Businesses Applaud Action Against Estate

They are no longer the same, the locksmith, the dentist and the hairdresser. They won’t ever be the same since that terrifying Feb. 28 morning when two gunmen tried to rob the Bank of America branch across Laurel Canyon Boulevard, then held police at bay with high-powered assault weapons firing hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

The locksmith and the dentist lost their cars after the fierce gun battle left huge gun holes in their vehicles’ doors, windshields and engines. Their businesses, directly across Laurel Canyon Boulevard, also sustained serious damage. Most of all, their sense of safety was badly shaken.

The group came together Friday morning to applaud the city’s efforts to recoup money from the estate of one of the gunmen fatally shot after the gun battle. The city filed a counterclaim last week seeking reimbursement from the estate of Emil Matasareanu for property damages and medical costs incurred by the 11 injured officers.

The claim came in response to a federal lawsuit filed against the city by civil rights attorney Steven Yagman on behalf of Matasareanu’s two young sons. Earlier this week, Yagman called the city’s claim “dumb, dumber and dumbest,” saying the city won’t recoup a cent from the estate.

Mary Lou Holte, a community activist, said Friday it is Yagman’s lawsuit that is “dumb, dumber and dumbest.”

Jorge Montes, the dentist, and Jose Haro, the locksmith, and Elvira Gutierrez, the beauty shop owner, also blasted Yagman’s lawsuit, saying the police officers and six passersby injured in the gun battle are the true victims.

“They have scars and injuries that cannot be compensated for,” said Montes, whose van was shot 24 times and who aided two wounded officers by keeping them in his office and calling for help.

“This wasn’t the city’s fault,” Montes said. “We were all just victims.”