| KEVIN BERTALOTTO SENIOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGATOR OF STANISLAUS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY WORKING ON THE LACI PETERSON CASE ************ Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2000 2 officers shot in Modesto, CA Suspect dies, cops wounded in shootout Two Modesto police officers were critically injured and a suspect was killed Friday during a shootout at a jewelry store. Three accomplices escaped in a getaway car with a woman at the wheel. Detective Kevin Bertalotto, 41, was shot six times at close range inside the store. Officer Chuck Cahoone, 34, was shot once in the abdomen. Both officers underwent surgery in Modesto hospitals, police spokesman Kelly Huston said. Bertalotto, father of three and a 13-year veteran of the Modesto police force, was in serious but stable condition Friday night. Cahoone, a five-year veteran with a wife and two children, was in stable condition. Police do not know the identity of the suspect killed at thescene, Huston said. He was a man believed to be in his 40s carrying a 9mm semiautomatic handgun. Police continued to search for a woman and two men believed to have escaped from the scene in a 1990 or 1991 black Chevrolet with red molding, Huston said. The car, with a California license plate starting with "2T'', has a luggage rack or spoiler on the trunk. The woman is believed to be in her 30s and the two men in their 40s, both wearing thick mustaches. Police detained a woman and impounded a car matching the description that was found in Patterson, 20 miles southwest of Modesto. **** Miguel Peralta Torres (41) was killed during a robbery at a jewelry store. 3 people escaped the scene. Police later arrested Miguel's sister Socorro Peralta Torres (42). ***************** Two arrested in jewelery store shootout Saturday, January 15, 2000 A man and woman were arrested Saturday in connection with a gun battle at a Modesto jewelry store that left one man dead and two policemen seriously wounded. Authorities identified the dead man as Miguel P. Torres, 41, of Patterson. He is the brother of Socorro Peralta Torres, a woman who was taken into custody late Friday after police found the getaway car parked outside her Patterson home. Modesto police spokesman Kelly Huston said Miguel Torres had previous convictions in San Diego for armed robbery, grand theft and vehicle theft -- all in 1992. He also was convicted of drunken driving. Early Saturday, Leobardo Guerrero, 36, a Mexican citizen, was arrested at a home in Planada. Huston said police and Merced Sheriff's deputies found Guerrero after talking with Torres. Huston said the man was "passed out" inside the Amistad Street home and had a loaded handgun in his hands. Guerrero has a 1995 conviction in San Diego for possession of marijuana for sale. A second man, identified only as Carlos, still was being sought Saturday afternoon. He is described as Hispanic, 5-feet-6 to 5-feet-7 inches tall with a thin to medium build. Police believe the man is trying to make his way to Mexico. Huston said he is believed to be driving a red 1980s Chevy Luv pickup with an awkwardly fitted black camper shell. The truck has Baja Mexico license plates. Modesto police Detective Kevin Bertalotto and officer Chuck Cahoone remained in "serious but stable" condition Saturday afternoon. Bertalotto was hit six times at point-blank range. Cahoone was shot once in the abdomen. "I certainly hope my officers are going to be OK," Modesto Police Chief Floyd Sanderson said Saturday. "We're really hopeful they will recover as quickly as possible and return back to work." The name of a third officer involved in the shootout was released Saturday. The officer, who was not injured, is identified as patrol officer Stephen Hinkley, 27, who has worked for the department for three years. ***************** TWO YEARS LATER, DETECTIVE KEVIN BERTOLOTTO RETIRED FROM THE MODESTO POLICE DEPARTMENT, AFTER 15 YEARS OF SERVICE *************** HOME INDEX THE BEGINNING SEARCHES OF BAY ATTORNEYS COURT DATES EVIDENCE & STORIES ALIBI-WITNESS LIST AMBER SCOTT PETERSON FAMILY WIRETAPS MAPS |
| LACI & CONNER OUR WARMEST RAYS OF SUNSHINE |
 |
 |
|
|
|