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| SWAT team members approach a house where a gunman shot and wounded a sheriff's deputy Friday, Aug. 31, 2001, in Stevenson Ranch, Calif. The gunman barricaded himself inside a home, forcing neighbors to leave while heavily armed officers descended on the home with a tear gas barrage. "ATF agents were trying to serve a search warrant and it went bad," said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy David Cervantes. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) | Fire engulfs a house in Santa Clarita, Calif., Friday, Aug. 31, 2001, after a man sought by federal agents shot and killed a sheriff's deputy and then barricaded himself inside the home. The house caught fire after officers lobbed tear gas inside hours later. The man fired hundreds of shots at the start of the standoff, when agents tried to arrest him for allegedly impersonating an officer. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon) |
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| Deputy Jake Kuredjian, a 17-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, is shown in this handout photo taken June 30, 1987. | Los Angeles County Sheriff Jake Kuredjian, shown in a week old photo, was shot and killed August 31, 2001 |
Kuredjian, 40, was shot to death Friday, Aug. 31, 2001, in Santa Clarita, Calif., after officers tried to serve a search warrant at a residence and were fired upon by a gunman suspected of impersonating a U.S. Marshal and stockpiling weapons. (AP Photo/Los Angeles County Sheriff)
James Beck
A man sought by federal agents shot and killed the sheriff's deputy, then barricaded himself inside the home that caught fire after officers lobbed tear gas inside hours later. The man fired hundreds of shots at the start of the standoff, when agents tried to arrest him for allegedly impersonating an officer.
A male suspect being investigated for federal weapons violations in Santa Clarita, California. James Beck, the man who allegedly killed Kuredjian was presumed dead after the two story house in which he was barricaded burned to the ground in a fire apparently sparked by tear gas grenades.
Video
http://www.ktla.com/news/media/083101santaClarita-shooting.htm
Law Enforcement Officers Shot
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (AP) - A gunman shot and wounded a federal agent and a sheriff's deputy, then barricaded himself inside a home, forcing authorities to evacuate an upscale neighborhood.
``ATF agents were trying to serve a search warrant and it went bad,'' said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy David Cervantes.
He said he did not know the condition of the victims - a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agent and a sheriff's deputy.
Officers arrived around 8:30 a.m. to search the home of James Beck, a man who allegedly had been posing as a deputy U.S. marshal and stockpiling weapons, the U.S. Marshals Service said.
A heavily armed gunman began shooting randomly out of his house, Sgt. Ken Davidson said.
It appeared from aerial photos that tear gas was lobbed into the house. Smoke billowed from second-story windows.
The Stevenson Ranch neighborhood, an area of half-million dollar homes 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, was evacuated while deputies and agents were brought in by helicopter.
``We believe he is armed with numerous weapons,'' Davidson said.
The man, identified by police as 35-year-old James Beck, held police at bay from a two-story house north of Los Angeles for several hours on Friday, allegedly firing hundreds of rounds, a sheriff's spokesman said.
Shortly before noon local time (3:00 p.m. EDT) a fire broke out in the upstairs of the house, apparently after officers fired tear gas into the house in an effort to make Beck surrender.
Beck was being investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms on federal weapons charges and for allegedly impersonating a deputy U.S. Marshal when sheriff's deputies and ATF agents went to the home with a search warrant, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said.
Baca, visibly upset at a press conference, said the sheriff's deputy, a 17-year veteran, was shot and killed at about 9 a.m. (12:00 p.m. EDT).
Local television stations showed the upstairs of the home engulfed in flames as fire crews and officers surrounded the property, located in an unincorporated area near the suburban community of Santa Clarita.
Calif. Sheriff Deputy Shot to Death
By CADONNA M. PEYTON, Associated Press Writer
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (AP) - A man sought by federal agents shot and killed a sheriff's deputy Friday, then barricaded himself in a home that caught fire after officers lobbed tear gas inside hours later.
The man fired hundreds of shots at the start of the standoff, when agents tried to arrest him for allegedly impersonating an officer.
Firefighters stood by as the fire fully engulfed the house in the upscale neighborhood after residents were evacuated. Firefighters were kept away because the heavily armed gunman was still inside, the fire department said.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca tearfully told reporters that Deputy Jake Kuredjian, 40, a 17-year veteran of the department, was shot to death at 9 a.m. while serving the warrant at the home of James Beck.
The warrant accused Beck of posing as a deputy U.S. marshal and stockpiling weapons, the U.S. Marshals Service said.
There was an early report that a federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agent was wounded, but Deputy David Cervantes said later the agent was OK. Kuredjian was shot in the upper body and was taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital and pronounced dead.
Officers arrived around 8:30 a.m. to search Beck's home when a gunman began firing randomly out of the house, authorities said.
SWAT team officers surrounded the home and fired tear gas inside. Gas clouds billowed from second floor windows moments later, and the blaze burned for about 20 minutes before firefighters began battling the fire.
The Stevenson Ranch neighborhood, an area of half-million dollar homes 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, was evacuated while deputies and agents were brought in by helicopter.
Man Barricaded in Burning LA Home, Officer Killed
By Dan Whitcomb
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A man wanted on weapon possession charges allegedly shot and killed a sheriff's deputy on Friday before barricading himself in a home that went up in flames, apparently after officers fired tear gas inside .
As local television stations showed the home engulfed in flames and thick black smoke, authorities said it was not clear if 35-year-old James Beck -- who held officers at bay for more than four hours -- was still alive inside.
``I would hope that Mr. Beck would be at least smart enough to come out at this point,'' a Los Angeles County Sheriff's spokesman said as flames shot through the roof of the two-story building.
Sheriff Lee Baca said Beck shot the deputy, Hagop ``Jake'' Kuredjian, to death at about 9 a.m. PDT (12:00 p.m. EDT) on Friday when the 17-year veteran, another deputy and agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were trying to serve a search warrant.
Baca, who was visibly upset during a press conference, said the 40-year-old deputy was rushed to a local hospital but died a short time later.
``In the course of his effort to apprehend this suspect, Deputy Kuredjian was shot with what we believe was one shot and fatally wounded,'' Baca said. ``I would like to express my deep sorrow to his family who were notified and are on their way.''
Beck, who was initially suspected of being a felon in possession of firearms and impersonating a deputy U.S. Marshal, barricaded himself inside the two-story home, in an unincorporated area about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles, near the community of Santa Clarita.
Local television stations reported that the ATF had been investigating Beck for allegedly stockpiling weapons in the home and had told neighbors that he was a U.S. Marshal.
The 35-year-old suspect allegedly exchanged hundreds of rounds of gunfire with officers over several hours, a sheriff's spokesman said and also allegedly fired at police helicopters circling overhead.
Shortly before noon PDT (3:00 p.m. EDT) a fire broke out in the upstairs of the house, apparently after officers fired tear gas into the house in an effort to make Beck surrender, but Beck stayed inside as the flames spread throughout the house.
Local television stations, which carried much of the standoff live, showed fire crews pouring water on the home as students at a nearby school were evacuated with a police escort.
From: spiker@ev1.net (spiker)
Source: NBC4 TV-LosAngeles
http://www.nbc4.tv/
Deputy killed in shootout with Santa Clarita gunman
Picture of burning home (Fire caused by tear gas canisters fired through windows)
http://www.nbc4.tv/images/NBCAW61LZQCP.jpg
SANTA CLARITA, August 31 - Firefighters are now battling flames shooting from the Santa Clarita home where a gunman was holed up. Earlier, a tearful Los Angeles Sheriff Lee baca announced the death of a veteran deputy shot trying to serve a warrant there.
Firefighters, fearing the gunman or a weapons arsenal may still be in the house are battling the flames using water streams from trucks outside nearby houses.
It is unclear whether the suspect, identified as James Beck, is still inside the home or whether he died in the fire.
Deputies planned to arrest Beck for allegedly impersonating an officer, a spokesman said. The deputies, along with federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were met with heavy gunfire as they tried to serve their warrant shortly after 8:00 a.m., according to Sheriff's spokesmen.
An emotional Baca announced the death of 17-year veteran deputy Jake Kuredjian at a morning press conference.
Early reports that another officer was injured were incorrect, according to Baca.
The suspect barricaded himself in a home surrounded by a sheriff's SWAT team.Tear gas cannisters were fired into the upscale Stevenson Ranch area home late this morning.
At 11:50 a.m., thick black smoke and flames began shooting through windows of the home. Although there was some speculation that the tear gas may have ignited the fire, authorities believe Beck started the blaze himself, Deputy Harry Drucker said. Officials also believed the man remained in the house during the fire.
Beck had two prior convictions, for burglary and impersonating a police officer, William Woolsey of the U.S. Marshals Service said.
Beck worked for the Arcadia Police Department for one year, but was fired because he didn't pass probation, Chief Dave Hinig said.
