March 2010 Archives

If you have court filings or other court-related business today don't waste your time coming to Downtown like one very upset man this morning.
The courthouse, as well as many other government offices, is closed in honor of famed workers' rights leader Cesar Chavez.
Courthouse staff put up signs several days in advance of the holiday warning that the building would be closed to the public. The court's Web site also included information about the holiday closure. Apparently that message didn't get through to at least one man, who rattled the glass doors and yelled expletives at a guard after finally reading two very prominent signs posted on the courthouse doors.
He, and anyone else with court business, will have to wait until tomorrow, when it will be back to business as usual.

A search of court records Tuesday found that a former Long Beach police officer charged with felony weapons violations was convicted in 2009 of drunk driving.

Matthew Gjersvold, 42, appeared at the Long Beach Superior Court Monday morning for a preliminary hearing setting, which was tentatively postponed until late June.

An evaluation was also ordered by the court Monday to determine whether Gjersvold, who last worked for the LBPD in November of 2008, would be fit for trial.

His bail, meanwhile, was set at a staggering $3 million.

A search of Los Angeles Superior Court files found Gjersvold was charged with one count of  driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and two counts of driving with a blood alcohol level of .08 percent or greater. The first count was dismissed but that latter two counts resulted in a conviction.

Court records also showed a misdemeanor count of vandalism for damage less than $400 stemming from his current legal woes was filed at the Long Beach Courthouse on Feb. 24, followed by the March 8 filing of weapons violations.

Gjersvold was arrested by the Long Beach Police Department on March 1 in Cypress after the department received a complaint of vandalism and launched an investigation, according to police.

He was was initially booked on $40,000 bail and, after posting bond, appeared out of custody at the Long Beach Superior Court on March 12 for his arraignment.

When additional information came forward at his court appearance, Gjersvold was remanded to custody and his bail was hiked to $3 million.

The police department declined to release details about the initial incident that resulted in the complaint and arrest, deferring those questions to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

DA Spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons confirmed Monday that Gjersvold was charged with three felony counts, one count of possession of a deadly weapon and two counts of possession of assault weapons.

Gibbons could not access court files to determine what incident the charge stemmed from and the filing DA was not available Tuesday and not expected to return until April 5.

Upon Gjersvold's initial arrest he was booked into the Signal Hill Jail due to his status as a former Long Beach police officer and also because he has a relative who works for the LBPD.

At the time of his second arrest he was taken into custody by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department at the Long Beach Courthouse, and remains in Sheriff's custody.

He is due to return to the Long Beach Superior Court on June 29 in Dept. 3.

This is making the rounds online and I just had to post it.
A pit bull in Chattanooga, TN., decided to turn a police car into a chew toy with hilarious results.
Thankfully no was hurt, and it's fun to watch how excited the other dogs are and how happy the pit bull is when he finally rips the plastic bumper covering free.
Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ySfHyClbsc

A former Long Beach Police Officer has been charged with three felony weapons violations, including possession of assault weapons, and is being held at the Men's Central Jail in lieu of $3 million bail.
Matthew Gjersvold, 42, of Cypress appeared at the Long Beach Superior Court Monday morning for a preliminary hearing setting, which was tentatively scheduled for late June, according to court staff.
Gjersvold was arrested by the Long Beach Police Department on March 1 after the department received a complaint of vandalism, said Nancy Pratt, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
"While these turn of events are regrettable, nobody is above the law," Pratt said of the former officer's arrest and subsequent felony charge.
His arrest did not stem from any incident connected to his time with the LBPD, Pratt said.
He last worked as an LBPD officer in November of 2008, she added.
Gjersvold was initially booked on $40,000 bail and, after posting bond, appeared out of custody at the Long Beach Superior Court on March 12 for his arraignment, Pratt said.
"Additional information came forward at court and he was charged with (the weapons violations) and remanded to custody," Pratt said.
His bail was also hiked to $3 million, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Inmate Information Center.
The police department declined to release details about the initial incident that resulted in the complaint and arrest, deferring those questions to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
DA Spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons confirmed Monday that Gjersvold was charged with three felony counts, one count of possession of a deadly weapon and two counts of possession of assault weapons.
Gibbons could not access court files to determine what incident the charge stemmed from. The filing DA was out of the office Monday and not expected to return until April 5.
Upon Gjersvold's initial arrest, he was booked into the Signal Hill Jail due to his status as a former Long Beach Police officer and because he has family that works for the LBPD, Pratt said.
At the time of his second arrest he was taken into custody by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department at the Long Beach Courthouse, and remains in Sheriff's Custody, court staff said Monday.
He is due back at the Long Beach Superior Court on June 29.

Apparently the Long Beach Police Department has been the latest victim in the Jesse James philandering scandal.
TMZ reported Thursday that police were called to James' Long Beach garage and business complex, West Coast Choppers, after a paparazzo accused James or James' staff of slashing his tires.
Police came out and both James and the photographer ended up placing each other under citizen's arrest.
No one, however, was officially arrested though a preliminary report was taken, police said Friday.
You can check out the TMZ story at http://www.tmz.com/2010/03/25/jesse-james-citizens-arrest-cops-stalking-valdalism-long-beach-west-coast-choppers-long-beach/

The Pasadena Star News is reporting no one was hurt Wednesday when small airplane made an emergency landing on the 57 Freeway with the help of a good Samaritan on the ground.
The plane touched down just before 7 p.m. on the northbound Orange (57) Freeway, just north of Temple Avenue, Los Angeles County Fire Department Dispatch Supervisor Melanie Flores said. No one was injured, and the plane did not strike any vehicles on the freeway.
The pilot of the single-engine, Citabria airplane, a man in his 50s, got some assistance from a
good Samaritan motorist driving on the freeway, Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Ed Lozano said.
The pilot identified himself as John Findley of Upland.
"Apparently someone in traffic saw that he was going to come in," the captain said.
The motorist began zig-zagging across freeway lanes to stop traffic and make room for the
airplane, Lozano said.
"The pilot mentioned he saw someone swerving to try and stop traffic for him, and he was able to land the plane," he said. "That's what really stopped an accident."
California Highway Patrol Officer Matt Lentz said the airplane took off from Long
Beach Airport and was headed to to the Brackett Field Airport in La Verne when, "his engine shut off on him."
When rescuers arrived, Lozano said, the pilot had brought the plane to a stop on the right-hand side of the freeway. The incident caused traffic to back up significantly on the northbound 57 Freeway.
Officials from the CHP and the National Transportation Safety Board were working late Wednesday to remove the plane from the freeway.

Previous complaints of child abuse had been made on behalf of a two-year-old Long Beach boy who died Saturday after being beaten, allegedly by the boyfriend of the slain child's mother, police said Tuesday.
Long Beach investigators were looking into at least two reports made by the family of the dead child's father to the Hawthorne Police Department and the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, said Officer Jackie Bezart, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
The LBPD refused to release details of the prior complaints, citing the on-going investigation into the case and the prime suspect, 26-year-old Hector Ernest Jr. of Hawthorne.
Ernest Jr. was with two-year-old Deandre Fitzgerald Green and Green's mother when the couple rushed the boy to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center Saturday night.
The toddler was unconscious and though emergency room staff worked on him for 45 minutes, Green was pronounced dead within less than an hour of arriving at the hospital.
Ernest Jr. was arrested the following day on suspicion of murder.
Police said Sunday there were signs of abuse on the child's body, including bruising, and suspect neighbors probably heard the child being beaten.
Authorities had expected to file a formal charge Tuesday against Ernest Jr., but the case was sent back to police by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office for further investigation.
The suspect, who was originally held in lieu of $1 million bail, remained in the Men's Central Jail Tuesday after prosecutor's filed a probation violation, said Jane Robison, the DA's spokeswoman.<NO1><NO>
A search of Ernest's court records showed several convictions for minor to serious offenses dating back to 2005.
The most recent case resulted in a conviction on March 20, 2009, at the Santa Monica Courthouse for carrying a concealed weapon. Ernest Jr. was also charged with carrying a concealed and loaded magazine and misappropriation in that case, but both the latter counts were dismissed.
He has cases scattered throughout South Los Angeles courthouses, including Inglewood and the Airport Branch.
Among the more serious charges are a conviction for assault and battery on July 12, 2005, and two convictions for disturbing the peace/mutual combat, once on Nov. 18, 2005, and again on Oct. 16, 2007.
Lesser convictions include possession of marijuana and driving on a suspended license or driving without a license, court documents show.
Had the probation violation not been filed Tuesday, Ernest would have been released due to state law requiring that a defendant be charged within 48-hours of arrest.
Because of the probation violation, he is now being held without bail, Robison said.
In the meantime Long Beach homicide detectives were continuing with their investigation and expected to bring the case back for filing sometime this week, authorities said.
Anyone with information about the child's slaying is urged to call Long Beach Police Department Homicide Detectives Mark McGuire or Greg Krabbe at 562-570-7244.

