Undercover Simi Officer Kills Drug Suspect in Westwood

Police from Ventura County shot and killed one man and arrested two other people Wednesday night in an undercover drug investigation that led detectives to a Westwood gas station, authorities said.

Brian Reter, 39, of Simi Valley died Thursday morning at UCLA Medical Center, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Reter, who was sitting in his car, had drawn an automatic pistol from his waistband as detectives approached to arrest him in Westwood shortly before 9 p.m., Simi Valley Police Lt. Rick TerBorch said.

Simi Valley Police Detective Leonard DeLeon, 37, shot Reter once in the abdomen after Reter “began to point the gun at the officer, ignoring repeated orders to freeze,” TerBorch said.

The shooting took place after undercover investigators from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department negotiated the purchase of a half pound of cocaine from Reter, Sheriff’s Lt. Steve Giles said.

Deputies subsequently arrested Judith Scott, 25, of Simi Valley and Robert Robinson, 28, of Los Angeles, described as Reter’s accomplices, on suspicion of selling cocaine and possessing cocaine for sale, Giles said.

Simi Valley police were assisting the Sheriff’s Department in the investigation, which began in Simi Valley a week ago when an informant told investigators that Reter was a cocaine dealer, Giles said.

Earlier Wednesday, Reter and Scott had arranged to meet the officers and Robinson in an alley along the south side of a Unocal service station in the 1100 block of Gayley Avenue, north of Wilshire Boulevard, Giles said.

After the officers showed $6,800 in cash to Reter, he retrieved the two bags of cocaine from Robinson’s trunk and returned to his car, where he pulled the gun and was shot, Giles said.

The Los Angeles and Simi Valley police departments are conducting inquiries into the shooting, police said.

Los Angeles police had been informed of the undercover operation in Westwood before it took place, TerBorch said.

Robinson was being held in lieu of $200,000 bail in the Los Angeles Police Department’s West Los Angeles Jail.

Scott was being held in lieu of $20,000 bail in Van Nuys Jail, police said.