Four Arrested for Helping Burbank Murder Suspect
By Zeke Minaya, The Los Angeles Times
Authorities have arrested four people for allegedly helping a 19-year-old man wanted for the fatal shooting of a rookie Burbank police officer elude capture, police said today.
A law enforcement task force, which includes local, state and federal authorities, has scoured the San Fernando Valley in search of David A. Garcia. It has served a total of 23 search warrants since Saturday, when Garcia allegedly killed Matthew Pavelka, 26, and wounded another Burbank officer after what began as a traffic stop.
“We are very focused and determined and we will not stop until Garcia is in custody,” said a Burbank Police Department spokesman, Sgt. William Berry
The raids have targeted fellow gang members of Garcia, police said. The four arrested on charges of being accessories to murder are among 10 people swept up in the manhunt on charges including drug and weapons possession.
Authorities would not identify the gang but said it is based in the Sun Valley area, where Garcia is known to frequent. Police described him as 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, with brown eyes and a shaved head. According to authorities, he has a criminal record that includes drug charges, but no prior homicides. Anyone with information about Garcia is asked to call the Burbank Police Department.
The fatal shooting occurred Saturday evening when Officer Gregory Campbell, a 15-year veteran, spotted Garcia and an accomplice, Ramon ArandaO, in a Cadillac Escalade without license plates or temporary registration. They were in a hotel parking lot known for auto theft and narcotics activities.
Within moments Campbell called for back up, and Pavelka, on the force for 10 months, quickly arrived.
Investigators said the suspects, armed with two pistols each, fired 30 shots at the officers, who returned fire. Although Campbell and Pavelka were wearing bulletproof vests, Pavelka was struck by several rounds, including the fatal shot that entered from below his vest and came to rest in his upper torso, according to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
Pavelka died during surgery. Campbell, who is married with two children, was wounded in the neck and torso and remained in stable condition, Berry said.
During the shootout, Aranda was killed and Garcia fled on foot. Police searched the neighborhood, but Garcia slipped the dragnet. Investigators searched the SUV and found an assault rifle and three ounces of methamphetamine.
By late Sunday morning, police expanded the search, following tips from phone calls and other sources, Berry said. The warrants have been spread throughout the San Fernando Valley but have been concentrated in the Sun Valley area, Berry said.
According to an officer involved in the investigation, the latest raids were last night, and netted four arrests, including a 21-year-old man in North Hollywood who is believed to have aided Garcia.
A funeral has been scheduled for Pavelka on Friday at Forest Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuary in the Hollywood Hills. The public is invited to attend, Berry said.