convicted, was on parole for armed robbery and is under investigation for possible involvement in other robberies in North Hollywood and Burbank, police said.

Meanwhile, police continued their investigations into the deaths of two men killed by police within two hours of each other Saturday night.

William Thomas Betzner, 43, was shot and killed after he apparently raced up to 70 mph along Ventura Boulevard with an officer clinging to his car, police said.

Killed in a separate incident was James Jauirqui, 23, who police said tried to ram officers with his car in Northridge.

Jauirqui was being pursued by police who were responding to a call about a possible assault with a deadly weapon. Officers followed the car but called off the pursuit because of the number of pedestrians in the area.

An LAPD helicopter, however, continued tracking Jauirqui and when officers again located him, he tried to back into a police car and then head for a nearby group of officers, police said. Five officers opened fire, killing him.