A formal charge was not filed Tuesday against a 26-year-old Hawthorne man arrested on suspicion of murder for the slaying of his girlfriend's 2-year-old son, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
Hector Ernest Jr., was arrested over the weekend after he and his girlfriend took her unconscious 2-year-old son, Deandre Fitzgerald Green, to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center on Saturday. The boy was pronounced dead within an hour of arriving at the hospital, and Ernest was arrested the following day at the mother's West Long Beach home.
Police said there were signs of abuse on the child's body, including bruising, and suspect neighbors probably heard the child being beaten.
Ernest Jr. was expected to be arraigned on a formal murder charge Tuesday afternoon but the filing was postponed when the DA's office returned the case to Long Beach Police Department for further investigation.
The suspect, who was originally held in lieu of $1 million bail, remained in the Men's Central Jail Tuesday after prosecutor's filed a probation violation, said Jane Robison, the DA's spokeswoman.
A search of Ernest's court records showed several convictions for minor to serious offenses dating back to 2005.
The most recent case resulted in a conviction on March 20, 2009 at the Santa Monica Courthouse for carrying a concealed weapon. Ernest Jr. was also charged with carrying a concealed and loaded magazine and misappropriation in that case, but both the latter counts were dismissed.
He has cases scattered throughout South Los Angeles courthouses, including Inglewood and the Airport Branch.
Among the more serious charges are a conviction for assault and battery on July 12, 2005 and two convictions for disturbing the peace/mutual combat, once on Nov. 18, 2005 and again on Oct. 16, 2007.
Lesser convictions include possession of marijuana and driving on a suspended license or driving without a license, court documents show.
Had the probation violation not been filed Tuesday, Ernest would have been released due to state law requiring that a defendant be charged within 48-hours of their arrest.
Because of the probation violation he is now being held without bail, Robison said.
In the meantime Long Beach Homicide detectives are continuing with their investigation and expect to bring the case back for filing sometime this week, authorities said.
Anyone with information about the child's slaying is urged to call Long Beach Police Department Homicide Detectives Mark McGuire or Greg Krabbe at 562-570-7244.

A formal charge was not filed Tuesday against a 26-year-old Hawthorne man arrested on suspicion of murder for the slaying of his girlfriend's two-year-old son, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
Hector Ernest Jr. was arrested over the weekend after he and his girlfriend took her unconscious two-year-old son to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center Saturday. The boy was pronounced dead within an hour of arriving at the hospital and Ernest was arrested the following day at the mother's West Long Beach home.
Police said there were signs of abuse on the child's body, including bruising, and suspect neighbors probably heard the child being beaten.
Ernest Jr. was expected to be arraigned on a formal charge Tuesday afternoon but the charge was postponed when the DA's office returned the case to Long Beach Police for further investigation.
It is not immediately known if Ernest would continue to be held in lieu of $1 million bail as police continued their investigation.
Anyone with information on the case is urged to call Long Beach Police Department Homicide Detectives Mark McGuire or Greg Krabbe at 562-570-7244.
 

Murder charges were filed early this afternoon afternoon against a 26-year-old Hawthorne man suspected of beating his girlfriend's two-year-old son to death over the weekend.
Long Beach Homicide investigators took their case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Long Beach Branch Office late this morning, said Officer Jackie Bezart, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
The filing was entered just in time for Ernest to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. at the Long Beach court, authorities said.
Had Ernest not been charged today, authorities would have had to release him.
He is suspected of killing, Deandre Fitzgerald Green, who was taken to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center by his mother and her boyfriend around 6:40 p.m. Saturday, police said.
The child was unconscious and efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.
Authorities noticed evidence of abuse, including significant bruising on the child's body. Ernest Jr., was arrested Sunday on suspicion of murder, Bezart said.
He is being held in lieu of $1 million bail.
Bezart said the investigation is ongoing and detectives believe witnesses who live near the mother's West Long Beach home in the 3100 block of Springdale Drive may have heard the child being abused.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Homicide Detective's Mark McGuire or Greg Krabbe at 562-570-7244.

A federal grand jury on Friday returned an indictment charging a 51-year-old Long Beach man, dubbed the "Sport Bike Bandit," for three separate Long Beach bank robberies.
If convicted on the full charge, Robert Gordon Lockwood faces a 132 years in federal prison, said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the US Attorney's Office.
The eight page indictment charges Robert Gordon Lockwood with the armed robberies of three Long Beach banks: the Citibank, 2250 Bellflower Blvd., on Dec. 15; Cal National Bank, 5757 E. Pacific Coast Highway on Jan. 26, and the March 5 take-over robbery of Farmers and Merchants Bank, 2302 Bellflower Blvd.
Lockwood took $8,057 from Citibank, $3,958 from Cal National Bank and $606 from F&M, according to court documents.
In addition to the counts of armed robbery, Lockwood is also charged with three counts of brandishing a firearm and "assaulting and (putting) in jeopardy the lives of victim" employees and/or customers.
The gun used in the Dec. 15 and Jan. 26 robberies was referred to simply as a "black handgun of unknown model and manufacturer."
In the counts pertaining to the F&M robbery, the indictment states Lockwood carried two guns, "a .45-caliber Springfield Army 1911-A1 semi-automatic handgun ... and a Smith and Wesson .357 magnum revolver."
The indictment also charges Lockwood -- who owns a machine shop in Signal Hill -- fired the revolver during the course of the March 5 robbery.
Lockwood was arrested that day after a Long Beach man, Rich Camp, tackled Lockwood. Camp was then helped by Long Beach resident David Jones to disarm the suspect and hold him there until Long Beach Police arrived.
Lockwood came into the bank threatening to shoot everyone and screaming obscenities, witnesses said.
Lockwood also grabbed a deposit bag from a customer who happened to walk in right after him, then shoved the man to the floor, witnesses said.
Camp said he was pinned against the counter that separates customers from employees and when Lockwood pointed the gun at him and told him he would shoot him before starting to launch over the divider.
Camp jumped on Lockwood's back and Lockwood opened fire, emptying the barrel of the revolver as he shot over his shoulder and between his legs at Camp, according to court documents.
The gunman struck himself, Camp and another customer, described as an elderly woman.
None of them suffered life-threatening injuries, police said. And Lockwood was transferred to federal custody after a couple of days under armed guard at a local hospital, according to police and the FBI.
Camp, who runs his small construction business out of his Long Beach home, has since filed a law suit against the bank, alleging that it was not properly secured -- despite FBI warnings the previous month of the two-year crime spree carried out by the "Sport Bike Bandit."
The suit cites a lack of bullet proof partitions for bank employees and claims there was only one guard working and that he was "socializing in the bank parking lot" when the gunman stormed the business that Friday morning.
At the time of his arrest, Lockwood told a Long Beach police officer he held-up the bank because he was deep in debt and unable to pay the mortgage on the East Long Beach home he shares with his wife, Pamela Lockwood.
If Lockwood is convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum sentence of 75 years for the three robbery counts and an additional charge of 57 years for the use of the gun, Mrozek said.
Because it is a federal offense, he would also have to serve 85 percent of the time received.
Lockwood is scheduled to appear in federal court Monday morning, in Downtown Los Angeles, for arraignment, Mrozek said.