Man Thought Dead in Burned LA Home After Standoff
Man Barricaded in Burning LA Home, Officer Killed
By Dan Whitcomb
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A man who allegedly killed a police officer while barricaded in his home was presumed dead in the two-story house on Friday as it burned to the ground in a fire apparently sparked by tear gas grenades. The confrontation and blaze were shown live on local television.
James Beck, 35, who exchanged gunfire with officers and police helicopters for several hours during the standoff at his home near the Los Angeles suburb of Santa Clarita, never emerged as flames reduced the house to a blackened shell and fire crews poured water on the rubble.
A Los Angeles County Sheriff's spokesman said he could not yet confirm that Beck died in the house.
``As soon as the fire department says it's safe to do so there will be a special entry team that will do a search of the residence to look for the suspect,'' the spokesman said. ``We don't know if he got out of the house or if he's still there. We don't know the status of the suspect at this time.''
Officers surrounded Beck's home after the suspect, who was initially wanted on federal weapons charges, allegedly opened fire on Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies and federal agents trying to serve him with a search warrant.
During that confrontation Beck -- a former police officer with a prior burglary conviction who was also suspected of impersonating a U.S. Marshal -- allegedly shot and killed the deputy, Hagop ``Jake'' Kuredjian.
'DEEP SORROW'
Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, visibly upset during a press conference, said Kuredjian had gone to the house to assist agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were trying to serve a search warrant.
Baca said the 40-year-old deputy was rushed to a local hospital but died a short time later.
``In the course of his effort to apprehend this suspect, Deputy Kuredjian was shot with what we believe was one shot and fatally wounded,'' Baca said. ``I would like to express my deep sorrow to his family who were notified and are on their way.''
Local television stations reported that the ATF had been investigating Beck for allegedly stockpiling weapons in the home and had told neighbors that he was a U.S. Marshal.
Shortly before noon PDT (3 p.m. EDT) a fire broke out in the upstairs of the house, apparently after officers fired tear gas into the house in an effort to make Beck surrender, but Beck stayed inside as the flames spread throughout the house.
Television stations, which carried much of the standoff live, showed fire crews pouring water on the home as students at a nearby school were evacuated with a police escort.
Terry Cerino, who lived across the street, told KABC-TV that Beck was friendly and socialized with his neighbors.
``We understood that he worked for the U.S. Marshals but nobody ever really knew for sure, and ... nobody ever really got a straight story from him it seems,'' Cerino said.
Cerino, who was at home when the confrontation began shortly before 9 a.m. PDT (Noon EDT), said Beck and officers exchanged as many as 500 rounds in an initial gun battle before deputies took her to safety.
``They said he had high-powered rifles and ammunition that would penetrate the walls of our home and they didn't want anyone hurt,'' she said.
From: spiker@ev1.net (spiker)
As authorities look on, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents dig through the burned garage for the body of James Beck, who fatally shot a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy, Hagop "Jake" Kuredjian, Friday, Aug. 31, 2001, in Santa Clarita, Calif., during an attempt to serve a search warrant.
http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20010831/capt.999310194warrant_shootout_kdj103.jpg
James Beck burned alive on purpose?
The Stevenson Ranch, Calif. house Beck barricaded himself in burns on Friday afternoon.
It wasn't the first time Beck, 35, had tangled with the law.
Police records show he had numerous prior convictions for burglary and impersonating a police officer, among other things. He also was suspected of being a felon in possession of firearms and of impersonating a deputy U.S. Marshal.
It was the firearms suspicions that brought Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents and federal marshals to the home Beck's parents had purchased for him.
Authorities said Beck initially answered his door about 8:30 a.m. Friday but stormed back inside after a few words from officers. Witnesses said he began shooting when they shouted for him to come out and tried to break down the door.
Deputy Hagop "Jake" Kuredjian, 40, a 17-year veteran of the department, was fatally wounded. Authorities said an ATF agent may have broken his hand trying to rescue Kuredjian.
Several residents of the upscale neighborhood said Beck often socialized with them but never at his own home. They often saw him walking a German Shepherd, and he told at least one neighbor he trained police dogs.
"He seemed like a pretty friendly guy, but I always thought something was a little different about him," Frye said.
Beck did have a brief law enforcement background. He joined the Police Department in Arcadia, a suburb of 50,000 just east of Los Angeles, in 1987. He was fired 13 months later after repeatedly clashing with his colleagues.
Frye said Beck always had dramatic stories to tell of police work, but neighbors were never sure what to believe.
"It was kind of strange because he never seemed to have a uniform on or anything," said Teri Cerino, who lives across the street. "Some of us kind of suspected there were problems with him."
As Beck barricaded himself inside the house Friday, his girlfriend, who lived with him, fled to safety. She was taken into custody as a material witness.
Authorities evacuated about 100 people from the neighborhood as well as some 1,200 students from a nearby elementary school as helicopters hovered overhead. Neighbors said the shooting began so suddenly, they only had time to take cover behind parked cars.
The standoff had been going for more than three hours when police shot tear gas projectiles through the home's windows. Flames soon erupted, and the house burned to the ground. Officers began searching through the charred debris late Friday trying to locate Beck's body and determine the cause of the fire, Deputy Richard Westin said.
Date: 9/1/2001 12:15:13 PM Pacific Daylight Time
From: ranger116@webtv.net (Thomas Buyea)
What you didn't know about the Cali "Sniper"
But First !
A note to point out a common misconception, Contrary to popular belief machine guns are not illegal in the USA if the owner gets the official govt registration and pays the $300 tax stamp when purchasing from a licensed class three gun dealer.
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General Discussion Board
THE REAL STORY ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA "SNIPER" Posted By: Anon (You know why)
Date: 8/31/01 14:05
I don't know if this will eventually come out or not but the truth is that the suspect James Beck is a former DEA agent who several years ago was arrested by the ATF for possession of machine guns. Funny thing was, the guy was properly licensed. Unfortunately, he had several pre and post samples of each gun (like 25 MP5's, 30 UZI's, etc). In any case, he was arrested, charged and tried. First trial; hung jury. Second trial; hung jury. The feds decided to try a 3rd time so he filed a lawsuit for malicious prosecution AND WON. Guess what, they tried him a 3rd time anyway. Result, another hung jury. Is it possible that the ATF was gunning for this guy. Probably. The ATF spin doctors are already hard at work calling this guy a ";sniper" The fact of the matter is that when an arrest warrant is executed, it's not standard practice to have the ATF as backup. They wanted to burn this guy out and use the fire as an excuse for the "destroyed evidence". This was a government sponsored retaliatory assassination. He didn't start the fire, the tear gas did. Those are the facts.
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Click on the URL's to view the pictures
As authorities look on, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents dig through the burned garage for the body of James Beck, who fatally shot a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy, Hagop "Jake" Kuredjian, Friday, Aug. 31, 2001, in Santa Clarita, Calif., during an attempt to serve a search warrant.
http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20010831/capt.999310194warrant_shootout_kdj103.jpg
Picture of James Beck
http://foxnews.com/images/35448/9_21_warrant_shooting_rank1.jpg (If this link goes down, pic is above)
James Beck burned alive on purpose?
http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20010831/capt.999292742warrant_shootout_la102.jpg (Pic is above)
This clip was shot after the flames had consumed the home and the fire dept. finally started directing streams of water on the rubble.
Video
http://www.ktla.com/news/media/083101santaClarita-shooting.htm
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Here is a quote from ABC News on the gunman in California.... It has nothing to do with the sad situation encountered there but the quote does seem to present a picture we also saw in Waco. "It is unclear how the three-hour blaze started. SWAT officers had surrounded the gunman's home, and lobbed tear gas inside. Smoke billowed from second- floor windows before the flames erupted. Authorities believe Beck torched the house himself, Sheriff's Deputy Harry Drucker said."
Why cant law enforcement just come out and say that tear gas cannisters cause fires? They wont admit it because to do so would prove that the ATF burned down the Branch Davidian Compound in Waco as well and in just a few days we have to put up with Janet Reno coming to Waco to blurp out her version of history.
It is people like Danforth and Reno that fuel the flames of government hatred. When so called authorities refuse to admit that they were WRONG then they are no longer authorties at all.
RM
Dallas
==========================
Source:
NBC4 TV-LosAngeles
http://www.nbc4.tv/
Deputy killed in shootout with Santa Clarita gunman Picture of burning home (Fire caused by tear gas canisters fired through windows)
http://www.nbc4.tv/images/NBCAW61LZQCP.jpg
SANTA CLARITA, August 31 - Firefighters are now battling flames shooting from the Santa Clarita home where a gunman was holed up. Earlier, a tearful Los Angeles Sheriff Lee baca announced the death of a veteran deputy shot trying to serve a warrant there. Firefighters, fearing the gunman or a weapons arsenal may still be in the house are battling the flames using water streams from trucks outside nearby houses.
