Pubdate: Fri, 11 Feb 2000
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Copyright: 2000 Los Angeles Times
Contact:  Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053
Fax: (213) 237-4712
Website: http://www.latimes.com/
Forum: http://www.latimes.com/home/discuss/
Author: Joe Mozingo, Times Staff Writer

EL MONTE POLICE TELL THEIR SIDE OF STORY IN FATAL DRUG RAID

Shooting: Officials say evidence shows that house where man was mistakenly 
killed had links to an alleged dealer. They also display guns found at site.

Hoping to counter public criticism, El Monte police officials Thursday 
presented evidence that they say supports their decision to conduct a drug 
raid in Compton last year that led to the fatal shooting of an unarmed 
grandfather.

Relatives of the dead man, Mario Paz, have filed a wrongful death lawsuit 
against the cities of El Monte and Compton, alleging that police officers 
made a fatal error by shooting at Paz, then tried to cover up their mistake 
by intimidating witnesses.

Paz, 65, was kneeling at his bedside when he was shot in front of his wife, 
authorities have said. Police say the shooting was justified.

El Monte city officials said at a news conference Thursday that they had 
plenty of evidence supporting their belief that the Compton home where Paz 
and his family lived was linked to an alleged drug dealer named Marcos 
Beltran Lizarraga.

Giving the city's first full account of the Aug. 9 raid, El Monte Assistant 
Chief Bill Ankeny said Lizarraga used the address of the Paz family home 
for bank, cellular phone and Department of Motor Vehicles records.

Police displayed a photograph of the .22-caliber pistol they say was later 
found near Paz's body. They also played taped interviews with members of 
his family indicating that at least some of them realized they were the 
subject of a police raid. Family members had previously said that in the 
chaos of the incident, they feared they were under attack by burglars.

Ankeny said the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department worked almost six 
months to complete its investigation of the shooting. He said the city 
called a news conference to tell its side of the story, based in part on 
the investigation.

Attorney Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of 
the Paz family last month.

Attorney Cameron Stewart, who is also working for the family, said Thursday 
that none of the evidence presented by police refutes the contention that 
the shooting was unjustified. She acknowledged that Lizarraga used to live 
next door to the Paz family and sometimes used their home as a mail drop.

The news conference, Stewart said, was an effort to polish the city's 
tarnished image. But in doing so, she said, El Monte officials are "adding 
damage to a good family name."

Police said the hunt for Lizarraga began in June when officers searched two 
cars and found 400 pounds of marijuana, as well as evidence that guided 
them to Lizarraga's home in Chino.

When they searched the Chino home, Ankeny said, they found documents 
pointing to a house in Compton and to another in Valinda. They arrested 
Lizarraga at the scene. A judge issued search warrants for the two homes, 
thought to be used to store illegal drugs. At noon on Aug. 9, police found 
400 pounds of marijuana and three AK-47 rifles at the Valinda house, Ankeny 
said. They arrested Lizarraga's brother there, but subsequently dropped the 
charges.

That night, officers raided the Paz home on West 131st Street.

As officers scrambled through the house, Paz reached under his bed for 
$10,000 in cash he had stored there, on the assumption the intruders were 
there to rob him, family members have said. Sgt. George Hopkins stormed 
into the darkened bedroom and opened fire, killing Paz.

After the shooting, police said Paz had been reaching for a drawer when he 
was killed. But on Thursday, Eugene Ramirez, an attorney representing the 
city, gave a different account.

He said Paz was grabbing for the drawer when Hopkins entered, and was 
repeatedly ordered to surrender.

"Mr. Paz turned and looked at Mr. Hopkins and then put his hands under the 
bed," Ramirez said. "He suddenly grabbed something . . . and turned his 
back to Mr. Hopkins. Mr. Paz became an immediate and credible threat to Mr. 
Hopkins."

Officials showed a picture of a .22-caliber Intratec Scorpion pistol with a 
20-round clip, calling it an assault weapon, which they said was found in 
an open drawer next to Paz. Hopkins told investigators he did not see the 
gun before he shot Paz.

Police found two other handguns and a .22-caliber rifle in the home. No 
drugs were found.

At the news conference, Ramirez played two taped interviews conducted by 
sheriff's investigators. In one, Paz's son Jorge acknowledged that officers 
clearly identified themselves. The SWAT members "were saying, 'Search 
warrant, search warrant, this is the police,' " he said on the tape.

In another interview, the tape of which was difficult to understand, Maria 
Paz, the victim's wife, said the money found on their bed came from a man 
nicknamed "El Central" who had asked them to hold the cash. Maria Paz told 
The Times last year that her husband had withdrawn the money from a Tijuana 
bank for fear of a Y2K problem. She has financial records that support the 
claim.

"Part of the bank name where they withdrew the money is called El Central," 
Stewart said.
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