Officer Kills Suspect During Break-In at Pasadena Store

A Pasadena police officer shot to death a suspected burglar early Wednesday after the man allegedly assaulted the officer and his partner when they interrupted a break-in at a car stereo store, officials said.

Robert Ryan Holter, 28, of Lake Los Angeles, was shot at least twice during the incident shortly before 1 a.m. at Pasadena Car Audio & Security on Colorado Boulevard near Allen Avenue, Pasadena Police Cmdr. Chris Vicino said.

Ryan Mark Montgomery, 25, of Valley Village, the alleged accomplice, was arrested by the officers, Vicino said.

The shooting occurred after two police officers responded to a burglar alarm at the business and found a back door forced open, Vicino said.

Vicino said the suspects had seen the officers approaching. Holter stood at the door in darkness and then aggressively charged the officers, Vicino said.

Concerned for his and his partner’s safety, one officer fired his service weapon, Vicino said. Holter died at the scene.

Vicino said Holter was more than 6 feet tall and weighed about 230 pounds. Neither officer was hurt in the incident, Vicino said. The identity of the officer who fired his weapon was not immediately released, Vicino said.

Pasadena police and the district attorney’s office are investigating Holter’s death.

“Our investigation revealed a .22-caliber rifle was discovered at the location, and the workers and owners of the establishment say that it was not theirs,” Vicino said.

“But we’re not drawing a nexus between the officers’ actions and the found weapon,” he said.

He said extensive interviews with the officers and Montgomery indicated that the officers had not seen the gun.

Montgomery was booked on suspicion of murder and held in lieu of $1-million bail. Under California law, an accomplice in a crime can be charged with murder when someone is killed during the commission of the crime.

Earlier this year, Pasadena Police Officer Steve Arcand shot a man who lunged at him with a pair of scissors outside a mental health facility. Prosecutors found that the shooting of Javier Quezada Jr., 22, on Jan. 23 at Las Encinas Hospital was justified and that Arcand fired in self-defense.

Quezada’s parents have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city and department alleging that their son was shot from behind.