El Monte Police Tell Their Side of Story in Fatal Drug Raid

Hoping to counter public criticism, El Monte police officials Thursday presented evidence that they say supports their decision to conduct a drug raid in Compton last year that led to the fatal shooting of an unarmed grandfather.

Relatives of the dead man, Mario Paz, have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the cities of El Monte and Compton, alleging that police officers made a fatal error by shooting at Paz, then tried to cover up their mistake by intimidating witnesses.

Paz, 65, was kneeling at his bedside when he was shot in front of his wife, authorities have said. Police say the shooting was justified.

El Monte city officials said at a news conference Thursday that they had plenty of evidence supporting their belief that the Compton home where Paz and his family lived was linked to an alleged drug dealer named Marcos Beltran Lizarraga.

Giving the city’s first full account of the Aug. 9 raid, El Monte Assistant Chief Bill Ankeny said Lizarraga used the address of the Paz family home for bank, cellular phone and Department of Motor Vehicles records.

Police displayed a photograph of the .22-caliber pistol they say was later found near Paz’s body. They also played taped interviews with members of his family indicating that at least some of them realized they were the subject of a police raid. Family members had previously said that in the chaos of the incident, they feared they were under attack by burglars.

Ankeny said the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department worked almost six months to complete its investigation of the shooting. He said the city called a news conference to tell its side of the story, based in part on the investigation.

Attorney Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the Paz family last month.

Attorney Cameron Stewart, who is also working for the family, said Thursday that none of the evidence presented by police refutes the contention that the shooting was unjustified. She acknowledged that Lizarraga used to live next door to the Paz family and sometimes used their home as a mail drop.

The news conference, Stewart said, was an effort to polish the city’s tarnished image. But in doing so, she said, El Monte officials are “adding damage to a good family name.”

Police said the hunt for Lizarraga began in June when officers searched two cars and found 400 pounds of marijuana, as well as evidence that guided them to Lizarraga’s home in Chino.

When they searched the Chino home, Ankeny said, they found documents pointing to a house in Compton and to another in Valinda. They arrested Lizarraga at the scene. A judge issued search warrants for the two homes, thought to be used to store illegal drugs. At noon on Aug. 9, police found 400 pounds of marijuana and three AK-47 rifles at the Valinda house, Ankeny said. They arrested Lizarraga’s brother there, but subsequently dropped the charges.

That night, officers raided the Paz home on West 131st Street.

As officers scrambled through the house, Paz reached under his bed for $10,000 in cash he had stored there, on the assumption the intruders were there to rob him, family members have said. Sgt. George Hopkins stormed into the darkened bedroom and opened fire, killing Paz.

After the shooting, police said Paz had been reaching for a drawer when he was killed. But on Thursday, Eugene Ramirez, an attorney representing the city, gave a different account.

He said Paz was grabbing for the drawer when Hopkins entered, and was repeatedly ordered to surrender.

“Mr. Paz turned and looked at Mr. Hopkins and then put his hands under the bed,” Ramirez said. “He suddenly grabbed something . . . and turned his back to Mr. Hopkins. Mr. Paz became an immediate and credible threat to Mr. Hopkins.”

Officials showed a picture of a .22-caliber Intratec Scorpion pistol with a 20-round clip, calling it an assault weapon, which they said was found in an open drawer next to Paz. Hopkins told investigators he did not see the gun before he shot Paz.

Police found two other handguns and a .22-caliber rifle in the home. No drugs were found.

At the news conference, Ramirez played two taped interviews conducted by sheriff’s investigators. In one, Paz’s son Jorge acknowledged that officers clearly identified themselves. The SWAT members “were saying, ‘Search warrant, search warrant, this is the police,’ ” he said on the tape.

In another interview, the tape of which was difficult to understand, Maria Paz, the victim’s wife, said the money found on their bed came from a man nicknamed “El Central” who had asked them to hold the cash. Maria Paz told The Times last year that her husband had withdrawn the money from a Tijuana bank for fear of a Y2K problem. She has financial records that support the claim.

“Part of the bank name where they withdrew the money is called El Central,” Stewart said.