When a defendant enters a guilty plea, avoiding a trial and all of its trappings, most victims are relieved.
That was not the case Friday for a local attorney and her family who were horrified when a 19-year-old neighbor was given three years probation for running the lawyer and her dog down as they crossed a residential street last December, then left the pair bleeding in the roadway.
Joshua Gasser was initially charged with felony hit and run and with an enhancement of causing great bodily injury but pleaded guilty to a lesser count in exchange for three years felony probation and a 90 day Caltrans work order.
Gasser's privately retained defense attorney, William Bruzzo, worked the deal out last month. The formal plea was delayed to give the victim time to recuperate enough so that she would be able to come to court and face the man who nearly killed her and her large German Shepard, Maggie.
"Instead of stopping and rendering aid ... he left me and my dog lying there for dead," Vitale tearfully told the court.
Gasser met Vitale's gaze, though he appeared pale and shaken. He said very little in the courtroom, other than to answer some of the judge's questions.
"Do you know what my life is like every day?" the well known defense attorney, who also once prosecuted domestic violence cases and helped launch Long Beach's Domestic Violence Unit, asked Gasser.
"I have unrelenting pain every day. My life has been changed irrevocably," said the victim.
"His life will be slightly inconvenienced."
Vitale became so upset that Long Beach Superior Court Judge Arthur Jean told her to direct her comments at the bench, not the accused.
Deputy District Attorney Kraig St. Pierre also addressed the court, noting that at the time he talked with the judge and the defense about the plea deal he did not know the extent of Gasser's deception after the accident and the prosecutor no longer felt a sentence without prison or jail time was just.
Gasser fled from the scene of the Dec. 15 crash at 36th Street and Myrtle Avenue and remained at large for nearly a month until the victim's daughter happened to see his blue Volkswagen bug rushing down a street near her mom's home on Jan. 11.
It turned out he lives with his parents, not far from the victim and the scene of the accident.
Alfaro knew witnesses had described a blue VW speeding away from the scene of the crash so she called her boyfriend to help her look closer at the car, then called police police to come out and investigate the VW, which still showed signs of damage to the hood, St. Pierre said.
St. Pierre said Gasser was driving was so fast when Alfaro saw him, "leaves were kicked up and swirling."
"He drives like a bat out of hell," to elude Alfaro, who just happened to see him pull into a nearby alley, St. Pierre said.
Reading from the police report at the time of Gasser's arrest, the accused initially told the first police officer the car was immobile from October through January and was parked on the street. During that time, Gasser claimed, damage on the side of the car was due to it side-swiped and the hood was dented after a wheelbarrow fell off a truck.
After two interviews with the officer, who repeatedly asked if Gasser had accidentally hit Vitale, Gasser eventually admitted he had struck her and that he was sorry, St. Pierre said.
He told police he was driving home with his dinner on the front seat and when the food slid off the food slid off the seat he leaned over to grab it, then hit Vitale and her dog, St. Pierre said.
St. Pierre said the crash itself appeared to be a "terribly tragic car accident," but the prosecutor branded the defendant's actions after the crash as not only deceitful but malicious.
Jean agreed Gasser's callous behavior after the crash was contemptible, but said the accident was not due to criminal negligence and the damage Vitale has suffered was not due to his fleeing the scene.
With that in mind, the 19-year-old - who has no prior record - did not qualify for prison time. If he were sentenced to county jail he would likely spend no more than a few days, no matter the length of the sentence, the judge said.
"I would like to consider some county jail time," the judge said.
"But I'm aware of what Sheriff Baca is doing," Jean added, noting that early release dates for county inmates had resulted in numerous people sentenced to a year or more in Long Beach courts serving less than a week of time.
Jean then ordered the probation Caltrans work, telling Gasser that he must do the time working on the roadways and no excuses or moves to change the order to community service will be tolerated.
The judge also publicly disclosed that prior to Gasser's arrest he had visited Vitale -- someone he described as a work colleague -- twice while she was hospitalized and contributed $100 of his own money to a fund to help pay for Maggie's vet bills.
Outside the courtroom, Gasser offered to apologize to Vitale, who declined the gesture. He did apologize to her daughter, but Alfaro stopped Gasser short when Gasser said he didn't know what happened that night.
Alfaro told Gasser he had to know when the story broke in the news, first in the Press-Telegram and then picked up by several area news papers and TV and radio news broadcasts.
When Gasser continued to insist he not realize he had hit the woman and her dog, the exchange grew extremely tense.
"I'm sorry," Gasser said more than once.
"I wish you the best, you are a very lucky man," Alfaro said. "You have have no idea how you have affected our family."
Gasser's attorney also expressed remorse for the victim outside the courtroom.
"He's a nervous 19-year-old kid, he's very upset by all of this ... he's never going to forget what happened," Bruzzo said.
Gasser's plea deal not only shocked Alfaro and Vitale, it was a surprise to a number of court staff and attorneys due to Gasser's attempts to cover up the crime.
Police said at the time of the 19-year-old's arrest he had already switched out part of the front end of the Volkswagen and lied to his parents about how the damage was created.
The vehicle, however, still bore signs of the December impact, including tufts of the dog's fur buried beneath a screw in one license plate, officers said.
The crash occurred at about 7:50 p.m. on a Tuesday night. Vitale told police she remembered seeing a pick up truck as she waited at the intersection in her Cal Heights neighborhood with her dog at her side.
She and Maggie made it a little more than half-way through the intersection when she was hit "out of nowhere," police said.
Based on neighbor's estimates who saw the blue car fleeing, the driver was thought be doing at least 20 miles over the speed limit and Vitale had been in an unmarked crosswalk, police said.
Vitale's memory of the point of impact and the aftermath was a little spotty. She recalled slamming onto a hood. Her next memory was regaining consciousness with blood steaming down her face and the sound of her own voice screaming, police said.
Neighbors told officers they never heard a screech of brakes or tires, but they came running when they heard Vitale's shrieks and the dog's yelps.
They brought blankets and called paramedics. One neighbor saw Vitale's cell phone on the ground and scrolled through the recently dialed numbers, eventually calling Vitale's grandson, who called Alfaro.
Alfaro arrived as Vitale was being loaded into an ambulance. While she bundled in with paramedics and Vitale, Alfaro's son packed up the dog in his car and rushed Maggie to a veterinary hospital.
Both dog and owner suffered similar injuries, including a shattered pelvis and broken leg. Vitale's injuries also included two broken and dislocated shoulders, a fractured elbow and lacerations to her face and head.
Both Vitale and Maggie survived, but both owner and dog have had been through extensive physical therapy and their long-term prognosis is still not known.
Vitale remained hospitalized for more than a month at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center before she was transferred to a convalescent hospital for further care. Maggie only recently started using her badly broken back leg.
At court, Vitale used a wheelchair, though she rose painfully and slowly to address the judge. She also had trouble turning right and using her right arm.
"I don't know if I'll ever be able to return ... to practicing law," Vitale said when describing the impact of her injuries. "I feel that you have taken that from me."
St. Pierre told the court that Vitale's medical bills could easily reach millions of dollars and he noted the victim's insurance company has received no information or help from the defendant.
The issue of court-ordered restitution was raised, but not settled Friday. Though the judge said if there was a problem Gasser's probation officer or either of the attorneys should bring it to his attention.
When Jean went ahead with the sentence of probation and also struck the enlacement of great bodily injury from the charge, Vitale and Alfaro's faces flashed with pain and bitter disappointment.
Vitale told the court she came that day because she wanted to see justice served, and justice did not include probation and Caltrans.
"That should be addressed in a place they put cowards and that's in state prison," Vitale said.

A jury this week rejected a man's claim that Long Beach Police officers used excessive force when they shot him during a foot pursuit in 2007.
During the week-long trial at the Long Beach Superior Court, the plaintiff -- Michael Greer -- and his attorney -- Brian Dunn -- charged Greer was wrongly identified as a member of group of suspected gang members and that police also mistakenly thought Greer's cell phone was a gun when Greer was shot twice by police.
Greer sued the two officers as well as the city, said Monte Machit, principal deputy city attorney for Long Beach.
Machit said the lawsuit stemmed from an incident on Oct. 10, 2007, when the two officers -- Eduardo Saldana and Gerrit De Jongh -- were patrolling in a high crime area of North Long Beach, near Paramount Boulevard and 56th Way.
Another officer, also on patrol in the area, saw a group of young black men standing at the corner and saw one of the men flash gang signs and say "What's up punk?" while lifting his shirt to reveal what appeared to be a weapon.
When that officer stopped to investigate the group scattered, prompting the officer to broadcast the information to other officers in area, Machit said.
Moments later, Saldana and De Jongh saw the plaintiff walking through a nearby apartment complex and De Jongh ordered the plaintiff to stop and show his hands.
Greer refused and, while holding the waistband of his pants, took of running, Machit said.
De Jongh and Saldana took off after Greer, and when Greer rounded the corner of Paramount and 56th Way, he slipped and fell. The officers also saw what they described was a silver automatic handgun fall from Greer's pocket.
The officers again ordered Greer to stop and leave the gun on the ground, Machit said.
Greer, however, picked up the object and pointed it at Saldana, prompting Saldana and De Jongh both to open fire.
About five rounds were fired, but none hit Greer, Machit said.
Greer got up and ran again with the pair of officers right behind him firing 12 more shots. Two rounds hit Greer, who continued to flee into a residential area where he evaded police for five hours, the city attorney said.
A SWAT team eventually found Greer and arrested him on a parole violation, police said.
In Greer's suit he claimed he had not been with the group of suspected gang members, he was in the area to get a haircut. Greer also said he did not have a gun and he said what dropped from his pocket when he fell was a silver cell phone.
"In fact, no gun was located on Greer when he was apprehended and no gun shell casings were found from any gun other that the police officers'," Machit said.
The jury deliberated about 16 hours before delivering their verdict in favor of the officers Monday afternoon, Machit said.
Neither Greer nor his attorney could be reached for comment.