It is unclear whether the suspect, identified as James Beck, is still inside the home or whether he died in the fire.
Deputies planned to arrest Beck for allegedly impersonating an officer, a spokesman said. The deputies, along with federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were met with heavy gunfire as they tried to serve their warrant shortly after 8:00 a.m., according to Sheriff's spokesmen.
An emotional Baca announced the death of 17-year veteran deputy Jake Kuredjian at a morning press conference.
Early reports that another officer was injured were incorrect, according to Baca.
The suspect barricaded himself in a home surrounded by a sheriff's SWAT team. Tear gas cannisters were fired into the upscale Stevenson Ranch area home late this morning. At 11:50 a.m., thick black smoke and flames began shooting through windows of the home.
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Santa Clarita Update - URGENT
We don't know what happened at the Free Republic, but for some reason their site went off line while they were doing a wonderful job covering the Santa Clarita Situation - still unfolding. There were also photos on their site that could be very telling. Some of those photos have been obtained by Sierra Times. We all asking all to download these as well to make sure they do not vanish in the near future.
Web Sites - please disturb - download and make available to others.
http://www.sierratimes.com/images/caphotos/
Full Story Here:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,33424,00.html
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From The Declaration of Independence
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,
deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -- That
whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, It is
the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new
Government, Laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its
powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their
Safety and Happiness."
"But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably
the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute
Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such
Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Government that Governs Least Governs Best !!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Keyboard Is Mightier
[::::::::::]
Than The Sword
©1999 tlb
c=={::::::::::::::::>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tom Buyea Miami, Fla. USA
Date: 9/2/2001 2:52:18 PM Pacific Daylight Time
From: spiker@ev1.net (spiker)
Source: CNN.com http://www.cnn.com/
Body found could be suspected L.A. sniper
http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/09/01/losangeles.sniper/index.html
September 1, 2001 Posted: 7:12 PM EDT (2312 GMT)
SANTA CLARITA, California (CNN) -- Investigators have found a body in the ruins of a suburban Los Angeles home that could be the remains of a man suspected of killing a sheriff's deputy and then setting his own house on fire.
Investigators said they believe 35-year-old James Beck died in the fire he set Friday after federal agents tried to serve him with a search warrant. Los Angeles County Deputy Jake Kuredjian, a 17-year veteran assisting the agents, was killed in the incident.
"We believe the remains are of suspect James Beck, but it won't be confirmed until the coroner's office is able to do a positive identification," Sheriff's Lt. Carl Deeley said Saturday. A positive identification could take several days, he said.
The remains were found near the back of the house by an inside wall of Beck's home in Santa Clarita, north of Los Angeles. Deeley said Beck died "laying across his weapon."
"Underneath the body they found an assault rifle, and close by they found another rifle and a bulletproof vest," he said. Investigators also found a police identification badge and discovered the carcass of Beck's dog in a laundry room leading to the garage, he said.
The deadly drama began when agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, along with Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies, attempted to arrest on charges of impersonating a law enforcement officer and firearms violations, ATF spokesman Donald Kincaid said.
"What we did was what we call a call and containment. We surrounded the area," Kincaid said. "We called the individual on the telephone and asked him to come out because we had information that he had a vicious dog, and some other information."
Beck's girlfriend did leave the house through the garage, but "he came to the door a couple of times and refused to come out," Kincaid said.
When agents tried to enter the house through a window, authorities said, Beck opened fire on them with an automatic weapon. Deputy Kuredjian, 40, was shot in the face and died at a hospital a short time later, Sheriff Lee Baca said Friday.
Deeley said Kuredjian was "living his dream" as a deputy.
"He always wanted to become a motor officer, and he became one several months ago," Deeley said. "He was probably one of the most personable people you'd ever meet in your life. I think Jake had hundreds, if not thousands, of friends."
After Kuredjian was shot, Beck held police at bay for about three hours by firing on them from his home. At one point, authorities said, Beck fired shots at a fire department helicopter over the scene.
Negotiators had been in touch with him by telephone, trying to get him to peacefully surrender, before the fire swept through the home. Deputies had lobbed a couple of tear gas canisters at the home shortly before the fire broke out, but the cause of the fire remains unknown.
"We don't know for sure, but we do know tear gas was introduced, and certainly that is a possibility, so we are considering that that started the fire," said Lt. Ray Peavy of the sheriff's Homicide Unit.
As the fire engulfed the structure, it was not immediately known if Beck was inside. But officials said they believed he was, and was alone. Sheriff's deputies initially would not allow firefighters to come near the house to douse the flames because of safety concerns.
After about 15 minutes firefighters moved a ladder truck into the driveway of a house on the street behind the burning home, and shot water from an unmanned water cannon atop the ladder. They were able to wet down the neighboring homes to keep the fire from spreading to them.
A law enforcement source tells CNN that Beck had previously been convicted on felony burglary and firearms violations, and that authorities executed the search warrant because they believed Beck, as an ex-convict, illegally possessed weapons in his residence.
Deeley said authorities have found at least four firearms and "scores of magazines for a variety of weapons, which makes them reasonably sure they're going to find more weapons."
The ATF would not comment on the incident. Nor would the U.S. Marshals Service also would not comment, except to confirm that two of its deputies accompanied two ATF agents and two sheriff's deputies to the house Friday morning. The Marshals Service was interested in allegations that Beck impersonated a deputy marshal.
Remains Found In Burned Santa Clarita Home
Authorities, accompanied by cadaver dogs Saturday, found the burned remains of the man who allegedly shot and killed a 17-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department Friday in an affluent neighborhood in the Santa Clarita Valley.
The body was found lying on top of an assault rifle. A second rifle was within reach, said Lt. Carl Deeley of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Deputy Jake Kuredjian, was shot in the head while helping federal agents serve a search warrant to James Allen Beck, a convicted felon who had been under investigation for possessing fire arms and for impersonating a federal marshal, according to Bernard Zapor, with the Los Angeles Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms unit.
A shootout took place at the Stevenson Ranch home at about 8:30 a.m. As the incident unfolded, Beck, 35, barricaded himself inside the home, as fire -- either started from tear gas thrown into the home by officers, or by Beck himself -- consumed the house, reducing it to a blackened shell.
CBS2 Recap Of Days Events
Neighbors React Investigators began searching through the still-hot remains of the house Friday afternoon, and continued at 6 a.m. Saturday to try to find Beck's body, whom they believe died in the fire.
"They found the remains of several firearms basically burned beyond recognition, scores of ammunition. They also found an apparent police badge of some sort," Deeley said.
On the scene was a team of about 20 sheriff's personnel, including homicide detectives, officials from the arson and explosives detail and technicians from the crime lab. About 20 Los Angeles County firefighters plus officials from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms also joined in the search.
The series of events began Friday morning when ATF officials surrounded the house in the early morning hours, preparing to serve Beck a search warrant. According to an ATF agent, they called him on the phone because they had heard that he had a vicious dog.
U.S. Marshals had been after Beck for posing as a deputy marshal and the ATF wanted him for being a felon in possession of weapons, authorities said.
According to William Woolsey of the U.S. Marshal Service, Beck, who was a police officer for a brief period with the Arcadia Police Department, had at least two prior convictions in state court for burglary and impersonating a police officer.
His girlfriend reportedly ran out of the house through the garage after law enforcement officers tried to contact Beck and he refused to come out, according to a local news wire.
At some piont, officers tried to breach the front door, but found that it was barricaded, so they moved to a window to gain entry. That's when Beck began firing with automatic weapons, according to an ATF official.
Kuredjian, originally from Alpena, Mich., was killed when he responded to assist the other officers and agents after the initial shots had been fired.
The heavily armed gunman, who had barricaded himself inside the home, was shooting randomly out of the house, Sgt. Ken Davidson said.
After about three hours into the standoff, agents fired tear gas into the house to try to flush out the suspect.
SWAT team officers stood guard outside as wisps of white smoke began creeping out the windows and soon turned to thick black plumes. Flames grew on the second floor and eventually broke through the roof, collapsing in the back of the home.
Deeley said that he believes the fire was started by Beck -- not by the tear gas they sent into the home. Investigators are looking into the actual cause of the fire, which was extinguished about 2:30 p.m.
Using a remote water cannon on top of a fire department ladder, fire officials poured water on neighboring homes, protecting them from the growing flames, while the house containing the suspect burned to ashes.
Firefighters continued spraying water on the fire-ravaged home all afternoon to cool it down so that the special weapons team could enter to search for Beck, who they believe died in the fire. They said that was unlikely that he was able to flee the scene.
CBS2 said that Beck did not own the house, yet it is not known who did.
