1 Holdup Suspect Killed, 1 Held

Separate police pursuits of two men believed to be responsible for up to 50 armed robberies ended Wednesday with one suspect being shot to death in a Van Nuys gun battle with officers and the arrest of the second after he caused a collision in Eagle Rock that killed a passing motorist, authorities said.

William Tanielian, 34, was taken into custody about 11:30 a.m. and booked on murder charges after his car swerved into oncoming traffic in the 7300 block of North Figueroa Street, killing a driver identified by relatives as Milo Flores, 34, of Alhambra, Los Angeles Police Department Cmdr. Garrett Zimmon said. About four hours later, Tanielian’s alleged partner, whose name was not released, was killed in a shootout on busy Roscoe Boulevard that left Officer James Nuttall with a shoulder wound.

Nuttall, a five-year veteran assigned to the LAPD West Valley Division, was treated at Northridge Hospital Medical Center and released, Zimmon said.

Tanielian and the dead man had extensive arrest records and allegedly began a string of restaurant robberies March 3, hitting as many as two fast-food outlets a day in the Los Angeles area, Zimmon said.

The pursuit of Tanielian--which apparently triggered the second chase--occurred shortly after 11 a.m., about 30 minutes after Los Angeles and Glendale police officers had staked out a Glendale car dealership near Western Avenue and Flower Street where Tanielian had been expected to show up, Glendale Police spokesman Sgt. Rick Young said.

The officers began tailing Tanielian in unmarked cars after he drove by them and pulled onto the Ventura Freeway at Western Avenue, heading east, Young said.

The detectives radioed for help, and two Glendale police cars responded, flashing their lights at Tanielian at 11:05 a.m., near the Glendale Avenue exit.

“That’s when the guy jack-rabbits out of there,” Young said. He added that Tanielian drove faster than 80 mph.

When Tanielian drove onto Figueroa Street in Eagle Rock, the police cars began hanging back by about two blocks and a department helicopter took up the chase, Young said.

Tanielian’s car slammed into the car driven by Flores near Neola Street, the sergeant said. Tanielian jumped out of the car and tried to run away, but an officer tackled him, according to Young.

Flores was taken by ambulance to Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, where he died about an hour later, Young said.

His sister, the sole passenger, was also taken to Huntington Memorial and was treated and released, Young and family members said. The police officer who tackled Tanielian also suffered minor injuries.

Angela Flores, another sister, said, “He’s a great brother. It’s really a great loss for our family.”

Paul Robles, 37, of Highland Park, said he saw the car swerving in and out of the moderate traffic, and it nearly hit his car before crossing into the oncoming traffic.

Robles also said he watched as Tanielian, while in custody in the back seat of a police car, smashed the rear window with his forehead, screaming that it was too hot to breathe.

Young said Tanielian was treated by paramedics for a head gash. He was taken to County-USC Medical Center’s jail ward, where he was booked on suspicion of murder, the police said.

Zimmon said that officers saw Tanielian talking on a cellular phone during the chase, and guessed that he was tipping off his alleged partner. LAPD officers headed to the 7000 block of Shirley Avenue in Reseda, where they thought they might find the second suspect. The man showed up about 3 p.m., but did not stop his car when officers tried to pull him over, Zimmon said.

The chase continued for about three miles. A tire blew out on the suspect’s car, which stopped near a Home Depot parking lot on Roscoe near Balboa Avenue, and the gun battle began, Zimmon said. The police did not release information on the number of officers involved in the shootout, nor how many shots were fired.

“I saw him try to shoot at the cops then the cops fired,” said Karen Fraley, who works across the street. “It happened so quick, all I heard was, bam bam bam!--and he was on the ground.”

By 4 p.m., police had taped off a two-block area east of Balboa and set up a command post in the parking lot of Lulu’s restaurant. The suspect’s body and a chrome-plated pistol were still in the street. One police car had its driver’s side window shot out.

In Eagle Rock, officers were towing away the cars and sweeping up shattered glass. Robles stood on the street, reflecting that it could have been him and lamenting the loss of life.

“My God,” he said. “An innocent person was killed. It’s just a shame that a life was lost because of this man’s foolishness and idiocy.”

Glendale police spokesman Young said the officers’ actions during the chase appeared to be in accordance with policy, but said they would be reviewed to make sure the pursuit complied with safety policies.

“These incidents are always a tragedy,” Young said. “But it’s important to point out this suspect was wanted for numerous armed robberies, and also had two felony warrants out for his arrest. . . . The bottom line is that it’s not the police--it’s the suspect’s actions [that caused this].”

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Times staff writers Andrew Blankstein, Kristina Sauerwein and Joe Mozingo contributed to this story.