-Caveat Lector- August 31, 2001 Deputy Killed Attempting to Serve Warrant in California By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 5:40 p.m. ET 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, a one-time police officer, fired hundreds of shots at the start of the standoff, when agents tried to arrest him for allegedly impersonating an officer and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. 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. 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. SWAT officers surrounded the gunman's home and tear gas was lobbed into the residence. Gas clouds were billowing from second-floor windows moments later. Authorities believe Beck torched the house a short time later, Deputy Harry Drucker said. As 30-foot flames licked through the collapsing roof, streams of water from fire trucks parked at least 100 feet away were aimed at homes just 30 feet away from the blaze. Beck was believed to have remained inside the house. 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. A nearby elementary school was also evacuated. Steve Wingate, Webmaster ANOMALOUS IMAGES AND UFO FILES http://www.anomalous-images.com <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