According to Davidson, law officers went to the house in clearly marked vehicles so that there would be no question about their purpose.
"We tried to do everything in the most safe and efficient manner we could, and our hearts go out to the family and friends of the slain deputy," the ATF official said.
Deputy Brian Lendham said that the operation would be scrutinized again and again, to determine if law enforcement agencies could learn anything from it.
Lendham added: "I truly believe that the L.A. County Sheriff's Department does supply its deputies with the best training in the world. I knew (Kuredjian) personally. He was a well-trained officer ... I can only assume that every precaution was taken."
A teary-eyed Sheriff Lee Baca (pictured, right) announced in a late morning news conference at the Newhall Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital that Kuredjian had died from his gunshot wound.
Baca said that Kuredjian's brother, a deputy sheriff from neighboring Ventura County, and his girlfriend Theresa had come to the hospital, and that efforts were under way to get the deceased man's mother to California from her home in Michigan.
Kuredjian had recently achieved his dream of becoming a motorcycle officer for the department. According the Daily News, Kuredjian was one of only two motorcycle officers in Santa Clarita and was "on top of the world" after his promotion.
He was, according to one fellow deputy, a man that "good things should happen to, because he took time to be nice to everyone he met."
The governor Friday ordered the flag atop the Capitol lowered to half staff in Kuredjian's memory.
Standoff Affects Neighborhood
All around Santa Clarita Saturday, people were talking about the unusual events of the day before.
"Things like that just don't happen here," one resident said.
The Stevenson Ranch neighborhood, 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles near Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park, was evacuated while deputies and agents were brought in by helicopter.
About 1,500 nearby students were bused from two Stevenson Ranch elementary schools to another school in nearby Valencia.
About 100 neighbors were also evacuated from their homes, and children from a day care were taken to a temporary Red Cross shelter at a Sport Chalet store in the neighborhood.
One of the neighbors said that Beck seemed like a good neighbor and would come over and swim in their pool. The man also said that Beck watched "The Sopranos (news - Y! TV)" with his family sometimes, according to CNN.
Another neighbor, Steve Hamburger, said that Beck told him that he was a U.S. Marshal, so he did not think anything of the fact that Beck owned firearms.
Other neighbors told reporters that Beck moved into the neighborhood a year ago and was single. They said that they found it strange that investigators came to their house a few days ago asking questions about Beck, but they never thought it would come to this.
Date: Mon Sep 3, 2001 2:20 pm
Subject: Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy may have been shot by a fellow lawman
Source: YahooNews http://dailynews.yahoo.com/
Report: Confusion in Warrant Shooting
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010902/us/warrant_shootout_20.html
Sunday September 2 11:35 PM ET
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (AP) - Confusion among officers involved in an armed standoff may have led to the shooting not only of the suspect but of a fellow lawman, The Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.
An investigation into Friday's shootout with James Allen Beck has raised the question of whether Beck fired the bullet that killed Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Hagop ``Jake'' Kuredjian or whether the officer mistakenly was hit by a fellow law enforcement officer.
``I am quite sure that is something we're going to look into, because it's not clear he was shot by Beck,'' sheriff's Sgt. Paul Patterson told The Associated Press in an interview Sunday.
The standoff began Friday morning when federal officers and sheriff's officials tried to serve a search warrant at Beck's home in an upscale section of this city 22 miles north of Los Angeles.
Autopsy results Saturday showed Kuredjian died of a single gunshot wound to the head. He had been struck while crouching behind an SUV parked on the street four houses down from Beck, the Times reported.
Beck, a convicted felon, was alleged to have impersonated a U.S. marshal and be building a weapons cache. As authorities approached, Beck began shooting at officers from the U.S. Marshal's office and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
Kuredjian arrived a few minutes after the shooting started and was hit almost immediately while trying to provide gunfire as cover to fellow deputies pinned down in the fusillade, the Times reported.
The exchange of gunfire startled neighbors, especially those who saw officers firing at the wrong house.
``I hollered out the window, 'You're shooting at the wrong house!''' said one neighbor, who spoke to the Times on condition of anonymity.``They must have heard us or something, because I could hear one of the deputies say, 'Is it the house with the Explorer?' And another guy says, 'No, the one next to it.''' Homes on either side of Beck's house were riddled with bullet holes, including one where a couple and their 30-hour-old newborn cowered.
``Three bullets came through the (front) window, the master closets and into the master bathroom,'' said Phil Lombardi, the baby's father. He described how he, his wife and baby, took cover in a second floor bathroom.
``It was very traumatic. My wife wasn't coping with it. I was trying to comfort her with the newborn child,'' he said.
The total number of rounds fired was unclear and authorities would not give an estimate.
``It was a very extensive gun battle. We have to wait to see what was collected at scene,'' sheriff's Sgt. Patterson said.
The three-hour exchange ended after tear gas projectiles were shot into Beck's house and a fire erupted. Flames quickly engulfed the home, burning it to the ground. But authorities were still unclear how the fire began.
``It's probably going to be a little more difficult, because of the extent of the fire,'' Patterson said. ``They'll have to sift through evidence to determine how the fire was actually started.'' Investigators discovered a body believed to be Beck's. But the coroner's office said an autopsy would not be conducted until Tuesday, at the earliest.
An AK-47 and AR-15, a shotgun, a .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol, handguns and ammunition were collected from the ashes.
Sunday September 02 10:11 AM EDT
Gunfire Hit Houses Next to Suspect's
By CAROL CHAMBERS, Times Staff Writer
The violence that claimed the life of a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy in the Santa Clarita Valley caught authorities off guard, plunging a quiet neighborhood into such chaos that officers fired not only at the suspect but into homes on both sides of his, officials said Saturday.
The extent to which officers were taken by surprise in the Friday morning raid was evident Saturday in the charred ruins of James Allen Beck's home, where investigators found a body believed to be that of the former police officer and convicted felon.
Federal agents were serving a search warrant on Beck's house when he allegedly responded with gunfire, triggering a gun battle that ended when his home caught fire and burned to the ground. A sheriff's official said deputies and the federal agents fired at least 150 rounds during the fight, the worst of which lasted 15 to 20 minutes.
~~~~~~~~~~~
September 3, 2001
A Family's Siege of Terror in Shootout
Violence: While bullets flew, a neighbor couple cowered for safety with their infant. The husband describes the suspect as fascinating.
By MASSIE RITSCH and CAROL CHAMBERS, TIMES STAFF WRITERS
The first bullet tore through their walk-in closet. By then, Phil and Marilyn Lombardi were cowering on their bathroom floor, shielding their 38-hour-old infant girl from the gunfire.
And until then, they had little reason to doubt their friend Jim Beck.
The tales their next-door neighbor told were wild, but they believed him. He talked about his exploits as a U.S. marshal, about hunting fugitives all over the country, and about a shootout that left his German shepherd wounded. "It was just fascinating . . . I'd never met a federal agent," Phil Lombardi said Sunday, as he sat in the kitchen of his Stevenson Ranch home in the Santa Clarita Valley. Outside, a cleanup crew swept up the foundation of the burned-down house where, authorities say, Beck opened fire on law enforcement officers Friday, killing a sheriff's deputy.
By afternoon, all that remained was a concrete slab and a muddycavity along the neat row of Spanish-style houses.
It was the first sign that things might be returning to normal on Brooks Circle since Beck's three-hour gun battle with authorities, which ended when flames consumed the house. Sheriff's officials say they believe a charred body found in the rubble was Beck's, although a coroner's spokesman said Sunday the remains had yet to be identified.
The Lombardis had known Beck since he moved into the neighborhood about nine months ago. They did not know he was a former police officer with a long criminal record that included prison terms for weapons violations. And they could never imagine he would be the cause of gunfire that would rip through their windows and walls.
The shootout began when federal agents tried to serve a search warrant on Beck's house.
Phil Lombardi could hear a voice on a megaphone telling "Mr. Beck" to come out of his house. Then it sounded like officers were trying to break down a door or maybe a gate, Lombardi said. He saw Beck's girlfriend run outside.
Then Lombardi heard a shot. The deputies retreated behind their cars and he ran upstairs to his wife and baby. Their older girls, ages 5 and 6, were at school.
Phil, 38, and Marilyn, 37, got down on the shag carpet of the bathroom, the farthest room from Beck's house. Their squat beagle, 12-year-old Maggie, was with them.
That first bullet splintered a wooden shutter and lodged just above the bathroom sink. The Lombardis shut the door to their bedroom and locked it. Marilyn clutched all seven pounds, eight ounces of their daughter. Phil called 911. Marilyn, holding tiny Gianna, was hysterical.
"Make them stop!" she cried. "Tell them to stop!"
The shooting continued for about 45 minutes, Phil recalled. It wasn't constant, so when it did stop, he got up and checked things out. He heard a helicopter above, so he turned on the television in the master bedroom for some news. Nothing yet. One channel was running "I Love Lucy."
