Suspect Who Aimed Rifle at Police Is Shot and Killed

Los Angeles:  A man who pointed his rifle at police during a routine traffic stop was shot and killed by officers Friday night.

On July 28, 2006, around 9:30 p.m., 77th Area Officers Timothy Wunderlich and Gary Verge were conducting a traffic stop on 79th Street east of Broadway.  The suspect, later identified as Esteban Pacheco, 41, was driving an older model white Jeep Cherokee.  As the officers began their investigation, Pacheco, holding a rifle, stepped out of the vehicle's driver seat and aimed in the officers' direction.  The police fired, resulting in an officer involved shooting.

Pacheco fell to the ground and was taken into custody without further incident.  Los Angeles City Fire Paramedics arrived to render emergency medical aid, but Pacheco failed to respond to treatment and died at the scene.

The officers were not injured.

Pacheco's weapon was an air rifle carbine replica equipped with an extended magazine.

Approximately three minutes after the shooting occurred, LAPD Communications Division broadcast to 77th Area officers that a citizen had reported being followed by a man with a shotgun in a truck.  The suspect vehicle was described as a white Jeep, traveling in the vicinity of 79th Street and Broadway.

Force Investigation Division is handling the investigation.  Questions may be directed to Media Relations Section at 213-485-3586.

Comments

[KS]

Perhaps if Law Enforcement Officers think of yourselves as the arrow, the Department as the bow, and the Almighty as the Archer, then the only question afterward is whether your actions were true to your training, and that will be determined by others with 20/20 hindsight. This way, you are not thinking in terms of "good" or "bad" shooting, therefore, there are no black robed judges flapping around in your heads at 3am, no "black mark on the soul" accumulating. Like the rest of us, you will go where G-d takes you, in the palm of It's hand. You can either go kicking and screaming, or remain always in a state of surrender and readiness to be used. Sometimes, you will be the Angel of Death. Sometimes, you will be the Angel of Mercy. As JQ Citizen, all I want from you is that you LIVE, LEO, LIVE!!! - and be a good witness.

[Ryan Smith]

Im just curious how many times incidents like this happen to LAPD Officers and if anyone is really paying attention? I have alot of respect for the LAPD patrol officers and think they have a very hard job that not many people would ever do, but there sure are alot of people that will tell them how to do it. As a citizen who lives in Los Angeles I'm appauld every time I hear an officer was hurt or someone tried to attack an officer. Where are the city council members that support the LAPD? If there are any they need to prove it. Im glad to hear the officers are ok...

[Mike Halasi]

Another fine example of damn good street police work. Thank God no officers were injured or killed.

[Philip Wunderlich]

Tim Wunderlich is my uncle and he did a great job on this night. He did the right thing, and sometimes things just have to be done a certain way. Unfortunately, he had to kill someone to do so, but he did the right thing and now two officers including my uncle Tim can sleep knowing that they did the right thing and not having the man kill someone over his issue between his wife and him. This all started because of his wife and I guess he wanted to be killed by police and that is exactly what happened. I love this story obviously because it involves my uncle and it is very action packed. He might of even killed them with some other method. If it was some other officer he might of killed them too.