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IN BRIEF / LOS ANGELES COUNTY / MALIBURanger fatally shoots man at Tapia Park
From Times Staff ReportsAugust 5, 2007
A California state park ranger shot and killed a man Saturday afternoon at Tapia Park in the hills above Malibu, authorities said.
The incident occurred about 3 p.m. as several people were being detained for questioning. One person drove his vehicle directly toward the ranger, who fired his weapon in self-defense, said Malibu-sector State Park Supt. Al Pepito. The man's identity was not available.
Family of man slain by Park Rangers says he was shot in 'cold blood'Daily News Wire Services
LA Daily News
MALIBU - Three investigations were under way today into the death of a 29-year-old South Los Angeles man shot by a California State Park Ranger in Tapia Park in the hills above Malibu.
The man's siblings say Onesimo Arturo Guzman was shot in cold blood.
California State Park Department spokesman Roy Stearns said yesterday the shooting around 3 p.m. Saturday involved a park ranger sent to investigate after two visitors stopped at the kiosk at the entrance to Malibu Creek State Park to report gunfire at Tapia Park.
A car with four people inside came toward the ranger, who was out of his vehicle, and "the driver failed to yield to multiple verbal commands to stop," he said.
"We understand the vehicle bumped the officer on the leg," he added. "Feeling his life or safety was at risk, the ranger fired one round from his duty weapon, which fatally wounded the driver."
The three passengers fled into the woods. They were later found and questioned but apparently released because they appeared to have had nothing to do with the initial report of gunfire, officials said.
Stearns said the ranger has worked for the parks department for more than four years and received the same training as all California peace officers allowed to carry weapons. As is routine in officer-involved shootings, he has been placed on paid administrative leave while the shooting is being investigated, Stearns said.
Officials said the shooting was being investigated by the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, the District Attorney's Office and the California State Park Department.
Guzman's siblings went to Stearn's news conference at Tapia Park yesterday and provided a far different account of what occurred.
Krystal Guzman
His sister, 20-year-old Krystal, said that based on what the passengers reported, all four men were sitting in the car when the ranger arrived."My brother did pull over and he put his hands up," she said. "I guess the park ranger was nervous because he was trying to pull out his gun, he was trying to call reinforcements, he was trying to do a lot of different things at the same time, but he pulled out his gun and he shot him in the head."
She said her brother was shot around 3 in the afternoon but the family was not notified of the death until 11 that night.
Joe Guzman said his brother got out of prison about eight months ago and was trying to turn his life around, going to school and working for their father.
"All he ever wanted was a family -- kids," he said.
Court records show that an Onesimo Arturo Guzman with the same birth date as the one provided by Guzman's family was convicted of assaulting a peace officer, resisting arrest and stealing a vehicle, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The Guzman siblings said the family would hire an attorney to look into whether the shooting was justified.