"You've got 500 people out there," he remembers shouting during one emergency call. "Why can't you send in at least one to protect us?"
The dispatcher told him a sheriff's deputy had been shot.
"Stay down, sir," she said.
About 10 a.m., after the Lombardis had been cowering on the floor about an hour, deputies burst into their home and called for them to come downstairs. As they hurried through the laundry room and into their garage, two deputies met them and ushered them down the street. They hugged the stucco walls of their neighbors' homes until they reached the end of the block.
Marilyn, with Gianna in her arms, had dressed earlier. Phil was still in a T-shirt and shorts. He had left his shoes at home.
The rest of the morning unfolded for the Lombardis at the "welcome center" of their subdivision. Deputies had commandeered the phone lines and set up their staging area there.
When the announcement came that the 1,300 students of Stevenson Ranch Elementary would be moved to another campus to keep traffic out of the neighborhood, Phil--still shoeless--walked the scorching sidewalks to pick up his girls. His feet still hurt Sunday.
On Saturday night, he and Marilyn told their older daughters that their neighbor Jim had died. The first-grader cried and said a prayer for him.
"I was pretty much in awe of the guy," said Lombardi, a real estate agent who likes to be in bed by 10.
He said he saw bulletproof vests and assault rifles in Beck's house, and his neighbor had expressed regret that he had to keep weapons at home.
"You bring homework, I bring homework," Lombardi remembers Beck telling him. "I'm just cleaning the guns."
The night before federal agents tried to serve the warrant at Beck's house, the two men admired an owl on their neighbor's roof.
"He told me a story about how a badger one time attacked his dog," Lombardi said. It might have been true. The German shepherd, named Fendi, was what made Beck's fantasy life as a U.S. marshal seem so real, he said. Not long ago, the dog's back had been shaved, and Beck said the animal had had surgery for wounds sustained in raid.
Beck let children pet the dog, but there were times when he put on a thick sleeve and commanded Fendi--in German--to attack his arm.
"Sometimes dogs are like their owners, I guess," Lombardi said. "Dogs can seem pretty nice--but be killers."
Though neighbors had their suspicions about Beck, Lombardi said he never worried about having him near his children. And he was not among the homeowners who called police on him, he said.
"I was living my normal life," he said Sunday. "I worked. I came home. Enjoyed my family. Watered my lawn. You know--I did my thing."
Other Brooks Circle residents Sunday were trying to come to grips with the fact that the investigation of Beck was instigated by local parents who thought he was a child molester.
"The mothers had an instinct, and they followed through on it," neighbor Frank Sumen said. "You don't mess around with mom."
As investigators continued to piece together Friday's events, neighbors were busy putting their lives back together as well. The 11-year-old son of an LAPD sergeant, who lives in Stevenson Ranch, has collected more than $8,000 from neighbors in memory of slain Sheriff's Deputy Hagop "Jake" Kuredjian, who was shot in the head.
Some residents spoke of turning the vacant lot into a small memorial park for Kuredjian. "We're not even sure it's legal, but the guy gave his life to save our neighborhood," neighbor Bob Levine said of the plan.
Seven houses, including Beck's, had been pocked by gunfire during the battle, sheriff's officials said. One of them was the home of Dianna Rizzo, 38, and her husband. Like the Lombardis, her husband and 4-year-old daughter spent a frightening hour hiding in a back bedroom, exposed to tear gas wafting from Beck's second-story windows.
"We want it to go away now," she said Sunday. "We want it to get back to normal."
Times staff writer Richard Fausset contributed to this story.
Gunman Killed Deputy, Officials Say
Shootout: They refute 'friendly fire' rumors, say a review of trajectory shows that the bullet came from the second floor of the barricaded Stevenson Ranch house.
By KRISTINA SAUERWEIN and MARTHA GROVES, TIMES STAFF WRITERS
Preliminary autopsy and ballistics findings confirm that a Santa Clarita Valley gunman who held officers at bay Friday fired the shot that killed a deputy, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said Monday.
The angle of the shot, analysis of the bullet that hit Deputy Hagop "Jake" Kuredjian and statements by suspected gunman James Allen Beck all indicate that Beck was responsible for the death, sheriff's officials said, seeking to dismiss speculation that Kuredjian was hit by "friendly fire."
Also on Monday, sheriff's and fire officials continued to investigate the blaze that destroyed Beck's home after the shootout, which began when officers tried to serve a search warrant. The "likelihood" was that the fire was started by hot tear gas canisters fired by deputies through the window of the bedroom from which Beck was shooting, said Lt. Raymond Peavy of the Sheriff's Homicide Division. Investigators believe the fire started on a bed, Peavy said. Officials had said they thought that Beck might have started the blaze.
The announcement by investigators was prompted by an Associated Press story quoting Sheriff's Sgt. Paul Patterson casting doubt on the theory that Beck shot Kuredjian. "It upset the department," Lt. Carl Deeley said. "We're trying to deal with this tragedy. We're already on the edge of endurance."
Patterson, reached by phone Monday, declined to comment.
A sheriff's investigation found that the bullet that struck Kuredjian in the head traveled in a "steep downward arc" from the second floor of Beck's home, Deeley said. The trajectory of the bullet eliminates the possibility that another law enforcement officer shot Kuredjian in the gun battle in which authorities fired more than 150 rounds, ending when Beck's home caught fire and burned to the ground, Deeley said.
"Without a doubt, it was Beck who shot him," Deeley said.
Sheriff's officials said the department based its investigation on interviews, expert analysis and an autopsy report.
The Los Angeles County coroner's office confirmed Monday that Kuredjian died from a mortal head wound but said the official autopsy report would not be made public for at least several days.
Kuredjian, a popular motorcycle deputy, responded within minutes to the department's call Friday for help after Beck opened fire in the affluent Stevenson Ranch neighborhood.
Kuredjian took cover behind a Ford Explorer near Beck's home, the investigators said. During this time, Beck moved from the first to the second floor of his home, a location that would match the angle cited in the autopsy report, officials said.
"No other officers were at that high of a level," said Peavy.
About the time Kuredjian was shot, authorities also reported hearing a boom louder than any of the previous rounds of gunfire and seeing a puff of smoke coming from the second-floor window, concluding that the shot and subsequent rounds came from one of Beck's high-powered rifles, Peavy said. Investigators found several weapons at Beck's home. However, they have not identified one was used to kill Kuredjian.
The slain deputy was wearing a motorcycle helmet. Sheriff's investigators theorized that Beck used a sight to target the helmet, firing a round that fragmented once it hit the helmet's visor. A fragment of that bullet penetrated the visor and the main body of the fiberglass helmet before entering the deputy's head near the right temple. It passed through his skull and brain and then lodged in his left cheek, Peavy said.
The bullet fragment was removed during the autopsy. Sheriff's Department weapons experts who examined the fragment said it "was consistent with being fired from a high-powered rifle," according to Peavy.
Gunman: 'I'm Sorry I Hurt the Deputy'
During telephone negotiations between Beck and law enforcement officials, Beck apologized for shooting the deputy and said he did not want to go to jail, officials said. According to Peavy, Beck responded: "I'm not going to give up. I'm sorry I hurt the deputy. . . . But I'm not going to go back to prison for the rest of my life. If you come in, you'll pay the price."
After Kuredjian was shot, Beck peppered the area with gunfire, making it impossible for other officers to pull the deputy to safety, Peavy said. It took five to 10 minutes, he said, before they could drag Kuredjian out of the line of fire and hustle to emergency crews.
Kuredjian's two brothers and his girlfriend appeared at a new conference at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff Station to accept a check for $8,177.31 from neighborhood children who raised money to help them.
With dark sunglasses and slumped postures, brothers Garo and Raffi Kuredjian and girlfriend Theresa Richardson held hands during the presentation and hugged the children and their parents. They were surrounded by the dozens of red roses, white daisies, yellow sunflowers and peach carnations that community well-wishers placed along the entrance to the station.
The family had planned to comment. However, sheriff's officials said they had just toured the site where the deputy died and were too distraught.
Raffi Kuredjian gave the boy who started the fund-raiser a black-and-white toy sheriff's car.
Austin Losorelli, 11, launched the collection Saturday. His father is a Los Angeles police officer. Austin said the idea came to him while he and his classmates at Stevenson Ranch Elementary School huddled in terror during a campus lock-down during Friday's shootout.
11-Year-Old Boy Started Fund for Slain Deputy
"If my dad didn't come home, it wouldn't be good for me," Austin said. "It would be sad."
On Friday night, while watching the siege on the news, Austin asked his mother if they could do something to honor the slain deputy. By Saturday morning, they set up a table at a busy intersection with green and yellow balloons and handwritten signs that read, "Please contribute for Deputy Jake K."
