Police Kill 2 in Shootings Linked to Separate Robbery, Attack Incidents

Police officers shot and killed two men overnight Sunday -- one of whom authorities said tried to rob a Reseda video store that a Los Angeles Police Department officer was patronizing and another who reportedly threatened officers with a knife.

The man linked to the robbery attempt was shot by an off-duty narcotics officer about 10:30 p.m. inside the Hollywood Video store in the 18300 block of Vanowen Street, Lt. John Pasquariello said.

Officer Donald J. Goossens was shopping in the store when he saw a man, later identified as Porfirio Maravilla of Reseda, enter the business with his face covered with a bandanna and point what looked like a handgun at the clerk, Pasquariello said.

“The officer, fearing for the clerk’s life, drew his service pistol, identified himself as a police officer, and ordered the suspect to drop the gun,” Pasquariello said.

Maravilla did not comply, but instead pointed his weapon at the officer, he said. Maravilla was pronounced dead shortly before 4 a.m. at a hospital.

Pasquariello said an examination of Maravilla’s weapon, which resembled a semiautomatic handgun, revealed it was a pellet gun.

Goossens, 44, is a 13-year veteran of the department assigned to Valley bureau narcotics. His only prior officer-involved shooting involved the death of an animal a dozen years ago, records show.

In Hollywood four hours earlier, Yousuf Mollah, 32, was fatally shot by an officer responding to a report of a male exposing himself to children, Pasquariello said.

Hollywood Division officers arriving at 945 N. Serrano Ave. learned the man was armed with a knife.

When Officer Alma Andrade, a seven-year veteran, and her partner knocked on the door of Mollah’s apartment, he opened it and stepped into the hallway holding a 13-inch kitchen knife, Pasquariello said.

According to Pasquariello, Andrade, 29, drew her service weapon and ordered Mollah to drop the knife. Instead, the spokesman said, he lunged at the officers. Andrade shot Mollah once in the abdomen, Pasquariello said. Mollah fell to the floor, but managed to crawl back inside his apartment.

About 9:30 p.m., after Mollah failed to surrender, officers fired tear gas into the apartment, broke through the door and found Mollah dead. Pasquariello said the knife was on the floor next to him.

Officers were not injured in either shooting. The LAPD and the district attorney’s office are reviewing both shootings.

Times staff writer Matt Lait contributed to this report.