Deputy's Death Sparks Fiery Standoff

Sept. 1 -- Investigators presume that a gunman suspected of killing a sheriff's deputy during a shootout in a quiet Los Angeles suburb on Friday is dead after barricading himself inside a home that burned down.

Deputy Jake Kuredjian was shot as he tried to serve Martin Beck a warrant for his arrest at his Santa Clarita, Calif., home at 8:30 a.m. on Friday. After shooting Kuredjian, authorities said, Beck barricaded himself in his home and fired at officers during negotiations for a peaceful surrender.

Almost four hours after the standoff began, a fire broke out in the home. Fire crews rushed to the scene, but police did not let them get close at first out of fear that Beck would start shooting at them. Fire trucks concentrated on hosing down neighboring homes to prevent the blaze from spreading.

It was still unclear whether Beck torched the house himself or if the fire was sparked by tear-gas projectiles SWAT teams shot into his home.

Gunman’s Fate Uncertain

Law enforcers hoped the fire would force Beck's surrender. But no one saw Beck leave the house, and police said he appeared to remain holed up as the home burned down. With the fire extinguished, Sheriff's Deputy Harry Drucker said, fire crews hosed down what was left of the house to enable Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies to gather evidence and also search for Beck's body.

Kuredjian was shot in the upper body as he was helping federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents issue an arrest warrant for Beck. Authorities were familiar with Beck, who had allegedly been impersonating a federal law enforcer and stockpiling weapons.

"We had been investigating the suspect for three months," said ATF agent Bernard Zapor."The suspect is a convicted felon. … we had had contact with him before."

Zapor refused to discuss Beck's record or the circumstances that led to Friday's attempted arrest because they were sealed in a federal warrant. But the U.S. Marshals Service told The Associated Press that Beck had two prior convictions for burglary and impersonating a police officer. Beck also worked for the Arcadia Police Department for one year, but was fired because he didn't pass probation, Chief Dave Hinig told The Associated Press.