Drivers honked horns in support and handed dollar bills at the stoplight. The local Subway sandwich shop donated lunches.
"I think this shows what a close community we are," said Austin's mother, Phyllis Losorelli. "His death is like losing a family member."
Several hundred people attended a service Monday night at Old North Church at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills.
"Everybody's crying. He's the nicest guy in the world," said Kuredjian's cousin, George Boyajyan of Burbank.
Gathered outside the church were about 15 members of the Iron Warriors, a law enforcement motorcycle club for which Kuredjian served as vice president of the Los Angeles chapter.
"He's the type who always looked on the good side of things. He would not even engage in conversation that was negative," said George Hawes, chapter president and a retired LAPD detective. "Everybody seemed to gather around Jake."
Sgt. Bob Norlemann of the Sheriff's Department, who also belongs to the motorcycle club, said: "We're going to miss him like crazy.
"All we can do is look and know that when we're out there riding . . . he's looking over our shoulders and keeping us safe."
Times staff writer Caitlin Liu contributed to this story.
From: DSLATTON@AOL.COM
To: Sydneys@trib.com
For those of you who have not been informed, I just recieved a HEADS UP from Kentucky...based on circumstances which occured in California today. Not much is known except a man was burned out of his home...Waco Style. Gunfire was exchanged and a Sheriffs Deputy Killed.
Upon searching for more info on this matter, I learned that many rounds of Ammo and handguns have been moved and relocated to areas that make no logical sense other than getting prepared to do something against the Patriot Movement.
Also, I was informed that armed Choppers have been flying low just recently around certain Patriots homes...even aiming (nose down) at the homes of Patriots.
Be advised that I am passing on this info as it has been told to me. Do I know for sure what is going to take place...No. Keep your ears and eyes open Folks...one never can tell. With this being a Holiday weekend...its as good a time as any for something to take place...many will be gone away from home...good time to pull something against the Patriots.
Source: Tampa Tribune
Police Open Negotiations With Man Involved in Michigan Campground Standoff
By James Prichard
Associated Press Writer
VANDALIA, Mich. (AP) - Police have opened negotiations through a third party with a campground owner involved in a three-day standoff during which shots were fired at a news helicopter and a police plane.
Authorities did not identify their go-between and on Sunday had not established direct contact with Grover T. Crosslin, 47, who is facing drug and weapons charges.
FBI Special Agent Dawn Clenney said Crosslin has made no demands.
Sheriff's deputies on Friday went to the Rainbow Farm complex, described on its Web site as an alternative campground & concert arena that supports marijuana use "for a more sane and compassionate America." Neighbors had said Crosslin was burning buildings on his property, which is the target of civil forfeiture proceedings.
It appeared other people were also at the campground. Police did not know who fired the shots that whizzed by an unmarked state police plane Saturday and struck the tail of an Indiana television station news helicopter Friday. Both landed safely.
Sheriff's Lt. Lyndon Parrish said she believed Crosslin was upset over a $150,000 bond revocation hearing he skipped Friday. The hearing was set because authorities believed he was violating terms of his release on charges of felony firearm possession and drug charges.
Dori Leo, who identified herself to the South Bend Tribune as Crosslin's attorney, said her client was upset because a child he helped raise was placed in foster care following the charges.
Crosslin and five others were arrested in May after a two-year investigation into allegations of marijuana use at the campground, just before it was to host a weekend event promoting marijuana legalization.
About a mile away from the campground, about a half-dozen people displayed placards in support of Crosslin and Rainbow Farm.
---
On the Net: Rainbow Farm http://www.rainbowfarmcampground.com
Saturday September 1 4:01 AM ET
News Copter Hit by Bullets in Standoff
VANDALIA, Mich. (AP) - A news helicopter was hit by a bullet during a standoff between police and the owner of a campground who was due to appear in court on drug and weapons charges.
The bullet tore through the helicopter's rear stabilizer, but the helicopter was still able to land safely and no injuries were reported, the Indiana television station operating it reported.
Police still had the property surrounded early Saturday.
``We're trying to set up some negotiations right now, to get a phone line in and do some talking,'' Cass County Sheriff Joseph Underwood told The Truth newspaper of Elkhart, Ind. ``Obviously, (Crosslin) is in an agitated state at this time.''
Sheriff's deputies went to the Rainbow Farm Campground about noon Friday after neighbors called saying the owner, Grover T. Crosslin, 46, was burning buildings on the property in southwest Michigan.
Deputies evacuated six houses and watched from a distance as three buildings burned, said Underwood. There was gunfire coming from the campground, and the helicopter from South Bend, Ind., television station WNDU was hit, Underwood said.
Calls to Rainbow Farm early Saturday were met with busy signals.
Crosslin's mother, Mae Crosslin, 68, reached in Vandalia, said she didn't know how the standoff could be resolved. ``We don't know that much right now.'' she said.
Authorities arrested Crosslin and others on drug charges in May after a long investigation into allegation of marijuana use at the campground and its annual festivals, Underwood said. A Hemp Fest there typically draws thousands of visitors
A statement on Rainbow Farm's Web site says it ``supports the medical, spiritual and responsible recreational uses of marijuana for a more sane and compassionate America.''
Crosslin was charged with felony possession of a firearm, growing marijuana and maintaining a drug house.
On Friday, he was facing a $150,000 bond revocation hearing because police believed he was violating the terms of his release. The property is also the target of civil forfeiture proceedings.
``I assume he's upset about the court hearing,'' Underwood said.
FBI Helping Cops Involved in Standoff
By JAMES PRICHARD, Associated Press Writer
VANDALIA, Mich. (AP) - A standoff with the owner of a campground known for its advocacy of marijuana dragged into a fourth day, with police enlisting the help of a third-party negotiator and the FBI (news - web sites) stepping in to relieve officers.
The campground's supporters gathered near the site Sunday as police worked to end a standoff that has involved shots being fired at a news helicopter and police plane.
``The word is out about what's going on,'' said Shirley DeWeese, whose brother, Grover T. Crosslin, owns the southwest Michigan campground called Rainbow Farm. ``If they do kill him, it's not going to be the end.''
Neighbors said Crosslin 47, who faces drug and weapons charges, was burning buildings on Friday on his property, which is the target of civil forfeiture proceedings. Deputies went to the farm after hearing about the fires.
Police did not know who fired the shots that whizzed by an unmarked state police plane Saturday and struck the tail of an Indiana television station news helicopter Friday. Both landed safely.
The FBI said Sunday night that federal agents would relieve officers from the Michigan State Police and Cass County Sheriff's Office who have been at the site. Cass County Sheriff Joseph Underwood Jr. said Crosslin has made no demands.
``It is the goal of all three agencies to resolve this matter peacefully,'' said John Bell Jr., special agent in charge of the FBI's Detroit office.
Officers did not identify the third party assisting in the negotiations.
Sheriff's Lt. Lyndon Parrish believed Crosslin was upset over a $150,000 bond revocation hearing he skipped Friday. The hearing was set because authorities believed he was violating terms of his release on charges of felony firearm possession and drug charges.
Dori Leo, who identified herself to the South Bend Tribune as Crosslin's attorney, said her client was upset because a child he helped raise was placed in foster care following the charges.
Crosslin and five others were arrested in May after a two-year investigation into allegations of marijuana use at the campground, just before it was to host a weekend event promoting marijuana legalization.
A statement on Rainbow Farm's Web site says it ``supports the medical, spiritual and responsible recreational uses of marijuana for a more sane and compassionate America.''
About a mile away from the campground, about a half-dozen people displayed placards in support of Crosslin and Rainbow Farm.
``We were hoping for a peaceful resolution and they're bringing in choppers and artillery,'' said DeWeese.
Campground Owner Shot Dead by FBI
Campground Standoff Ends in Two Deaths
By JAMES PRICHARD, Associated Press Writer
VANDALIA, Mich. (AP) - An FBI agent fatally shot a campground owner who allegedly fired at a news helicopter and a police plane during a four-day standoff that began after he started burning buildings and reportedly telling neighbors ``all hell was going to break loose.''
Grover T. Crosslin, whose campground was known for its advocacy of marijuana use, was shot Monday night after he exited a building on his property and pointed a rifle at the agent, Cass County Sheriff Joseph Underwood Jr. said in a news release late Monday.
Crosslin, 47, had been facing felony drug and weapons charges when the standoff began Friday, authorities said.
Roland Rohm, who lived with Crosslin, remained inside the residence early Tuesday and FBI agents were negotiating for his surrender, FBI Special Agent Dawn Clenney said.
Supporters of Crosslin and the campground, called Rainbow Farm, gathered near the property throughout the weekend. Many of them waived signs denouncing the government and held a candlelight vigil Sunday night.
The group declined requests for comment early Tuesday, saying they would make a statement later in the day.