The mother of an 18-year-old Long Beach man gunned down in January tearfully pleaded Thursday for the community to come forward and help police find her son's killer.
"She hopes that all of this can resolved and that no other mothers will have to go through this," said Homicide Detective Hector Cortes, who translated for Columba Garcia-Vasquez, the mother of murder victim Jonathan Cordova.
Cordova was walking with a friend, also 18, in the area of East 15th Street and Stanley Avenue at about 11:30 p.m. on Jan 30 when he and his friend were shot.
Cordova was pronounced dead at the scene while his friend survived.
On Thursday, Cordova's mother and more than a dozen other relatives gathered at the scene of the crime to help police in their search for witnesses.
Garcia-Vasquez said she was at home the night of her son's murder and she was close enough to hear gun shots ring out. When she called her son and he didn't call her back straight away, she knew something was wrong, she said.
"That's the hardest part, I think, not knowing who it was," said the victim's cousin, Diana De La Riva, 22, of South Central Los Angeles.
De La Riva said the family decided to come out en force and support police to put a stop to the violence and find her cousin's killer.
"Anything that can help us, not only us bur for my aunt, because I know it's so painful for her," the 22-year-old said as tears began to fall down her cheeks.
The family was stunned that anyone would want to hurt Cordova, who was a funny guy who got along with everyone, De La Riva said.
He was close to all of his siblings, she said, but especially close to his 21-year-old brother.
He had four siblings total, including a 13-year-old and 10-year-old sister and a 1 1/2-year-old brother, his mother said.
As Cordova's family gathered around a shrine set up on the street corner in Cordova's honor, Long Beach Search and Rescue volunteer members fanned out through the neighborhood passing out fliers with photos taken from a security camera on the night of the killing.
Lt. Lloyd Cox - who oversees the LBPD's Crimes Against Persons Division, which includes the homicide detail -- told reporters investigators believe the man depicted in the photos is a suspect in the shooting that the car was also used in the slaying.
The killer was last seen running away east on 15th Street and the car fled in the same direction, Cox said.
Witnesses described the gunman as a male Hispanic or Puerto Rican. The car appears to be a white compact early 2000 model Toyota with at least one missing hubcap, the lieutenant said.
The motive appears to be gang-related, he said.
"We do believe based on the investigation it was gang-related," Cox said. "We are looking into the fact that the victim was in a gang."
While the photos shared Thursday were fairly grainy, detectives have sent the video out for forensic analysis in an effort to enhance the footage. Because that takes time, police said, they decided to release the original images now.
And though the crime may be gang-related investigators are still dedicated to finding the shooter and believe there are witnesses who can help in the case, Cox said.
"We have had no leads come forward in the case," he said. "We're here today to try and find someone who can help us provide some closure for the family and get the bad guy off the streets."
Anyone with information about the slaying is urged to call Homicide Detectives Scott Lasch or Donald Goodman at 562-570-7244.

Police Wednesday released two images of a possible suspect and suspect vehicle in connection with last month's slaying of an 18-year-old Long Beach man.
Jonathan Cordova was walking with a friend, also 18, in the area of 15th Street and Stanley Avenue at 11:30 p.m. Jan. 30 when they were gunned down by an unknown shooter.
Cordova was hit in the upper body and pronounced dead at the scene while his friend, who was shot in the lower body, survived, police said.
Investigators said in February the attack may have been gang-related and that witnesses described the suspect as a male Hispanic last seen running away east on 15th Street.
Friends and neighbors of the victim said Cordova lived in the area with his mother and four siblings and they did not believe he was in a gang.
"Sometimes people judge you because of the clothes you wear," said 17-year-old Eddie Pacheco, who attended a local continuation high school with Cordova. "I think he was just in the wrong place."
Police have been working on the case since the shooting and decided Wednesday to release two images, both taken from security camera footage in the neighborhood, in the hope that someone might recognize the man or the vehicle in the pictures.
They show a white compact early 2000 model Toyota with missing hubcaps in one photo and a male walking down the street in the other photo just before the murder occurred, Zapalski said.
Detectives have sent the video out for forensic analysis in an effort to enhance the footage, but it is a lengthy process, the sergeant said.
In the mean time police released the photos in their original state.
"They're not the best pictures, but we believe that someone who knows the man will recognize him," said Sgt. Dina Zapalski, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
Officers plan on canvasing the neighborhood this afternoon with the photos to see if there are any witnesses who can help identify the possible suspect and the vehicle, the sergeant added.
Anyone with information about the slaying is urged to contact Homicide Detectives Scott Lasch or Donald Goodman at 562-570-7244.

A Long Beach man is asking friends and neighbors to help out a local hero who took on an armed and dangerous bank robber last week.
Los Angeles County Firefighter Tim Howell was so moved by the action taken by Long Beach resident Rich Camp during Friday's take-over style robbery at the Los Altos Farmers and Merchant's Bank that Howell decided Wednesday to send out an e-mail blast to everyone he knows.
"(Camp) was at the F&M Bank in Long Beach last week when it was robbed by a gunman (who) was wanted by the FBI for at least 8 other bank robberies. Rich, along with another bank customer took the bad-guy down, but was shot in the leg during the ordeal," Howell wrote.
"After reading about his unselfish act, I decided to call Rich to have him do some work on my house. Unfortunately, at this time, he is unable to work due to his injury. But, in my short 15 (minute) conversation, I discovered that this is a very proud man with a wonderfully positive attitude. I asked him if he needed any help around his house in any way, with anything, but he gratefully declined, thankful for the gesture," Howell added.
Howell said Wednesday he was moved by a story in the Press-Telegram Tuesday in which Camp recalled the day of the robbery.
"I'm a firefighter and when something like this happens to one of our own we all do what we can to help," Howell explained.
Howell is hoping that he can help line up some good business for Camp once the married father of a 3-year-old girl is well enough to work. Howell is also hoping his efforts might lead to a reward for the man who has been lauded as a hometown hero.
So far, none of the banks believed to have been robbed by Lockwood have offered a reward, according to the FBI.
Camp was the first of two witnesses to try and stop the alleged gunman, Robert Gordon Lockwood, Friday morning.
Witnesses said Lockwood stormed the bank dressed in motorcycle leathers with two guns and several magazines filled with ammunition strapped to a vest.
Lockwood had pulled out a gun and pinned Camp against the counter dividing tellers from customers. When Camp tried to back away Lockwood became even more angry and irrational.
When Lockwood eventually turned his back towards Camp and started to vault over the counter, Camp grabbed Lockwood from behind and Lockwood began firing his gun into the air, over one shoulder and between his legs.
Hit in the volley of gunfire was the suspect, Camp and another bank customer, described as an older woman.
All three were expected to survive, police said.
"(Camp) is the nicest guy. I'm glad to have someone like him in my neighborhood and I think he deserves something for his sacrifice," Howell said Wednesday.
Howell encouraged anyone planning on doing any construction work to call Camp at his home-based business, Sequoia Construction, at 562-429-5586.
"I encourage all of you to at least give Rich a call to offer your support and thanks for his heroic actions. He told me that there are some blogs out there that (have) condemned his actions. This is the last thing a man in his position needs to think," Howell wrote.
Camp's neighbor also urged people to call the bank and ask that it consider a reward for Camp, and for another customer -- David Jones -- who helped Camp disarm the gunman and hold him until police arrived.

A 34-year-old Long Beach man accused of murder and drunk driving in the hit-and-run dragging death of a 1-year-old girl pleaded not guilty on for a second time Wednesday to all felony counts.
Neely Lejon Dinkins was ordered to stand trial last month for the the dragging death of 1-year-old Kaylee Alvarez last September, and the near killing of Kaylee's big brother, 2-year-old Oscar.
Disturbing testimony was given in the preliminary hearing for Dinkins, whose blood alcohol level measured nearly three times the legal limit at the time of his arrest.
He is accused of dragging Kaylee over a mile as her parents and passers-by screamed for him to stop.
The baby and her toddler brother were being pulled across Redondo Avenue at Tenth Street in a little red wagon by their parents at about 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 11, 2009.
Witnesses said a Dodge Durango, driven by Dinkins, slammed into the red plastic wagon and dragged the two children about a block before Dinkins' was stopped by Good Samaritan Ira Cohen.
When the SUV stopped, Oscar rolled out from under the vehicle landing at the Cohen's feet, Cohen testified. He snatched Oscar to safety as Dinkins sped off a second time, with little Kaylee still buckled inside the wagon, witnesses said.
Another good Samaritan followed the SUV as Dinkins wound his way around the neighborhood, dragging the baby for more than a mile before he stopped in the driveway of his girlfriend's home on Wilton Street, just off Redondo.
Throughout the incident, calls flooded the Long Beach Police Department's 911 center and officers swarmed the area, desperately searching for the SUV.
The single father is charged with five felony counts, including murder, gross vehicular manslaughter, driving under the influence causing injury or death to both Kaylee and Oscar and fleeing the scene of the accident.
An allegation of inflicting great bodily injury applies to a number of the counts and the defendant also has one strike on his record, all of which factored into his bail amount, set at $1.49 million.
Dinkins appeared Wednesday for a second arraignment, which is customary following all preliminary hearings. A A pre-trial conference was for April 13 in Dept. 9 of the Long Beach Superior Court.
Dinkins remains in custody in lieu of his bail.
[

