Police, suspect trade fire
Four men arrested following shooting in residential area
By Marshall Allen, Staff Writer
PASADENA -- Four alleged gang members were arrested after one of them exchanged gunfire with undercover police officers following a high-speed chase through neighborhood streets, authorities said Wednesday.
No one was hurt in the volley of shots, which occurred at about 8:45 p.m. Tuesday at the intersection of Buckeye Street and Madison Avenue, behind Madison Elementary School. The school is now on spring break.
The preliminary investigation into the incident showed the officers fired 22 shots between them, police said Wednesday. The gun fired by the suspect was not recovered.
It's fortunate that no officers, suspects or residents were hit by gunfire, said Lt. Randell Taylor of the Pasadena Police Department's detectives section. "When you have shootings like this in a residential neighborhood, where there's homes all around, clearly the possibility for somebody getting hurt is just immense," Taylor said.
Two of the suspects were arrested within an hour of the incident. The alleged gunman is Angel Martinez, 23, of Altadena, police said. The second suspect was identified as Rogelio Quezada, 28, of Pasadena.
The two other men, David Lopez Jr., 19, and Jorge Alpuche, 23, both of Pasadena, were arrested at about 10 a.m. Wednesday after an extensive manhunt, police said.
All four were booked on suspicion of attempted homicide of a police officer and are being held without bail at the Pasadena jail, police said. Martinez is also being held on a parole violation.
The incident started at about 8:40 p.m. when undercover and uniformed police officers were involved in a gang-suppression operation, Taylor said.
The two officers involved in the shooting were at the Argentina Market at 1272 Villa St., where they saw several gang members, he said.
The officers were watching the market when a gold Chevy Impala came "flying out of the parking lot at a high rate of speed," Taylor said.
The car, which had four male occupants, drove erratically west on Villa Street, he said. The officers gave chase in an undercover car, a Toyota sedan. The cars were speeding westbound on Buckeye Street when the Impala came to an abrupt halt after passing through the Madison Avenue intersection, Taylor said. The Toyota stopped a short distance behind it.
The driver, allegedly Martinez, stepped out of the car, opened the trunk and pulled out a handgun, Taylor said. The suspect then walked to the street corner about 30-35 yards from the officers and started firing, Taylor said. The officers jumped from the car, identified themselves and fired back, police said.
One round hit the windshield of the car and others hit nearby buildings, including the Cornerstone Cottage, a building adjacent to the elementary school that provides resources for families.
The gunman ran north on Madison Avenue. The officers did not chase him but heard one more shot after he ran away, Taylor said.
The other three suspects ran east and north through yards. A manhunt began and resulted in the arrest of the three other suspects, Taylor said.
The streets near the incident were blocked off until about 10 a.m. Wednesday, when the investigation was complete.
Resident Roger Sanchez, who was walking down the street the morning after the shooting, lives about a block away from the shooting. He said his mother-in-law heard the gunshots. The neighborhood is not known for gang activity and the shooting had people concerned, Sanchez said.
"I hope it's safe for us to walk," said Sanchez, whose family does not own a car. "We have a daughter who's 4 years old."
According to an employee from Argentina Market, anti-police graffiti was spray-painted on the side of the building sometime after the store closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday night. The graffiti was removed Wednesday morning.
Taylor said the graffiti shows the conflict between the city's gang members and the police. The department takes a proactive approach to gang enforcement, which includes things like parole searches and Tuesday's gang-suppression operation.
"We don't tolerate gang-banging in our city," Taylor said. "We have zero tolerance for it."
-- Marshall Allen can be reached at (626) 578-6300, Ext. 4461, or by e-mail at
[email protected]