(CBS) MALIBU, Calif. The siblings of a 29-year-old South Los Angeles man who was fatally shot by a California State Park Ranger said their brother had stopped and raised his hands before being shot in the hills above Malibu. Arturo Guzman allegedly drove a vehicle toward a park ranger and "bumped the officer on the leg" before being shot about 3 p.m. Saturday, said California State Park Department spokesman Roy Stearns. Two visitors went to the kiosk at the entrance to Malibu Creek State Park reporting gunshots from Tapio State Park, and a park ranger was sent to investigate, he said. The officer was out of his vehicle when he tried to stop the vehicle Guzman was driving. Three others were inside the vehicle, he said. "The driver failed to yield to multiple verbal commands to stop," Stearns said. "We understand the vehicle bumped the officer on the leg," he added. "Feeling his life or safety was at risk, the ranger fired one round from his duty weapon, which fatally wounded the driver." The three passengers fled into the woods and were later found and questioned. They were released, since they were probably unrelated with the initial report of gunfire, officials said. Guzman's sister said the passengers gave her a different account of the shooting and said they were sitting in a car when the ranger arrived. "My brother did pull over and he put his hands up," she said. "I guess the park ranger was nervous because he was trying to pull out his gun, he was trying to call reinforcements, he was trying to do a lot of different things at the same time, but he pulled out his gun and he shot him in the head." She said her brother was shot around 3 in the afternoon, but the family was not notified of the death until 11 that night. Joe Guzman said his brother had gotten out of prison about eight months ago and was trying to turn his life around, going to school and working for their dad. "All he ever wanted was a family -- kids," he said. They said the family will hire an attorney to look into whether the shooting was justified. The siblings would not disclose why Guzman had been in prison and said they did not know what he was doing at the park. It was unclear if any weapons were found in the car. As is routine in officer-involved shootings, the ranger was put on paid administrative leave while the shooting was investigated, Stearns said. The primary duties of park rangers are to protect people and resources, such as catching illegal loggers or people driving dirt bikes in unauthorized areas, he said. Stearns said the ranger has worked for the parks department for more than four years and received the same training as all California peace officers that are allowed to carry weapons. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the California Highway Patrol were also involved in the investigation.(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. )
I believe the person killed was shot (by) the park ranger," Sgt. Rich Pena of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.Arturo Guzman was initially identified by his relatives, and on Sunday coroner's investigator Selena Barros confirmed that Guzman was the man behind the wheel of a car who allegedly drove at the park ranger.
Monday, August 6, 2007, 9:28 amFatal Shooting By Park Ranger Near Malibu Under Investigation
Passengers' Stories Differ From Ranger's Account
MALIBU, Calif. -- The sister of a 29-year-old South Los Angeles man who was killed by a state park ranger in the hills above Malibu says her brother had stopped and raised his hands before being shot.
Authorities said Arturo Guzman drove a car at the ranger, who was investigating a report of gunfire in Tapia Park Saturday afternoon. Guzman allegedly bumped the officer with the vehicle, and the ranger said he shot him in self-defense.
After the ranger fired his weapon, three other people ran into the hills, Sgt. Rich Pena of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.
All three people who ran were found, questioned, and released, police said.
Guzman's sister said the passengers told her Guzman had stopped the vehicle before he was shot in the head.
Three investigations are under way into the Guzman shooting. They're being carried out by the
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department,
the District Attorney's Office and
the ranger's own agency -- the California State Park Department.Copyright 2007 by KNBC.com and KNBC (NBC4 Los Angeles). All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Photo Gallery AP Images
Family disputes official version of ranger shooting in SoCal parkThe Associated Press Article
MALIBU, Calif. — Siblings of a man who was shot and killed by a park ranger rejected authorities' version of events, saying their brother had not put the ranger's life in danger.
Onesimo Arturo Guzman was killed Saturday in Tapia Park near Malibu. The incident began after gunshots were reported in the park. A ranger who responded saw Guzman, 29, in a car with three other men, California Parks and Recreation spokesman Roy Stearns said at a Sunday news conference.
The ranger repeatedly asked Guzman to stop the car, but Guzman continued moving, bumping one of the ranger's legs with the vehicle, Stearns said. The ranger shot because he thought his life was in danger, officials said.
Guzman's younger siblings told a different story.
Joe Guzman, 24, said his brother had gone to the park with his friends to relax.
Joe Guzman said that one of his brother's three passengers called to tell him how his brother was shot. He said Guzman did stop his car when the ranger asked him to.
The ranger was banging on the hood of the car and acting nervous, fumbling with the instruments on his vest and belt while he tried to talk with the men, Joe Guzman said.
Onesimo Arturo Guzman raised his hands and asked the ranger "What are we doing?" and then the officer shot him, his younger brother said. The three other men in the car ran away, Joe Guzman said.
"They just destroyed our family," said Krystal Guzman, 20.
"Did the suspect receive medical aid at that moment?" she asked. "What is the procedure to inform the family?"