A 17-year-old Lakewood youth pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a charge of murder for the shooting death of a 20-year-old Hawaiian Gardens man gunned down near El Dorado Park earlier this year.
The defendant, Tyrell Ainsworth, was arrested by Long Beach police in mid-February and charged with one count of murder and one count of personal use of a firearm.
Though he is a juvenile, prosecutors charged Ainsworth as an adult, which means he faces the possibility of life in prison without parole if convicted on all counts.
Ainsworth appeared briefly at the Long Beach Superior Court Wednesday, entering his not guilty plea and agreeing to waive time to have his preliminary hearing set for April 14.
The teen wore a Los Angeles County issued orange top and pants over what looked like sweats, a typical uniform for juvenile inmates.
Though he is being tried as an adult, Ainsworth must still be held at a juvenile detention center and he must be kept away from adult inmates, authorities explained.
Long Beach homicide investigators began looking into the case when the body of the victim, James Antonio Withers, was found in the 2300 block of Vuelta Grande Avenue around 1:05 a.m. on Feb. 7 after residents reported a person lying in the street.
The victim was shot in the upper body, police said.
The investigation found Withers and the suspect were acquaintances and that they had attended a function outside of Long Beach prior to the shooting.
The shooting happened after the two young men went to the Eastside neighborhood and got into an argument, police said.
Authorities declined to say what the argument was about or why the pair were in the normally quiet area just blocks from El Dorado Park.
Ainsworth, meanwhile, is being held at a county juvenile hall without bail while he awaits his trial.

A 51-year-old Long Beach man was formally charged in federal court Tuesday afternoon for the armed robbery of the Los Altos F&M Bank last week.
Robert Gordon Lockwood was transferred from local custody into federal custody Tuesday morning and was in the US District Court in Downtown Los Angeles for his initial appearance by 2 p.m., said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the US Attorney's Office.
"Lockwood was ordered detained," Mrozek said, noting that means Lockwood was not granted the opportunity for putting up bond.
The Signal Hill machine shop owner was ordered to return to the federal courthouse on March 23 for a preliminary hearing, and his arraignment was scheduled for March 29, Mrozek said.
A federal complaint was filed against Lockwood late Friday after he was taken into custody following the botched robbery at the F&M on Bellflower Boulevard at 23rd Street.
During the heist, witnesses said, Lockwood stormed the bank dressed in motorcycle leathers and wearing a ski-mask and motorcycle helmet, which was covered with red tape. In the parking lot was a sport motorcycle also covered with red tape.
Witnesses said the suspect was armed with two guns and several magazines filled with ammunition. He fired at least six shots after a customer tackled him.
The gunman hit that customer, Long Beach resident Richard Camp, and an older woman as well as himself while shooting wildly into the air, over his shoulder and in between his legs.
All three are expected to survive.
Once Camp had the robber on the ground a second customer, David Jones, ran over and helped Camp disarm the gunman and hold him until police arrived.
Community members have been clamoring ever since for the heroic pair to receive a reward, but FBI Spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said Tuesday no reward has been offered by F&M Bank or any other banks that federal authorities suspect Lockwood has hit throughout the last two years.
Lockwood has not yet been charged in connection with the other robberies -- dubbed the work of the "Sport Bike Bandit" for the suspect's use of a sport motorcycle covered in tape and his wearing riding gear.
The robberies began in July 25, 2008, and continued up until Jan. 26, 2010, including at least seven banks in Long Beach, Los Alamitos, Pasadena and Rancho Palos Verdes, according to the FBI.

In the town where Richard Camp grew up, neighbors pitched in and helped one another.
It was Temecula in the 1970s. Everybody knew one another; there was no big town anonymity, Camp says.
The community didn't have a full-time fire department, nor a police department.
"If there was a fire, we didn't call 911, we all pitched in to put it out," says the Cal State Long Beach grad. "They used an old air-raid siren ... We would all get out to dig fire lines."
The 39-year-old Long Beach man says it was that small town upbringing that kicked in Friday morning when he wrestled a bank robber, armed with two guns and packing enough ammunition to take on a cavalcade of police officers, to the floor of Camp's neighborhood Farmers and Merchants Bank branch on Bellflower Boulevard at 23rd Street.
"If I had been 40 or 50 feet away, I probably would have just stayed where I was, it would have more risky to run over and try something," Camp says.
But he wasn't that far away. The suspect was within point blank range and when he shouted at Camp and Camp tried to get down on the floor or move away, the suspect became even more angry, he says.
"I remember I felt like I was isolated, like I was on an island by myself," he recalls.
"(The gunman) was getting more agitated and I felt like I didn't want to leave my life in his hands. My best opportunity was to try and stop him rather than wait and see if he was going to let me go without shooting me or anyone else."
According to a criminal complaint filed late Friday by the U.S. Attorney's office and the FBI, the suspect - identified as 51-year-old Robert Gordon Lockwood of Long Beach - stormed into the bank shortly around 10:30 a.m. and brandished a gun, screaming obscenities while demanding money from customers and employees.
When Camp saw Lockwood prepare to vault over the counter that divides the tellers from customers, Camp grabbed the gunman, who fired several shots backward, in Camp's direction, the federal court document states.
The suspect then brought the gun over his left shoulder and opened fire and at one point, pointed the gun between his legs and fired rounds, with both Camp and the suspect falling to the floor, according to the document.
Once on the ground, Camp heard the gun click, as though Lockwood was pulling the trigger but the gun was empty. Camp then heard someone say the suspect had another gun, which Camp found on Lockwood's right hip. Camp grabbed that gun and tossed it away while asking for help to hold the gunman down, the document states.
It wasn't until Camp got up after police arrived, Camp says, that he realized he was hurt. At first, he just thought he injured his leg when he and the suspect fell.
"I took a few steps and said 'I think I've been shot,' he recalls, adding it didn't hurt as much as other injuries he has suffered, including sprains and broken bones.
The bullet, he says, entered his right thigh after it hit some coins and a key chain in his pocket.
That was fortunate, doctors told him, because it slowed the trajectory of the round and kept it from hitting his femoral artery, an injury that could have led to him bleeding to death in the bank within minutes.
Bits of change and part of the key ring, along with the bullet, remain in his leg. Those items may stay there for the rest of Camp's life if a surgeon deems it too risky to try to remove the foreign matter.
And Camp wasn't the only one hit.
As the suspect fired round after round from one gun, at least one bullet hit the gunman and another hit an older woman who was among the other customers inside the bank, Camp says.
"I was so worried when I heard the old lady had been shot, but she was such a trooper. She didn't shed one tear, she was like a veteran," he says, recalling the ambulance ride they shared to a local hospital.
Had she been more seriously hurt, he says, he would be devastated.
"I know a couple of people have been critical of me ... (but) the guy was acting so irrational I had to do something," Camp says. "I figured, better to do something and risk getting hurt than not do anything and be guaranteed you're going to get hurt, or maybe killed."
Camp had no idea at the time that the suspect might be a violent serial bank robber wanted by the FBI for at least two years, but when he heard later on about the suspect's possible criminal past it made him feel even better about his decision, Camp says.
Still, the general contractor says, he doesn't think what he did was all that different from what a lot of people would have done.
"It is nice to know that when my mettle was tested, I did what I've always thought I would," he says. "But any of my brothers would have done the same thing."
To look at Camp, most people would never guess what he went through. He laughs easily and doesn't seem traumatized in the least. After he was discharged from the hospital, he went back to the bank with his brother to pick up his truck and while there checked on the tellers and other customers who were still there to make sure they were OK.
Camp says he was slightly embarrassed to be thanked and congratulated by everyone so profusely, from police officers to the other people trapped inside the bank with him. He became a little teary when one of the tellers, who he knows by name, told him that several of the people inside the bank were on the floor praying for Camp as he struggled with the gunman.
"To know that in that moment, when they were so scared, they were able to think of me and pray for me, it made kind of misty," he said. "I had to wipe some dust from my eye."
After taking his truck home, Camp shared a beer with one of the other customers, David Jones, who helped him disarm and hold down the suspect. Camp then enjoyed a dinner of pizza with friends and family, where everyone joked about the situation.
"There were a few "Thank God you're healthy and thank God it wasn't worse,"' he says. "And I've had people coming over all weekend to have me tell them the story ... the mayor called me this morning."
Though he does limp a little, Camp isn't using crutches and he says he hopes he can get back to work soon.
"When I did it, I wasn't thinking about getting hurt and not being able to work and support my family," he says.
Since the construction business took a major hit with the floundering economy, times have been tight for the self-employed man.
"I started (Long Beach-based Sequoia Construction) in 2000, I've done it all myself and through word of mouth," he said. "I didn't advertise until 2007, when the economy started slowing down."
While the community has been clamoring for Camp and Jones both to get a reward, it is not clear if there will be one available, authorities said Monday.
Nonetheless, Camp says, if the situation were to happen again he wouldn't hesitate to help.
"Where I come from, if you see something wrong you do something about it," he says. "It doesn't make me special." 

