Officers Kill 2 Suspected Robbers; 2 Others Hit

Police killed two suspected robbers and wounded two others Tuesday night, authorities reported.

The shooting was by officers from the Detective Support Division, a police spokesman said.

“It is an officer-involved shooting involving LAPD officers,” said Officer Eduardo Funes, an LAPD spokesman. “No officer is injured. Four suspects are injured.”

All the dead and injured were young men.

The incident took place in the area of Corbin Avenue and Roscoe Boulevard about 9:40 p.m., said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey.

Humphrey said ambulance crews summoned by police found one man dead near the corner of Roscoe and Corbin, and another dead man about a half block north, near Schoenborn Street.

A third man was in grave condition with a head wound at Northridge Hospital Medical Center, where a fourth was in serious condition with wounds in the lower body.

A large number of police officers, some with dogs, combing the neighborhood located a fifth suspect shortly after 11 p.m.

Police did not immediately reveal details of the robbery or the shootings.

The Detective Support Division has five specialized units, staffed by officers with specific areas of expertise--such as gangs--who assist detectives with investigations.

One of the five is the Special Investigation Section, a unit which follows suspected career criminals and has been involved in several controversial shootings.

Other units in the division include the Criminal Conspiracy Section, Fugitive Warrants, Asian Crime Investigation Section and Career Criminal Apprehension Section.

Tuesday’s shootings took place just two blocks from the apartment complex where Neighborhood Watch volunteer Pedro Banegas worked before he was killed in an ambush Thursday as he and his wife left a night school English class at Reseda High School. There was no known relationship between the incidents.

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Times staff writers Miles Corwin, Neison Himmel and Efrain Hernandez contributed to this story.