Hollywood tattoo parlor worker killed
Police say he was shot to death by an off-duty deputy U.S. marshal after intervening in an argument between the agent and his wife.
By Andrew Blankstein and Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
March 7, 2008
An off-duty deputy U.S. marshal shot and killed an armed employee at a Hollywood tattoo parlor after the man intervened in a dispute between the agent and his wife, police said Thursday.
The shooting was reported shortly before midnight Wednesday in an alley behind the 7300 block of Melrose Avenue after a fight between Ryan Daniel Gonzalez, 26, of Ontario and the marshal, whose name was withheld pending the outcome of the investigation, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement.
Gonzalez, who was shot at several times, died of his injuries after being taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
The marshal was not arrested in the shooting but was later booked on suspicion of domestic battery, police said. He was treated for serious injuries after allegedly being punched in the head repeatedly by Gonzalez, police said.
Officials with the U.S. Marshals Service in Los Angeles had no comment on the investigation by the LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division, nor would they divulge the status of the marshal. But the incident marked the second time in three days that one of the service's agents had been involved in a fatal shooting.
A deputy marshal who was on a protective detail for a police official from Belize fatally shot the so-called skeleton bandit Tuesday in North Hollywood amid a robbery at an auto parts store. That suspect was armed with a butcher knife when he crossed paths with the on-duty marshal.
Thursday's case unfolded as the off-duty marshal was arguing with his wife in an alley near Melrose and Poinsettia Street and the woman shouted for help, police said. The marshal allegedly knocked a hat off his wife's head. Gonzalez, who worked at the nearby tattoo parlor, went to the woman's aid, police said.
The men began shouting at each other and Gonzalez allegedly brandished a handgun, police said. He reportedly then grabbed the marshal and began punching him in the head while pointing the gun at him. Eventually, the marshal broke free and identified himself as a law enforcement official before firing several shots at Gonzalez.
Los Angeles County Superior Court records indicate that Gonzalez had been convicted of multiple felonies and two misdemeanors since 2000.
In 2000, he was convicted of driving a car without the owner's consent and was sentenced to 180 days in jail. The same year, he was convicted of underage drinking and a misdemeanor weapons possession charge. In 2001, he got 16 months for carrying a dirk or dagger, and two years later he was sentenced to another 16 months for being a felon in possession of a firearm after a concealed and loaded weapon was found in his vehicle. In 2004, he got 29 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a felon.
The marshal was interviewed by detectives and booked at the LAPD's Hollywood Division station. Police said the case will be presented to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office for possible criminal charges.
andrew.blankstein@ latimes.com