[A 51-year-old Long Beach man charged with shooting up a Long Beach bank last week, striking two customers as well as himself, was expected to be transferred to federal custody Tuesday.
Robert Gordon Lockwood was under armed guard Monday at a local hospital, where he was being treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, said Nancy Pratt, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
Though authorities did not say where Lockwood was hit, several witnesses inside the bank said he shot himself in the elbow while unloading all the rounds in a revolver as a customer tackled him and took him to the ground.
That customer, Richard Camp, was hit, as was another customer, identified only as an older woman.
By Friday night, federal authorities had already filed a criminal complaint against Lockwood -- charging him with the armed robbery at Farmers and Merchants Bank, at 2302 N. Bellflower Blvd. -- and served a search warrant at Lockwood's machine shop -- CNCSWISS Micro Precision Machining -- in Signal Hill, said Thom Mrozek, a U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman.
According to the court filing, Lockwood waived his Miranda rights when he was arrested by Long Beach police and confessed to an officer that he carried out the hold-up because he "had problems paying his mortgage and had tax problems," according to filing.
His wife, Pamela Lockwood, also told investigators that she and her husband were having financial problems, and said her husband sometimes slept at his shop, according to the document, written by FBI Special Agent Timothy Alon.
Pamela Lockwood declined an interview with the Press-Telegram Monday, but she did say she and her husband had been struggling financially.
"I've been through a lot in the last few days," she said, explaining why she couldn't talk and starting to cry. "I love my husband so much."
According to the court documents, Robert Lockwood told the officer had been convicted of robbery before and served six years behind bars, though he was not on probation or parole.
"Lockwood also said that he kept the items he used for the robberies such as his gun and motorcycle at 'the machine shop.' The officer asked if Lockwood had used the helmet in other robberies, but Lockwood declined to answer and asked for his attorney," the court document states.
The other robberies referred to in the federal documents are a series of stick-ups dating back two years in Long Beach, Los Alamitos, Pasadena and Rancho Palos Verdes.
The suspect in those crimes was dubbed the "Sport Bike Bandit" for his use of a sport motorcycle and for wearing a motorcycle helmet and other riding gear in seven robberies starting on July 25, 2008, and continuing up until Jan. 26, 2010.
Though Lockwood is at this time charged only with Friday's robbery, federal authorities can still amend the charge to include the other cases, said Laura Eimiller, an FBI spokeswoman, last week.
"We believe he is the suspect in the other cases but we can't say with 100 percent certainty until the investigation is complete," she said Friday.
The methods used in the bandit's cases were the same as those used during Friday's robbery. And the motorcycle and helmet worn by the suspect appeared to be the same used in the prior crimes, she said.
According to the federal court document, Lockwood entered the bank Friday wearing a "red motorcycle helmet with a clear mask, ... a leather jacket, blue jeans, gloves, and a white hooded mask underneath the helmet."
He yelled obscenities and threatened to shoot one customer, Richard Camp, while brandishing his gun. When Camp tried to stop the suspect, Lockwood brought the gun down and "fired 2-3 shots down and backwards at Camp in an attempt to free himself. Camp attempted to dodge the rounds, and Lockwood then brought the gun up and fired rounds backwards over his left shoulder. Lockwood then brought the gun down again and fired backwards between his legs," the court document states.
Vibol Muk, who moved his machine shop into the space next door to Lockwood's business about two months ago, said he was shocked to see federal agents swarming the Signal Hill complex Friday.
"I looked out the window and saw the FBI and I was like 'what the ----," Muk said.
"They told me they were there for him, he did a robbery and I was little worried at first," he said. "I asked them if he was still out and should I be worried. Should I, you know, get out of there."
Prior to that, Muk said, he never would have thought Lockwood was violent. The two would talk while working behind their businesses and Muk often saw Lockwood taking a break to smoke a cigarette outside the front door of his shop, where Lockwood kept dishes to feed stray cats.
Lockwood talked about jobs he had booked and was recently very happy to have a long-time customer come back to him with more work, Muk recalled.
The 51-year-old Long Beach resident worked alone in his shop, Muk said.
On Monday, Lockwood's shop was locked with the lights off. On the inside of the glass door handle hung set of bells decorated red, white and blue. On a desk was a pile of paper work.
"He seemed like a nice guy," Muk said with a laugh. "But that's what everyone says, right?"

Three people were shot Friday morning after an armed gun man dressed in motorcycle leathers stormed an East Long Beach bank in an attempted robbery.
Witnesses to the shooting at the Farmers and Merchants Bank on Bellflower Boulevard near 23rd Street described the gunman as something like a character in a Mad Max film, saying he was dressed in black motorcycle leathers and wearing a motorcycle helmet covered in red tape.
Only the clear visor showed and his face was completely obscured, witnesses said.
Parked outside the bank was a sport cycle also completely covered in the same red tape.
Customer David Jones said he was talking to the bank manager shortly before 10:30 a.m. when he saw the man walk in and immediately knew something bad was about to happen.
"When I couldn't see his face I knew right then something was very wrong with the guy," Jones said.
As Jones said that to the manager the manager agreed and hit a silent alarm, Jones said.
That is also when the gunman lifted a handgun into the air and "started dropping F-bombs."
The suspect robbed a customer at gunpoint then turned to a crowd of people lined up at the teller's desk.
One of the bank's customers tackled the gunman, causing the would-be robber to fall face first to the floor with his arms pinned beneath him, Jones said.
That is when the first shot rang out Jones said. He estimated that as many as six shots may have been fired.
That is also when Jones realized that the gunman had two weapons on him and had ammunition belts filled with bullets strapped across his chest.
As the gunman was tackled the bullets spilled out across the floor, Jones.
"I kicked one gun away and I reached in and pulled the other weapon way and tossed it under a nearby desk," Jones said.
One gun looked like a .45-caliber semi-automatic and the other looked like a .38 revolver, Jones said.
He thought the gunman was shot in the elbow and the man who initially tackled the suspect was hit in the thigh.
Police said Friday that three people were shot during the attempted armed robbery.
During the hold-up several shots were fired, Massacani said. Hit by the gunfire were two witnesses and the suspect, she said.
"All of this happened before our officers arrived," Massacani said.
Customers and employees inside the Noah's Bagel shop, located across the parking lot from the bank, said they either didn't hear the shots, or thought the popping sound was something more benign, like a tray dropping or a car backfiring.
"I didn't click," said Noah's employee Danielle Mott.
She did hear "one shot vividly," Mott said, describing the sound as a popping noise.
But it wasn't until police swarmed the bank about four minutes later, filling the parking lot and obscuring the bank, that Noah's customers and employees realized something terrible had happened, Mott said.
"The customers were getting excited and people started to panic," she said.
After police arrived they locked down all the businesses on the corner lot and would not let anyone leave for several hours. People inside the bagel shop then watched as police escorted people from the bank one-by-one as a helicopter buzzed overhead, Mott said.
Mott saw one man taken out on a stretcher holding his leg with a large bandage wrapped around his thigh.
Mott's co-worker, Alonna Martinez, said they heard from customers that the bank's security guard, who they all know only as Frank, was also shot during the botched robbery.
That upset the staff at Noah's, who said the guard not only watched over the bank but was equally protective of the staff and Noah's and would always make sure employees got to their cars safely at night.
"Frank takes care of us," said Martinez, adding that she and her co-workers were worried about him and hoped he would be OK.
Massacani said it wasn't clear Friday afternoon who fired the shots and she would not confirm witness reports about the customers tackling and disarming the gunman, or the security guard getting shot.
The bank did have security on staff, but police had not yet confirmed if they were armed, Massacani said.
The bank's security guards were able to hold down the suspect until officers arrived, she said.
All three of the people shot are expected to survive, she added.
Long Beach Police and FBI agents were still investigating the shooting at 2:30 p.m. Friday afternoon. About two dozen police cars filled the bank's parking lot -- which sits at 2211 N. Bellflower Blvd., just north of the Los Altos Shopping Center -- and officers shut down parts of 23rd Street and Bellflower Boulevard to traffic immediately after the incident.
The roads were open to traffic by 1:30 p.m.
The FBI released photos last month of a bank robber, dubbed the "sport motorcycle bandit" wanted for a serious of armed robberies at banks in Long Beach, Los Alamitos and Rancho Palos Verdes from 2008 through January of this year.
That suspect had taken at least one hostage during a heist and was considered armed and dangerous.
Authorities could not confirm Friday if the suspect in Friday's heist was the same suspect the FBI has been tracking for the last two years.
While Jones talked to a crush of print and broadcast reporters, his wife, Abbey, and his 5-year-old daughter, Sophia, watched.
They were not at the bank with Jones at the time of the shooting but were close by at a relative's home.
"I'm going to tell (her friends) my daddy's a hero," when she gets to school Monday, Sophia proudly said.
Abbey said it was both unfortunate that her husband had to go to through the harrowing ordeal, and fortunate that he was able to intercede without getting hurt.
"Drama follows him," she said.
Jones added that the real hero of the day was the first customer to tackle the gunman.
"If he hadn't jumped on him I probably wouldn't have done what I did," Jones said.

