Guard, Attacker at Taco Stand in Compton Slain

A dispute over the slow delivery of food Monday night led to a lengthy shoot-out at a Compton taco stand during which an armed security guard at the restaurant and a suspected gang member were fatally shot and a third person was wounded, police said Tuesday.

A cook at the 24-hour stand on Rosecrans Boulevard was arrested on suspicion of killing one of the attackers when several of them returned after allegedly killing the guard, investigators said.

Detectives were quick to add, however, that the cook, Jose Flores, 25, of Los Angeles, who pulled out a revolver and began shooting wildly at the approaching group, might be absolved once all the facts have been determined.

“Lots of bullets, lots of blood and lots of grief,” said one detective, “and we’re trying to get to the bottom of it.”

The names of the victims were withheld pending notification of relatives.

Compton Police Lt. Percy Perrodin said it all began with the tardy delivery of an order of tacos at Tacos El Sinaloense 2.

Three customers ordered the food at about 8:30 p.m. and paid for it. But when the order was slow in coming, the trio began to complain.

The food was eventually delivered, but the grousing continued and the guard told the trio to leave.

Perrodin said the three apparently told the guard to stay out of their dispute over the food, but they eventually left. However, a short time later, the three returned with 10 other companions, all believed to be street-gang members, the lieutenant said.

The larger group also ordered food, and revived the earlier complaints, Perrodin said. Although the food was delivered, more shouting occurred and the suspected gang members were again asked by the guard to leave.

“The guard apparently drew his weapon and the group began to run,” Perrodin said.

The guard gave chase and, in a nearby alley, he was overpowered , wrestled to the ground, disarmed and shot repeatedly with his own .38-caliber revolver and an AK-47 assault rifle, police said.

Most of the assailants escaped, but moments later several returned to the taco stand.

“Apparently fearing for his life, seeing that the guard was killed, he (Flores) reached for a handgun inside the stand and began firing,” Perrodin said.

The suspected gang members, although armed, apparently did not shoot before Flores opened fire , Perrodin said. One in the group was mortally wounded and another was shot in the upper torso.

Police said the mortally wounded man was found across Rosecrans on the grounds of Whaley Junior High School. He died at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center at 11:15 p.m.

The guard died at Memorial Medical Center of Long Beach at 11:03 p.m.

The wounded man, whose name also was withheld, was in good condition Tuesday at King/Drew.

The stand’s owners said there was no reason for police to arrest Flores.

“He’s been with us a long time and he was merely protecting himself,” said Josefina Burgos who, along with her husband, operates a similar stand in East Los Angeles. “It was a large mob that came to the restaurant. . . .”

Although the shooting was very much on the minds of those at the stand Tuesday, it was still doing brisk business at noon as workers began repairing several windows damaged in the shoot-out.

“This is a tough area, but the tacos here are good,” said longtime patron Craig Blake, 28.

Employees at the taco stand, who said they were from the Mexican state of Sinaloa, said the shootings were part of doing business.

“I’m not afraid,” one worker said with some bravado. “I’m from Sinaloa.”