2nd Man Held in Costco Shootout

Los Angeles police Friday announced the arrest of a second suspect in the botched robbery that turned into a gun battle at a Van Nuys Costco store and left one customer dead and two critically wounded.

Ignacio Chavez, 47, was arrested without incident Thursday night in his Van Nuys home, where detectives found a cache of assault weapons, police said.

He is believed to be the brother of Ramon Gutierrez, 38, who was charged with murder earlier this week after his arrest Sunday in the aftermath of the gun battle with an armored truck driver the two allegedly planned to rob.

Police are still trying to determine if there was one other accomplice, LAPD Lt. Jim Grayson said at a news conference.

Grayson said Gutierrez and Chavez--who is being held on pending murder charges--are responsible for the death of Owen Alexander Wolf, 29, a Studio City movie production assistant who was shot in the head during the gun battle. Both suspects have denied guilt.

Injured during the exchange were Kien Chau, 57, and his wife, Bachtuyett Tran, 51. Chau, who was shot in the hip, was listed Friday in critical but stable condition by hospital officials.

Tran, who was shot in the abdomen and the leg, was listed in serious condition.

Grayson said the would-be robbers concealed an AK-47 assault rifle, several handguns and ammunition in a shopping cart while they watched truck courier Daniel Salazar enter the Costco store Sunday.

When Salazar came out of a back room with a bag full of checks, cash and electronic payment slips, they allegedly revealed their weapons as one of them shouted: “Give me the money!”

Gutierrez, who was shot in the leg, told police that he fired the first round in the bloody gun battle that sent screaming customers and diving for cover.

Several other customers suffered minor injuries, Grayson said.

After exchanges of gunfire between the robbers and Salazar--who was uninjured--Chavez tried to flee in a white Ford van, leaving an injured Gutierrez behind with his AK-47, witnesses told police.

But the van had a flat tire and Chavez fled on foot, Grayson said.

Some witnesses thought they saw a third accomplice with him, police said.

Police traced the van to its last owner, a neighbor of Chavez who said that it now belonged to Chavez, Grayson said.

Tracking his movements, detectives finally arrested Chavez on Thursday night.

He denied knowledge of the shooting and denied that he is Gutierrez’s brother, although police have evidence that he is, Grayson said.

Showing reporters two assault rifles, several semiautomatic handguns and boxes of ammunition taken from the home, Grayson said, “These are not the kinds of guns you go rabbit hunting with. These men appeared to be very professional.”

Grayson said police were still pursuing leads on the possible third accomplice. “We know these two are the shooters,” he said. “They are the people that ambushed that guard and shot that person in the head.”

Grayson said the men are also being looked at as possible suspects in a 1995 robbery in Laurel Canyon in which two heavily armed men in a white Ford van robbed an armored vehicle.