Man Fatally Shoots Girlfriend, Kills Self

An armed man chased his longtime girlfriend through her workplace and into rush-hour traffic on Laurel Canyon Boulevard on Tuesday morning in Studio City, shooting her to death before horrified commuters and then killing himself.

The incident left three young children orphaned and was the second shooting in three days to unfold in a busy public place in the San Fernando Valley. On Sunday, one man was killed and two people seriously injured during a botched armored truck robbery in front of the Costco store in Van Nuys.

The couple who died in Tuesday’s violence were identified as Diane Cortez, 31, and Apolonio Alvarado, 40, of Los Angeles. They are survived by their three children, Jennifer, 11, Brad, 8, and Kelly, 5.

Cortez and Alvarado were not married, but had been together for 13 years, said Sgt. Mike Coffey of the Los Angeles Police Department.

The last two years had been marked by repeated instances of domestic violence, he said at a news conference shortly after the shootings. However, police and prosecutors could find no records of domestic violence involving the couple.

The shooting occurred about 8 a.m. on Laurel Canyon Boulevard, two blocks south of the Ventura Freeway. Salvation Army driver Doug Blassingame was stopped at a red light at Moorpark Avenue when he saw the shooting unfold in the roadway.

“They were running across the street and he was shooting at her. He shot her three times and then he shot himself,” Blassingame said.

According to Coffey, Alvarado followed Cortez to her workplace, the Medstar Foot & Ankle Center in the 4300 block of Laurel Canyon Boulevard. Police said Alvarado and Cortez were talking in the parking lot behind the center when Alvarado fired a shot. A panicked Cortez ran in the back door of the Medstar office, screaming and warning co-workers that Alvarado had a gun.

Police said Alvarado chased Cortez out the front door. She ran directly into traffic on Laurel Canyon Boulevard.

Carlos Naranjo, who was working on a construction project at a nearby gas station, said the shooting occurred while the street was filled with rush hour traffic.

“It was luck that no one else got hurt,” Naranjo said. “This intersection is very well-trafficked.”

Naranjo said several motorists stopped to call 911.

“There were people on their cell phones trying to call 911. Everybody was trying to do their part,” Naranjo said.

Cortez had worked at Medstar for six years, first as a clerk, most recently as a scheduler for appointments and surgeries.

“She was like a daughter to me,” said her boss, Dr. Allen Selner. “She was a wonderful, hard-working, sweet person.”

Co-workers knew the relationship was troubled and had offered to help Cortez get away from Alvarado.

“We kept asking if she needed any help. She kept saying, ‘I can handle it,’ ” Selner said.

Selner said the couple was mismatched.

“She was a sweet, bright young woman and he was a loser,” Selner said.

Abby Leibman, executive director of the California Women’s Law Center, said the scenario described by the victim’s co-workers is not uncommon. Frequently, victims of domestic violence believe they can handle problems without help.

“By holding back, women put themselves in more serious jeopardy,” Leibman said.

Selner said he has set up a fund for the couple’s three children. Donations may be sent to: Alvarado Children, Attention: Priority Banking, Bank of California, 16633 Ventura Blvd., Encino 91436. Checks should be made out to Jennifer, Kelly and Brad Alvarado. For more information, call the bank, (818) 995-2000.