Posted on 04/27/2005 12:35:35 AM PDT by happinesswithoutpeace
PITTSBURG, Calif. -- A Pittsburg police officer who was shot in the line of duty over the weekend has died, officials at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek confirmed early Tuesday.
Officer Larry Lasater, 36, was shot twice Saturday night. He and another officer were pursuing two people suspected of holding up a cashier at a Raley's store on Buchanan Road, as well as a Wells Fargo bank branch inside the store.
The officers caught up with the suspects on the Delta De Anza trail near the Antioch border, police said.
Lasater, who had his gun drawn, ordered the suspects to surrender. As he yelled the command, several shots were fired and he was struck, police said.
Alexander Hamilton, 19, of Antioch, was arrested, along with a 17-year-old boy, also from Antioch. The two are expected to face murder charges and federal armed robbery charges.
Lasater's mother said her son was a leader in the Marines and that he graduated at the top of his police academy class.
"My son was a small guy with a big heart. My son's motto as a Marine and a police officer was to lead by example," Phyllis Loya said.
Lasater leaves behind a wife who is seven months pregnant.
The last officer killed in Pittsburg was Ray Giacomelli in 2003. At that time, the department had not seen an officer killed since 1935.
Semper Fi, Officer Lasater.
Rest in peace, Marine.
Semper fidelis,
LH
I grew up withen a stones throw of Raleys in Pittsburg.
There was no Raleys though it was an empty field.
I left that town two weeks shy of turning 18 to join the Navy.
Pittsburg is a city with a vortex of evil over it.
I still have nightmares and wake up panicked untill I relize I am grown up and on the Oregon coast.
All the creepy perverted stuff you read about now a days happen to me growing up there in the late sixties early seventies. I have seen it all.
Evil Evil place.
I grew up withen a stones throw of Raleys in Pittsburg.
There was no Raleys though it was an empty field.
I left that town two weeks shy of turning 18 to join the Navy.
Pittsburg is a city with a vortex of evil over it.
I still have nightmares and wake up panicked untill I relize I am grown up and on the Oregon coast.
All the creepy perverted stuff you read about now a days happen to me growing up there in the late sixties early seventies. I have seen it all.
Evil Evil place.
God bless him. God bless his wife and unborn child too. I hope she gets through this okay.
Lot of people will get all misty eyed over this 17 year old punk. If he is man enough to pick up a gun and murder someone he is man enough to hang.
Ditto.
Go with God, Marine. Prayers up for the wife and family.
God give comfort to his family.
I still have nightmares and wake up panicked untill I relize I am grown up and on the Oregon coast.
I have a close relative who lives in Pittburgh, while I live in the Northwest. He hasn't told me anything about this "vortex of evil" or in fact anything that would make Oregon seem less evil than Pittsburgh. Do you think you just happened to encounter some bad personal experiences there or is there really something bad about Pittsburgh itself?
ping
I was all upset reading about this heroic policeman / Marine. Then I read your post.
I pray that Jesus gives you a fresh annointing of His Blood every day and that the Holy Spirit has "bubbles" of warrior angels around you to protect you from the evil Satan is still throwing at you (the nightmares).
Bless your heart. Your pain has brought tears to my eyes. I will pray for you every day as I pray for my children and friends. Hopefully, other FReepers will do the same.
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Mike, oceanperch needs prayers from strong prayer warriors, like yourself. Please mention oceanperch's name at your church for more prayers. I don't know what happened, but it must have been horrendous to still be causing those nightmares and panic.
Perhaps you can write a few words of comfort on this thread. It just might help somebody else, too.
Telling that they've decided to now refer to the cop-killer as Alexander Hamilton... leaving out his middle name Rashad. I guess that would reveal too much to the sheeple.
You have Freep Mail, privacy please.
I'm sure his mother has said what a good boy he is and how he's never been in trouble befo.
Very personal and very bad.
I have a nieghbor, form the Pitt, who said the same thing I just had personal bad times.
However I know others that ran like hell too when old enough from that town.
I lived there in the 60's and 70's the place has changed due to the influx of commuters to the bigger cities.
What was the ghetto has been plowed over and turned into $250,000.00 homes.
Pittsburg when I grew up there was like East Oakland or East Palo Alto.
Did he grow up there 30 yrs ago?
Many white middle class have flocked there for affordable housing since the '90's.
I live in rural Oregon much different than Portland.
Now Oregon is becoming the armpit that I left 28yrs ago. thanks to Meth and all the uncivil types that come along with that lifestyle.
Then again that is true for many rural areas across America.
Two guys I know from high school are police officers but they chose to leave Pittsburg too do what they do.
My sympathies for his wife and unborn son.
May God bless them and may they be encouraged to move to a better place.
RIP for an Officer who worked in a blighted area.
Sensless.
What was the ghetto has been plowed over and turned into $250,000.00 homes.
Pittsburg when I grew up there was like East Oakland or East Palo Alto.
I've heard that the steel industry laid off over 700,000 workers during its period of decline. Did that have anything to do with your experiences in Pittsburgh?
Pittsburg started out with the coal mines and fishing.
Then it's economics came from Camp Stoneman Military.
Then the industry Steel Mill and Georgia Pacific.
As those started downsizing and laying people off those jobs that were available out of school were uncertain.
Those who could went back to school while working and found other jobs.
We also had mutiple generations of welfare families and as jobs left down town died esp. after the 1967 riots.
The town became divided.
Downtown became heroin and all the fall out plagued in the late sixties.
Much like meth is doing today to areas.
Then uptown the Italians had their family run businesses and then A.D. Seeno started building affordable housing uptown in 1970 and now the area is rooftops from Brentwood (use to be all farming) all the way over the hill to Concord.
Now you have those who left the bigger cities were they work and living in Pittsburg, Antioch ect.
All commuting to their jobs.
It is like commuting in the LA area now.
The last time I went down to see my sons family it was unbelievable the traffic trying to move daily through there.
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