An armed robbery suspect was reported down and taken to a local hospital Friday morning.
The incident began at about 10:30 a.m. at the Farmers and Merchants Bank, 2211 N. Bellflower Blvd., in East Long Beach.
The suspect was reported injured and in custody shortly after 11:30 a.m. Police would not confirm if he was shot, but did say he had been seriously injured and was taken to a hospital.
It appeared as though the man tried to hold up the F&M Bank, which sits north of the Los Altos Shopping Center, and was either stopped by a security guard or responding police officers.
Department spokeswoman Lisa Massacani confirmed that the suspect was injured, but would not say if he was shot. She said the wouldbe robber is expected to survive.
More information is expected shortly.

I know makeup is expensive, but this seems a little extreme.
Reporter Eric Michael Stitt at The Beach Reporter in Manhattan Beach writes that a robber who stocked up cosmetics in the illegal fashion at a Hermosa Beach pharmacy last month was tracked to Long Beach and arrested Wednesday.
After allegedly stealing the makeup and dashing out of the CVS pharmacy at 711 Pier Ave., Ceasar Corona, 32, then backed up into a store employee who followed him into the parking lot shortly after 4 p.m. on Feb 26. The store clerk wasn't seriously hurt and was quick enough to jot down the license plate number on the getaway car before the suspect sped off, said Hermosa Beach Police Officer Mick Gaglia.
Another citizen who saw the altercation also followed Corona and wrote down the plate number before losing sight of him in Redondo Beach, Gaglia said.
CVS declined to comment on the crime, stating it was against company policy.
But HBPD detectives said Wednesday they found Corona at his home in Long Beach. While officers were searching his 2006 gold Chrysler Sebring, Corona helpfully offered, "The items you're looking for are in the black bag."
Gaglia said Corona also had a "specific list for cosmetics that matched the items reported stolen from CVS and ultimately recovered from his vehicle."
Corona was booked on a charge including a single count of robbery and a count of theft.

It appears as though a 19-year-old Long Beach man charged with felony hit-and-run in the near killing of a prominent local lawyer is considering a deal that would see him receive probation in exchange for a guilty or no contest plea.
Joshua Gasser is accused of running down one of his California Heights neighbors, Lynda Vitale, and the 60-year-old's German Shepherd, Maggie, then fleeing the scene last December.
Gasser was discovered in January by the victim's daughter, Athena Alfaro, after she spotted Gasser's car driving near her mother's house while Vitale was in the hospital. Alfaro noticed the car matched the description of a blue Volkswagen seen in the area by neighbors who heard Vitale's screams and her dogs yelps after the pair were hit, then left bleeding in the roadway of 36th Street and Myrtle Avenue.
William Bruzzo, the attorney for the accused, appeared in the Long Beach Superior Court early Thursday, well ahead of the next scheduled court appearance. He told Long Beach Superior Court Judge Arthur Jean that his client wanted to change his not guilty plead in exchange for a promise of probation.
Jean nixed the idea of having the plea heard Thursday morning after a prosecutor pointed out that the victim had hoped to attend the next court date, which was orginally scheduled for March 19. The last-minute change of plans made it impossible for Vitale, who has been hospitalized from the time of the crash throughout February, to be there.

Vitale, a respected defense attorney who helped launch the City Prosecutor's Domestic Violence Unit, had made it about halfway through the unmarked crosswalk around 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 15 when she was hit so suddenly and so violently that she "never even saw what hit her," police said.

Her daughter was at court last month for a preliminary hearing setting and said that Vitale was still in the hospital and was making a very slow recovery.

Vitale suffered extensive injuries - including lacerations on her face, two broken and dislocated shoulders, a fractured elbow, a fractured pelvis and a fractured leg. She underwent several surgeries following the incident and is expected to remain in the hospital for at least another two to three weeks.

Her neighbors never heard the crash or a screech of brakes, but they came running when they heard Vitale's screams and her dog's yelps. Vitale's German shepherd, Maggie, suffered similar injuries, including a broken leg and fractured pelvis.

Maggie is also recovering and is even starting to use her badly hurt back leg, Alfaro said in February.

Vitale is highly regarded for her work as a defense attorney and as a prosecutor.

She worked many years as a public defender specializing in cases of women charged with attacking their spouses or boyfriends after years of abuse.

That led Vitale to get a job at the Long Beach City Prosecutor's Office, where she started its Domestic Violence Unit and prosecuted abusers.

She was working as a private-practice defense attorney and served as a bar panel attorney, handling many local cases for local defendants unable to afford representation, at the time of the incident.

Gasser lives just a few doors down from Vitale with his parents. He allegedly told his father that he had been involved in a crash but said nothing of Vitale or the hit- and-run, sources said.

The bumper was changed on the car when police arrested Gasser and impounded the vehicle. However, there were still signs of damage to the car's front end and evidence was recovered from the vehicle, police said in January.

A 65-year-old Long Beach man died Wednesday after he was crushed beneath his car, which fell off a jack stand while he was working on the vehicle, police said Thursday.
The victim, Benny Roundtree Sr., was working on his 1989 BMW 750 IL in a parking lot in the 1400 block of East 16th Street when the accident happened, said Sgt. Dina Zapalski, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
Police were called to the area at about 3 p.m. after passers-by noticed Roundtree beneath the car and ran to his side. Working together, the good Samaritans were able to lift the heavy sedan off the victim, Zapalski said Thursday.
Long Beach Fire Department paramedics tried to treat the man but he was already dead and pronounced at the scene, she said.
"We don't know how long he was under there before people noticed," Zapalski added.
The incident remains under investigation, Zapalski said.
Anyone with information is asked to call detectives in the Accident Investigation Detail, at 562-570-7355.

LONG BEACH -- The search for Long Beach's new fire chief is officially on.
Although former Long Beach Fire Chief Dave Ellis announced his retirement back in October the city did not post the job until Wednesday night.
Debbie Mills, acting director of the city's Human Resources Department, said late Wednesday the application was complete and available at the city's Web site, www.longbeach.gov, under the employment listing.
Asked why it took so long to post the position and Mills said there were no major hurdles, but noted the city wanted to make sure the wording in the application -- done with the Los Angeles-based Teri Black & Co. search firm -- was correct and that City Manager Pat West wanted to make the police chief selection before embarking on choosing the next fire chief.
"There's been a lot going on and we wanted to focus on one thing at a time," Mills said Wednesday.
The application states candidates need to be able to work within a budget crunch and think outside of the box when dealing with financial issues.
Among the other criteria for candidates are:
Applicants should hold the rank of battalion chief or above in a metropolitan municipal fire Department in California serving a population of 250,000 or more.
A bachelor's degree is preferred, though experience and other education will be considered.
And having worked in a coastal area is a plus.
The salary will be determined by the candidate's qualifications and experience, though the city notes the mid-point of the current salary range is $171,000 annually.
Applicants have to hurry, however, because the application process is open only until midnight on March 21.
"It's a quick turn-around," Mills acknowledged. "Our goal is to have a fire chief selected by next month."
Though Ellis announced his retirement plans in October his last official day on the job wasn't until Dec. 31.
Since his departure, and during a medical leave prior to Ellis' retirement, the fire department's three deputy fire chiefs -- Mike Garcia, Alan Patalano and Jeff Reeb -- have shared the burden of running the department that includes 553 full-time employees and a budget of $90 million annually.
A number of the firefighters on the floor said they hope the selection will be made internally, though the process has not been as fraught with suspicion as the city's recent decision to hire an outside candidate for police chief.
Rich Brandt, president of the Long Beach Firefighters Association, said Tuesday he was told the posting for the job would be released some time this week.
"I've been waiting with baited breath," he said, adding that he would like very much for the job to go to an internal candidate.
Mills noted the backlash in the selection process for the police chief indirectly by saying she felt the search for the fire chief would be relatively fast.
That job opening was initially posted as one for internal candidates only with West changing the parameters to include outside candidates after the original filing deadline had passed and after several internal candidates had applied.
"We're anticipating this one will go smoothly," Mills said.