His father, Grover Crosslin, told the Detroit Free Press and South Bend Tribune earlier Monday that his son is a good man, but stubborn.
``When he believes in something, he's going to take it all the way to the end,'' Grover Crosslin said. ``I don't have the slightest idea what's going to happen here, but to me it doesn't look promising because I don't see my son backing down.''
The standoff began when deputies went to the farm after neighbors said Crosslin was burning buildings on his property, which is the target of civil forfeiture proceedings. A house and four main buildings on the campground property appeared to have been burned since then, Underwood said.
Crosslin reportedly warned neighbors that day to leave the area because ``all hell was going to break loose.''
Deputies said they believe Crosslin was upset about a bond revocation hearing scheduled for Friday. It was set because police believed he had held a festival on the campground, in violation of the terms of his release on previous drug and weapons charges.
Crosslin had been arrested in May over allegations of marijuana use at his 34-acre campground and charged with felony possession of a firearm, growing marijuana and maintaining a drug house.
Crosslin became agitated Monday after authorities brought a phone to him in an attempt to begin negotiations, Underwood said. When authorities denied Crosslin's request to speak with a third party, he began making threatening remarks and gestures, the sheriff said. That's when he left the residence and was shot.
A judge had signed a warrant earlier Monday charging Crosslin with attempted destruction of an aircraft and using a firearm in a felony, Clenney said.
Authorities alleged Crosslin shot a news helicopter from WNDU-TV in nearby South Bend, Ind., as it flew overhead Friday. Shots also were fired at an unmarked state police plane Saturday but missed, police said. Both aircraft landed safely without injuries.
According to the Rainbow Farm's Web site, Crosslin bought the property about 15 years ago with the idea of supporting ``the medical, spiritual and responsible recreational uses of marijuana for a more sane and compassionate America.''
Crosslin had previously worked as a truck driver and a flag pole installer.
Crosslin's attorney, Dori Leo, said her client was upset because a child he helped raise has been taken from the home he shared with Rohm. The boy was placed in foster care soon after Crosslin and Rohm were charged with the drug counts, Leo told the South Bend Tribune.
Vandalia Mayor Sondra Mose-Ursery said she knew Crosslin well and wasn't surprised by his confrontation with authorities.
``I figured it was going to happen, by the way he had talked about not wanting to go to jail for (doing) something he believed in,'' she told the Tribune. ``He believes he should be able to do what he wants on his own property.''
Campground Standoff Claims 2nd Death
Campground Standoff Ends in Two Deaths
By JAMES PRICHARD, Associated Press Writer
VANDALIA, Mich. (AP) - A campground standoff ended in its fifth day Tuesday with a second man fatally shot by police after allegedly pointing a weapon at an officer.
Rolland Rohm, 28, was shot about 6:30 a.m., the day after his roommate was fatally shot by an FBI (news - web sites) agent, Cass County Sheriff Joseph Underwood Jr. said.
Rohm had been ordered several times to put his weapon down, Underwood said. He said Rohm pointed the gun at a Michigan State Police officer and was shot. It wasn't clear which officer shot Rohm.
On Monday, Grover T. Crosslin, whose campground was known for its advocacy of marijuana use, was shot after he left a building on the property and pointed a rifle at the agent, Underwood said.
Crosslin, 47, had been facing felony drug and weapons charges when the standoff began Friday, authorities said.
Early Tuesday, Rohm had said he would surrender at 7 a.m. if his son were brought to see him, Underwood said. The sheriff said police were in the process of granting the request when shortly after 6 a.m., a fire was reported at the compound.
Rohm was then seen leaving the residence with a long gun and walking into the yard, Underwood said. That's when the confrontation with police took place.
The standoff began when deputies went to the farm after neighbors said Crosslin was burning buildings on his property, which is the target of civil forfeiture proceedings. A house and four main buildings on the campground property, called Rainbow Farm, appeared to have been burned since then, Underwood said.
Crosslin reportedly warned neighbors that day to leave the area because ``all hell was going to break loose.''
Deputies said they believe Crosslin was upset about a bond revocation hearing scheduled for Friday. It was set because police believed he had held a festival on the campground, in violation of the terms of his release on previous drug and weapons charges.
Crosslin had been arrested in May over allegations of marijuana use at his 34-acre campground and charged with felony possession of a firearm, growing marijuana and maintaining a drug house.
Crosslin became agitated Monday after authorities brought a phone to him in an attempt to begin negotiations, Underwood said. When authorities denied Crosslin's request to speak with a third party, he began making threatening remarks and gestures, the sheriff said. That's when he left the residence and was shot.
A judge had signed a warrant earlier Monday charging Crosslin with attempted destruction of an aircraft and using a firearm in a felony, the FBI said.
Authorities alleged Crosslin shot a news helicopter from WNDU-TV in nearby South Bend, Ind., as it flew overhead Friday. Shots also were fired at an unmarked state police plane Saturday but missed, police said. Both aircraft landed safely without injuries.
According to the Rainbow Farm's Web site, Crosslin bought the property about 15 years ago with the idea of supporting ``the medical, spiritual and responsible recreational uses of marijuana for a more sane and compassionate America.''
Crosslin had previously worked as a truck driver and a flag pole installer.
Crosslin's attorney, Dori Leo, said her client was upset because a child he helped raise has been taken from the home he shared with Rohm. The boy was placed in foster care soon after Crosslin and Rohm were charged with the drug counts, Leo told the South Bend Tribune.
Vandalia Mayor Sondra Mose-Ursery said she knew Crosslin well and wasn't surprised by his confrontation with authorities.
``I figured it was going to happen, by the way he had talked about not wanting to go to jail for (doing) something he believed in,'' she told the Tribune. ``He believes he should be able to do what he wants on his own property.''
Feds to Probe Michigan Shootings
VANDALIA, Mich. (AP) - The Justice Department (news - web sites) will investigate the fatal shootings of two men by authorities during a five-day standoff at a campground for marijuana advocates.
An FBI agent shot Rainbow Farm owner Tom Crosslin on Monday after authorities say he pointed a gun at the agent, one of a number of law-enforcement officers surrounding the campground.
Police said Crosslin's roommate, Rolland Rohm, was shot Tuesday as he left a burning building on the property and aimed a gun at a state police officer. Authorities have not said who fired the fatal shot at Rohm.
The federal review is focusing on a second shot allegedly fired at Crosslin by an FBI special agent, said Mark Courtade, head of the criminal division of the U.S attorney's office in Grand Rapids. The agent was questioned by FBI officials, The Detroit News reported Wednesday.
The bureau withheld the names of agents involved in the shootings, but said the agents will continue working during the review.
The Rainbow Farm standoff started Friday after Crosslin missed a bond hearing and was reported to be burning buildings at the campground, which is the target of civil forfeiture proceedings.
Rainbow Farm hosted two annual pro-marijuana festivals called HempAid and RoachRoast, according to its Web site.
A court order issued in June prohibited Crosslin from having festivals at the farm. Police allege he violated the order by holding a gathering Aug. 17-18, which prompted a bond hearing that was scheduled for Friday.
Crosslin was charged with felony possession of a firearm, growing marijuana and maintaining a drug house.
Michigan State Police Lt. Mike Risko has defended the shootings, and said Rohm was repeatedly ordered to put down his gun.
``Both subjects pointed firearms at officers, and I don't know what else you would have officers do,'' Risko said.
September 5, 2001
BY SHAWN WINDSOR, JIM SCHAEFER and MARYANNE GEORGE
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS
VANDALIA -- Long before two men who ran a pro-marijuana farm in southwest Michigan died by law enforcement bullets, their parties had drawn the eye of the government.
A law enforcement affidavit on file in Cass County says that children attending annual pot fests witnessed drug use, took drugs themselves, and sometimes saw nudity and sex.
After one festival in April, a teenager who had purchased a hallucinogenic drug at Rainbow Farm died in a car crash, the documents said.
Friends and family said Tuesday that Grover (Tom) Crosslin and Rolland Rohm tried to evoke change, pushing for the legalization of marijuana. But their parties sometimes ran afoul of the law.
And always, friends said, their disdain for government drug policies was on stage.
At the 34-acre farm in May 1998, someone towed in an expensive car that was about to be forfeited to the government in an unrelated drug investigation.
The car was parked right in front of a music stage at the annual Hemp Aid festival. The crowd, egged on by the vehicle's owner, smashed it "like it had been in a trash compactor," said Richard Lake of Escanaba, who said he was there. "I took swings at it. I thought it was a great idea."
The crowd's opposition to the government's authority to seize property associated with illegal drug activity was that strong. But family and friends of Rohm, 28, and Crosslin, 47, wondered Tuesday whether the men were so fervent in their beliefs that they would sacrifice themselves.
