LAPD undercover unit shoots suspect after Beverly Hills robbery attempt
Officers of the Special Investigation Section were outside a restaurant while suspects were trying to rob it, police say. They are trailed to a Miracle Mile intersection, where a suspect is wounded.
Los Angeles police officers working undercover for a special investigative unit this morning shot and wounded a man they had trailed from the scene of an attempted robbery in Beverly Hills to a busy Miracle Mile intersection, authorities said. Another male suspect, who was not wounded, also was in custody, police said.
The shooting took place minutes after the chef at Lawry's The Prime Rib on La Cienega Boulevard was held at gunpoint, the restaurant's manager said this morning.
"He put a gun to my chef's head and said: 'Where's the money?' " said Todd Johnson.
LAPD Deputy Chief Charlie Beck called the suspects "serial robbers" and "takeover bandits." Beck said the men had been under investigation by the department's Special Investigation Section for some time.
"These are very dangerous individuals and we're very glad that they've been arrested and taken off the street," Beck said.
The shooting occurred near the intersection of South Fairfax Avenue and San Vicente and West Olympic boulevards. Investigators shut down roads in the area, snarling traffic during the morning commute.
The incident began about 6 a.m., shortly after Walter Eckstein, a chef at Lawry's for 20 years, began his daily shift. Eckstein, 62, later told his manager that two men came into the back of the restaurant and one held a gun to his head, demanding access to the safe.
Johnson said his staff "had no way of getting into the safe" and Eckstein told the men he could not get them any money.
"They got spooked and they ran out" on their own, Johnson said. "Next thing you know there's a helicopter and police."
Unknown to Eckstein, officers from the Special Investigation Section were outside watching the men. As many as 20 officers were involved in the operation, authorities said. Officers trailed the suspects for about mile and a half before pulling in front of their Ford F-150 pickup, effectively jamming them, Beck said.
Beck, who is head of detectives, said three officers fired six or seven times at the men, who he said had threatened police with handguns. No officers were injured and authorities said it was unclear whether the suspects had fired at police.
Beck said handguns allegedly belonging to the men were recovered at the scene.
The man shot by police was treated at the scene and taken to a hospital, officers at the scene said. Lt. Rick Banks said his understanding was that the suspect was shot "in the area of the hand."
