Suspect Killed After Church Bingo Robbery

An 18-year-old Granada Hills man who allegedly helped steal $5,000 from a church bingo game was killed as he fled--struck by a car driven by a pursuing parishioner and also hit by a bullet apparently fired by another robber--police said Monday.

It was not yet known which killed him, police said.

The dead man, whose name was not made public pending notification of his family, lived within walking distance of St. John Baptist De La Salle, the Catholic church in Granada Hills where he and two others grabbed the proceeds from the weekly parish bingo game about 11:15 p.m. Sunday, police said.

A church member was taking the money from the social hall to another church building when one of the three robbers grabbed the cash out of his hands and ran, Los Angeles Police Sgt. Tom Broad said.

A second church member, James Zeigler, 46, of Granada Hills, was waiting nearby in a car and saw the theft, Broad said. Zeigler drove after the three men, who started shooting at him.

“He ducked (below the dashboard for cover) and the vehicle continued going,” said Broad. “Then the individual fell down and the man drove over him.”

“I just thought it was some kids and I was trying to frighten them into dropping the money,” Zeigler said in a telephone interview. “I never saw any guns until they started shooting at me.”

Zeigler said that as bullets punctured the back and side windows of his car, he gripped the wheel and accelerated to escape.

“I knew I had hit something, but didn’t know what it was,” he said. “I didn’t know someone was dead out there until later, after the police arrived.”

Police said the dead man was also struck in the chest by a bullet during the gunfire.

“We won’t know whether the bullet killed him or the car did until after the autopsy,” Broad said.

Police found a handgun near the dead man, but say at least one other gun was also used in the robbery.

The two other men escaped with the money.

Police said they believe that the dead man was a gang member.

“I don’t think this was a crime of opportunity,” Broad said. “I would guess they planned this ahead of time.”

Church administrators said this was the first trouble at their weekly bingo game, which is held Sundays from about 2 until 9:30 p.m.

“The loss of any life is tragic to us,” said Vicki Lee, principal of the St. John Baptist De La Salle School, which receives the game’s profits. “. . . We want to make sure people know that bingo had already been closed and it was not during school time.”

Lee and Father Mike Slattery said the bingo game will continue but the church is considering hiring guards.

Times staff writer Abigail Goldman contributed to this story.