Wild parties aside, their friends said Crosslin and Rohm tried to work within the system to promote changes in drug law and were generous to people in need.
"You can push people until they break. I think they were pushed until they broke," Lake said. "That's not the people I knew."
The men died in separate, though similar, ways. Crosslin was shot late Monday afternoon after he left a building on his farm with a rifle, ignored calls to drop it and pointed it at an FBI agent, authorities said. Brandon Peoples, a man with him, sustained minor injuries and was released pending further investigation. Rohm died the next morning, about 6:30 a.m., after he walked out into the yard with a rifle and aimed it at a Michigan State Police trooper, authorities said. The FBI was reviewing the shootings.
Both times, the men had set fire to buildings on the property before leaving. Friends said they are sure the men did so to keep the government from seizing the property.
Crosslin's father, Grover Crosslin, said FBI agents knocked on his door in Vandalia shortly after the 10 p.m. news came on Monday. They asked him to turn off the television, he said.
"At first they said they shot my son. They didn't want to say he was dead," the elder Crosslin said. "Then they said they shot him in the head and he was dead. I was too upset to get mad and throw them out of the house, but I'm mad now."
A standoff began Friday when the younger Crosslin skipped a court date related to drug and weapons charges.
Federal officials suspect that he shot and hit a news helicopter and fired at a state police airplane and a small private plane over the weekend. A federal warrant was issued Monday for Tom Crosslin, a former truck driver and flagpole installer, alleging the attempted destruction of an aircraft.
On Monday police tried to coax Crosslin from his farmhouse about 10 miles north of the Indiana border. He came out about 5:45 p.m. and was shot by an FBI agent.
Police did not announce the shooting until six hours later, saying they wanted to notify his relatives first.
John Livermore, the stepfather of Rohm, heard about the standoff on a local news channel at his home in Rogersville, Tenn. After several phone calls, he was put in touch with an FBI agent at the farm.
He told the agent that Rohm was his stepson.
"They told me when I got there I could mediate," he said. "I was going to bring him out."
Livermore left Tennessee and drove all night with his wife, who had adopted Rohm as a child. He pulled into the Vandalia temporary media compound and identified himself to troopers about 7:40 a.m.
An hour later, a minister told him his stepson was dead.
"We came to mediate, and we are picking up a dead body," said Livermore, 52.
Livermore said his son was a little slow but sweet.
Cass County Sheriff Joseph Underwood Jr. said Rohm had spoken with his attorney for about a half-hour early Tuesday morning and negotiations seemed to be progressing. Authorities said there was an agreement to let Rohm speak to his 12-year-old son by telephone, and then Rohm would surrender.
"They had assured him that that was going to happen," Underwood said of the negotiating team. "His son had been brought to the staging area" for officers about three miles from the compound.
But for some reason, Rohm came out and leveled a rifle, Underwood said.
Family Independence Agency officials had taken Rohm's son from him in May and put him in foster care. Rohm and Crosslin, who lived together on the farm and had a long relationship, were said to be outraged.
Cass County Circuit Judge Susan Dobrich would not release the juvenile court records of Rohm's son Tuesday, citing confidentiality. However, a neglect-and-abuse petition was on file in court.
Underwood said the boy was taken from the home after investigators discovered marijuana was being grown inside.
He said the violent ending seemed to be a combination of the custody battle and other court matters. Rohm and Crosslin both were facing charges of manufacturing marijuana, maintaining a drug house and felony firearms, the result of a two-year undercover investigation, which included alleged details of their parties.
In a court affidavit filed to stop the festivals, State Police Lt. Michael Brown of the Southwest Enforcement Team said informants and undercover officers saw minors consuming drugs and witnessing drug use.
On May 23, 1998, an informant observed children as young as 13 smoking marijuana in front of adults. The informant also reported children as young as 7 or 8 present as nude adults strolled the grounds and freely engaged in public sex.
Also according to Brown's affidavit, a 17-year-old boy ran a stop sign on April 21 and collided with a school bus, flipping it and killing himself. He wore a festival wristband at the time of the accident. A friend later told police that he and the teen went to a festival the night before at Rainbow Farm, smoked pot and bought "liquid acid" for $5 a hit. The dead teen had three hits, police were told.
The friend saw the teen drive away by himself at 2 a.m.
Contact JIM SCHAEFER at 313-223-4542 or schaefer@freepress.com or MARYANNE GEORGE at 734-665-5600 or mageorge@freepress.com.
Staff writer Ben Schmitt contributed to this report.
Cornered by cops, men on farm feared losing land, freedom
September 6, 2001
BY SHAWN WINDSOR
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
VANDALIA -- He had no power and nothing to eat. He had no place to go -- his farm was surrounded by nearly 100 police, deputies and FBI agents, most of them hidden in the woods.
As teen, Rohm left wife to move in with Crosslin
On Sunday afternoon Grover (Tom) Crosslin left his stone house on Rainbow Farm and slipped through the trees. He faced losing his campground to the state. He faced 20 years in prison for drug and weapons charges. And he'd already lost his partner's son, whom he helped raise.
On a cell phone a day earlier, he told his lawyer, who was trying to get him to surrender, that "society consists of bad government. You're going to be the only one left to tell the story."
He knew he would die, a determined if frustrated martyr in a campaign to legalize marijuana.
On Wednesday, Dori Leo, the lawyer for Crosslin, 47, and his longtime partner Rolland Rohm, 28, explained in a kind of suicide-note-by-lawyer why they decided they had no option of leaving the farm alive and provoked police into shooting them to death in separate but hauntingly similar incidents 13 hours apart.
According to the FBI, Crosslin reached a neighbor's house just before 5 p.m. Monday. He broke in, took food and headed back, only to realize he'd forgotten a coffee pot.
So the owner of the marijuana advocacy campground headed back out. He was wearing camouflage and carrying a semiautomatic rifle. He'd already set fire to nine of the 10 buildings on the campsite, including the general store and coffee shop.
Only his and Rohm's homes weren't ash. As he approached the house, carrying the coffee pot and gun, he noticed an FBI agent.
He raised his gun.
The agent shot first. Crosslin collapsed into a campfire pit.
The next morning, his partner, Rohm, set fire to the house, walked away, saw a Michigan State trooper, raised his gun, and was shot the same way.
"I was stunned Rollie didn't make it," said Leo. "I knew what would happen to Tom after we talked. Tom was the defiant one. But Rollie was scared."
He was also, she said, a follower.
Still, before midnight on Sunday, she talked to Rohm on a cell from inside an FBI vehicle. The agents were standing outside.
Rohm asked what kind of time he faced.
"When he said that, I thought there was hope," she said.
But it started raining. Hard. The agents climbed back in the truck. She told Rohm they had company. And they'd talk in the morning.
"I remember lightning lit up the whole camp, and that was the first time I could see how many police were there," she said.
Then it grew dark.
On Wednesday, Cass County Sheriff's deputies, FBI agents and lab scene specialists, state fire investigators and Michigan state troopers picked through the rubble and soot, looking for clues. It was an odd vista, the bucolic, rolling, 34-acre campground full of charred buildings and vehicles, including a VW Bug.
"We made no effort to provoke," said John Bell, special agent in charge of Michigan's FBI.
Bell's team got involved when shots were fired at aircraft on Friday and Saturday. He'd been there since Sunday afternoon. His cleanup team found 100 shell casings, a pipe bomb that burned but didn't explode, revolvers and long guns. They found no evidence of marijuana on the property. In May, police had found plants growing in the basement under artificial light.
Bell said they expected to be out of Rainbow late today.
"We want to find everything out we can about what happened," he said.
Two FBI agents shot at Crosslin, he said, and both are still working. The two state troopers who fired at Rohm are on administrative leave.
Both agencies are following their own protocol after an officer is involved in a shooting.
Officials involved and others say the shootings were reasonable but unfortunate, but others say their deaths are an example of a government that infringes on the rights of people.
"This has obviously shaken us a bit. People are horrified," said Keith Stroup, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, a Washington, D.C.-based group fighting to legalize pot. "I think there is a growing awareness that in some parts of the country, offenses considered minor in most of the country are potentially lethal. Now we know one of those places is rural Michigan."
Leo, a former Cook County, Ill., prosecutor who talked in her Kalamazoo law office, wondered Wednesday why her clients had to die.
"Why can't we maim them? Or tranquilize them?" she asked.
Leo said she asked the Sheriff's Department on Friday afternoon to back off in the hopes Crosslin and Rohm would surrender -- a warrant had been issued that day because the two men failed to appear in court on drugs and weapons charges. Crosslin allegedly sponsored a concert at the campground last month in violation of the conditions of his bond.
Leo said the sheriff was concerned about public safety.
"Maybe they were justified," she said. "But it's too bad it had to end this way."
Contact SHAWN WINDSOR at 313-222-6487 or windsor@freepress.com.