The Sheriff's Department was conducting a homicide investigation and the California Department of Parks and Recreation was also looking into the case.
The three other men in Guzman's car were chased by authorities, taken briefly into custody and released, authorities said.
The ranger who shot Guzman did not have to be hospitalized or treated for injuries, authorities said. He had been placed on paid administrative leave.
"There's a lot that we still don't know," Stearns said.
August 6, 2007
From the Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-park6aug06,0,1515316.story?coll=la-home-centerFamily disputes details of officer-involved shooting
A brother and sister of a man killed by a park ranger near Malibu
ay the man's companions deny that he had refused to stop when ordered to.By Ari B. Bloomekatz
Times Staff WriterFamily members and authorities differed sharply Sunday in their portrayal of what happened when a man was shot and killed by a park ranger in Tapia Park near Malibu.
Officials said the man, Onesimo Arturo Guzman, threatened the ranger's life at the park Saturday. But the slain man's siblings accused the ranger of shooting their brother "in cold blood."
After gunshots were reported in the hills of Tapia Park on Saturday, a ranger who responded saw Guzman, 29, in a car with three other men, California Parks and Recreation spokesman Roy Stearns said at a news conference at the park on Sunday.
Stearns said the ranger repeatedly asked Guzman to stop the car, but Guzman continued moving, bumping one of the ranger's legs with the vehicle.
The ranger, who believed that his life was in danger, shot and killed Guzman around 3 p.m. Officials did not provide further details of the shooting but said the ranger had been placed on paid administrative leave.
But Guzman's younger siblings came to the park service's news conference and told a different story.
Joe Guzman, 24, the dead man's brother, said Guzman had gone to the park with his friends to relax.
Joe Guzman said that one of his brother's three passengers called him to tell him how his brother was shot.
He believes Guzman did stop his car when the ranger asked him to.
The ranger was banging on the hood of the car and acting extremely nervous, fumbling with the instruments on his vest and belt while he tried to talk with the men, Joe Guzman said.
Onesimo Arturo Guzman raised his hands and asked the ranger "What are we doing?" and then the officer shot him, his younger brother said. The three other men in the car, fearing for their lives, jumped out and began running away, Joe Guzman said.
"They just destroyed our family," said Krystal Guzman, 20, who had effectively taken over the news conference, demanding information from officials, such as "Did the suspect receive medical aid at that moment?" and "What is the procedure to inform the family?"
Guzman's siblings pleaded for any witnesses to come forward with more information.
Authorities Sunday said they had little information about the shooting but said the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department was conducting a homicide investigation and the California Department of Parks and Recreation was also looking into the case.
The three other men in Guzman's car were chased by authorities, taken briefly into custody and released, said California Department of Parks and Recreation District Supt. Ronald P. Schafer, who attended the news conference with Stearns.
The ranger who shot Guzman did not have to be hospitalized or treated for any injuries, authorities said.
"There's a lot that we still don't know," Stearns said.
Stearns and Schafer deflected most questions Sunday about the details of the shooting, saying it was too early in their investigation to know.
The investigations would be thorough and complete, Stearns said.
Joe and Krystal Guzman hugged each other as they grieved over their brother's death.
They said they drove to the news conference at Malibu Creek State Park from their home in South Los Angeles because they wanted to demand answers.
The siblings said they planned to get an attorney to investigate further and explore legal options.
Their brother had been released from prison about eight months earlier, Joe Guzman said.
"He had been in too much trouble," Guzman said about his brother. "He never wanted to go back to prison."
Court records show that an Onesimo Arturo Guzman with the same birth date as the one provided by Guzman's family had been convicted of assaulting a peace officer, resisting arrest and stealing a vehicle.
Family members said Guzman had recently served a sentence of about five years.
He had tried to turn his life around, working with his father at a welding shop and attending community college in Long Beach with hopes of becoming an electrician, they said.
email reporter: ari.bloomekatz@latimes.com