Grandson Shot Trying to Save Grandpa During North Hollywood Robbery, LAPD Says
Updated at the bottom with two suspects arrested. The story changed after our first report (the victim was the grandson, not son), and our headline changed soon after to reflect that. First posted at 6:05 a.m. Jan. 10.
tiffa130 A chain was taken in the robbery, cops say.
A man was killed when he tried to defend his father during a robbery in North Hollywood last night, police said.
It happened about 6:45 p.m. in the 8100 block of Coldwater Canyon Avenue, LAPD William Mann told LA Weekly.
It appears that three men in a white Mitsubishi Montero SUV ...
... robbed the elder man, believed to be 60- to 65-years-old, as he was in a driveway, Mann said.
The younger family member, identified by CBS Los Angeles' website as 35-year-old Jose Torres (but ID'd by a CBS2 reporter in the field as a 24-year-old grandson of the victim) heard his grandfather and came out to help.
The SUV ended up with a shattered window. CBS2 reported that was the result of the younger man lashing out at the robbers, but cops think it might have been a result of at least one gunshot, Mann said.
The younger man was shot. He was taken to Holy Cross Medical Center where he was pronounced at 8:59 p.m., Mann told us.
The robbers, still at-large, got away with "a chain, and possibly a wallet," he said.
[Update at 3:03 p.m.]: Turns out Suzanne Marques' report from the scene last night for CBS2 had the correct version of events, at least according to an LAPD statement just released.
The victim was identified as Danilo Estuardo Morales, a 24-year-old who had come to his grandpa's aid on Willard Street, just west of Coldwater Canyon, according to the department.
Cops say the robbery happened behind a residence and that Morales was shot as he chased after the vehicle used by the suspects.
[Update at 2:38 p.m., Jan. 16]: The LAPD today announced two of three suspects it has sought have been arrested. It ID'd the two in a statement:
Rene Ramirez, 29 yrs old, resident of Mission Hills Booked for Murder (187 PC) at LAPD Valley Jail Section -NO BAIL.Evin Adonis Ortiz, 22 years old, resident of Valley Glen.
Booked for Murder (187 PC) at LAPD Valley Jail Section -NO BAIL.
A third man was still being sought. Cops say they have the SUV that was used in connection with the killing. But they still want your help. Drop a dime: 818-623-4075
[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]
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