2 Other Cars Hit in Van Nuys : Suspect Steers Auto at Officers, Is Shot in Leg

Two Los Angeles police officers opened fire on a suspected car thief Friday when he attempted to run them down in a stolen car, authorities said.

After the 6 a.m. shooting on Archwood Street in Van Nuys, the suspect--who was shot in the leg--sped to the nearby intersection of Balboa Boulevard and Vanowen Street and crashed into two other cars, police said.

Lawrence W. Fairchild, 42, got out of the car and started running, but was captured at a nearby service station by officers responding to a police call for help, authorities said.

Fairchild was taken to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition late Friday.

Fairchild, who had been living in a bus, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. An investigation into other charges is continuing, authorities said.

George Moore, 51, one of the officers who shot at Fairchild, and the drivers of the two other cars were treated for minor injuries, authorities said.

Officer Margie Reid said Moore and his partner, Stephen Vanveen, 28, had received a tip that Fairchild was in possession of a stolen car and could be found sleeping in the bus near Balboa Boulevard. The officers were told that he was armed and had threatened to shoot a police officer, she said.

About three hours later, the officers spotted the 1978 Ford, with the bus parked behind it, in the 16800 block of Archwood Street, Reid said. They determined through a license-plate check that the car had been stolen in January.

The officers drove a short distance and were about to set up a stakeout when they saw Fairchild come out of the bus and get into the stolen car, Reid said. The officers radioed for assistance and drove to a spot across the street from the stolen vehicle, Reid said.

The officers took cover behind the open doors of the patrol car before ordering Fairchild to surrender. Reid said Fairchild then drove toward the officers.

Moore, fearing he might be hit by the car, fired three shotgun blasts while Vanveen fired 11 times with his handgun, Reid said. Several shots hit the stolen car’s windshield and body. Reid said the car crashed into the patrol car, momentarily pinning Moore on the driver’s side.

Fairchild then drove to Balboa and Vanowen, about a block away, where the car struck two other cars and came to a halt.

Police later found a pistol in the stolen car and an assault rifle in the bus where Fairchild had been living.

It was not immediately known which officer shot Fairchild, police said.