Long Beach police are searching for two suspects who carried out a car-jacking early Tuesday and nearly shot a man, the second car-jacking and second shooting reported in as many days in the city.
So far, none of the armed robberies appear to be related, said Sgt. Dina Zapalski, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
The most recent incident was reported at about 2 a.m. in an alley in the 2200 block of Lewis Avenue Tuesday.
The victim said he was waiting in the area for a friend when two men walked up to him and one of them, armed with a gun, began to "order the victim around," Zapalski said.
"During the incident an altercation occurred and shots were fired," the sergeant said.
No one, however, was hit by the gunfire, she said.
The victim ran from the area and the suspects left in the victim's black 2004 Chevy Monte Carlo, Zapalski said.
The gunman and his accomplice -- both of whom were described as black, about 5 feet, 6 inches to 5 feet, 7 inches tall, in their mid 20s and 140 to 150 pounds each -- remained at large Wednesday.
Also at large were two to three suspects who carried out a home invasion robbery and car-jacking late Monday in the 100 block of West 48th Street, stealing the family's computer, cash and a 2006 green two-door Chevy Impala.
Two of the suspects, both armed with guns, forced their way into the family's home at about 11 p.m.
The gunmen are both described as black, in their 20s, about 5 feet, 9 inches tall and about 170 pounds each, Zapalski said.
No description was available for the possible third suspect who may have been waiting outside, she said.
And a gun tooting teenager was on the loose after holding a man up near 19th Street and Pasadena Avenue at 2 a.m. Tuesday, police said.
Officers were looking for that suspect after he fired two shots at a man, missing the target both times. The gunman also pistol-whipped the victim in the face before taking off with the victim's cash, cell phone and other personal items.
That victim as treated at the scene by paramedics for wounds to his face.
That suspect is described Hispanic in his teens, about 5 feet, 4 inches to 5 feet, 6 inches tall, and 130 to 140 pounds.
Anyone with information about any of the incidents is urged to call the Robbery Detail, at 562-570-7464.

A re-trial of the sanity phase for a 25-year-old Lakewood woman convicted of stabbing one neighbor to death and slashing three other women in 2006 remains in limbo, court authorities said Wednesday.

Attorneys on both sides of the case of defendant Virginia Ann Krall appeared at the Norwalk Superior Court Wednesday for a pre-trial conference, which was postponed until April. There is no word yet on when the re-trial might be held, court staff said.

Krall was convicted last August of second-degree murder for the 2006 slaying of Yolanda Meraz, 37. She was also found guilty on three counts of attempted murder for attacking Meraz's daughter, sister and mother.

In addition to the murder counts, Krall was found guilty of multiple allegations that the attacks on the survivors resulted in great bodily injury and the personal use of a weapon in the stabbings.

Authorities said Krall crept through an open window at her neighbors' home in the 4300 block of Quigley Avenue at about 3 a.m. June 16, 2006, and stabbed Meraz to death.

Krall then turned the 12-inch knife that she had found in Meraz's kitchen on the dead woman's daughter, who was 18 at the time, the victim's sister and the victim's mother.

The same jury that convicted Krall was reconvened for a penalty phase, which is used to decide whether a defendant is criminally insane and should be sent to a state hospital or sentenced to prison time.

That jury deadlocked 11-to-1 in favor of insanity

A new jury is to be culled for the re-trial of the sanity phase only, officials have said.

Krall, who has remained jailed since her arrest the day of the slaying, is scheduled to return to Dept. J at the Norwalk Superior Court on April 28.

The Associated Press is reporting Wednesday that authorities are searching for a teenager suspected of shooting three members of a family in Compton, including a 10-year-old girl.
According to Lt. Henry Saucedo of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the girl was in stable condition early Wednesday. A 17-year-old boy and 45-year-old man wounded in the shooting also were in stable condition after surgery.
Saucedo said the three were playing basketball when they were shot at about 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Authorities believe the shooter and one of the victims are gang members, Saucedo said.
Neither the suspect's age or identity, or the victims' names were released.

City News Service is reporting a 17-year-old boy was arrested at Narbonne High
School in Harbor City on suspicion of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl, also a student.
The arrest on the campus along Western Avenue at 243rd Street was made shortly after 10 a.m. Monday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
"So far, the investigation has shown the encounter to be an isolated incident between two
individuals and not part of a trend or serial-related," a police spokesman said.
The suspect's name was withheld because he is a minor.
Police were expected Wednesday to hand the case over to juvenile prosecutors with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office in Long Beach.

A 30-year-old Long Beach man accused of slashing his girlfriend's 7-year-old son to death while trying to kill her as well as ordered Monday to stand trial for the slaying and stabbings.

Peniamina Tomasi is charged with murder and attempted murder for the Jan. 8 attack that killed 7-year-old Felix Sandoval and that left Sandoval's mother with multiple slash wounds.

The accused was arrested Jan. 8, after police responded to the apartment complex in the 500 block of East Pleasant Street following reports of an injured woman screaming, "He's killing my son."

The bleeding and near-hysterical woman directed police to a man standing in the doorway of a nearby apartment, but the man closed the door and locked it before officers could come inside.

Officers forced their way in and found Tomasi and the 7-year-old boy, who had been stabbed repeatedly. The child was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at a local emergency room, police said.

Police said Tomasi and his 27-year-old girlfriend lived in the apartment with Felix and seven other children, ranging in age from 4 months old to 10 years old. The couple each have three children of their own and two young girls together, neighbors said.

Neighbors said the couple, though they lived in a cramped two-bedroom apartment, seemed happy and were never heard fighting before Friday's incident.

One neighbor said the woman and her children moved into the North Long Beach apartment near Atlantic Avenue and Del Amo Boulevard about two years ago and that Tomasi moved in with his children a year later.

Authorities said there were no records of any other major incidents at that apartment unit within the past two years

Tomasi was ordered to return to the Long Beach Superior Court on March 16th for his second arraignment. He is being held in the Men's Central Jail in Los Angeles in lieu of $2 million bail.

Long Beach police are searching for two or three armed suspects who forced their into a North Long Beach home late Monday, taking money, electronics and a car from a local family, authorities said Tuesday.
Police were called to the victim's home, in the 100 block of West 48th Street, at about 11 p.m., said Sgt. Dina Zapalski, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
The suspects were able to force their way into the home after one of the residents heard a noise outside and opened the front door to investigate, Zapalski said.
That is when two men, both armed with guns, pushed their way inside the home and forced everyone onto the ground, she said.
A third suspect is believed to have been waiting outside, but was not seen, the sergeant said.
The suspects demanded the family's property and took a computer, cash, personal items and a 2006 green two-door Chevy Impala, the sergeant said.
No one was hurt, Zapalski said.
As of Tuesday night the car and other items had not been recovered and the suspects remained at large, she said.
The two armed men who were inside the home were both described as black, in their 20s, about 5'9" tall and about 170 pounds, Zapalski said.
There was no description available for the possible third suspect.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call detectives in the Robbery Detail, at 562-570-7464.

A 28-year-old Long Beach man narrowly escaped serious injury when he tried to take on a gun-toting teen early Tuesday.
Police were called to the area of 19th Street and Pasadena Avenue at about 2 a.m. after the suspect was robbed at gun point, pistol-whipped and nearly shot, said Sgt. Dina Zapalski, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
The victim told officers he was walking in the area when the suspect walked up to him and began asking him questions.
"He apparently didn't like the answers," Zapalski said, adding that the suspect then pulled out a gun and ordered the victim to "give him everything and anything he had."
During the incident, the suspect hit the victim in the face with the gun and the victim gave up several items, including a cell phone and cash, Zapalski said.
At one point the victim grabbed the gun and a struggle ensued. The suspect was able to regain control of the gun and fired a round that did not hit the victim, Zapalski said.
When the victim tried to run from the suspect a second shot was fired but also missed the victim, who was treated at the scene by Long Beach Fire Department paramedics for wounds on his face caused when he was hit with the gun, Zapalski said.
As of Tuesday night the suspect -- described as Hispanic, in his teens, about 5'4" to 5'6" and 130 to 140 pounds -- remained at large, Zapalski said.
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to call the LBPD Robbery Detail at 562-570-7464.

A 21-year-old alleged gang member accused of gunning down a Narbonne High School football standout at a Compton restaurant last May pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a murder charge.
Arlon Watson is charged with first degree murder for the May 24, 2009, slaying of 18-year-old Dannie Farber Jr., an All-City wide receiver who was shot four times while having dinner with his girlfriend at Louisiana Fried Chicken,  1950 W. Rosecrans Ave.
Watson allegedly approached Farber and asked him his gang affiliation, then shot him after the victim replied that he did not "gang-bang."
The murder charge includes an allegation that the crime was  committed to benefit the defendant's alleged gang.
Watson was arrested Jan. 27 by Los Angeles County Sheriff's homicide detectives and charged Feb. 1 with the slaying. He is due back in Compton Superior Court on March 26, to schedule his preliminary hearing, according to court staff.
If convicted on all counts, Watson faces up to 50 years to life in state prison.