Recently Freed Parolee Held in Man’s Killing

A convicted robber paroled one month ago from state prison has been arrested on suspicion of killing a Valencia man who was shot and left for dead by a North Hollywood railroad track, Los Angeles police said Monday.

Investigators believe that Scott F. Collins, 21, of Lancaster had just left a meeting with his parole officer when he abducted Frederick Rose at gunpoint, stole his company car and credit cards, drove him to North Hollywood and shot him, Detective Mike Coffey said.

The office of Collins’ parole officer is just a few blocks from the construction firm in Lancaster where Rose worked, Coffey said. Rose left for lunch about the time Collins’ meeting with his parole officer ended, Coffey added. Hours later, a jogger found Rose, 41, mortally wounded Thursday night at Clybourn Avenue and Chandler Boulevard. Rose died less than two hours later at Northridge Hospital Medical Center.

Collins was arrested Friday night in Bakersfield by Kern County sheriff’s deputies investigating a drive-by shooting there, Coffey said. The deputies chased the car involved in the shooting until it crashed into a fence, then discovered it was the 1984 Oldsmobile stolen from Rose.

Collins and five juveniles from Bakersfield were arrested. He was returned to North Hollywood, where he was being held without bail on suspicion of murder.

Collins was released from state prison Dec. 23 after serving three years for robbery, a spokeswoman for the state Corrections Department said. He was scheduled for arraignment today in Van Nuys Municipal Court.