3 HONORED FOR COURAGE D.A. PRAISES HEROES FOR GOING BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY.

Byline: Troy Anderson Staff Writer

When Northridge resident Joe Lazaro walked out from a Canoga Park market last year and saw two men struggling over a gun, he faced a dilemma over which one he should help.

When San Fernando Valley resident Zuri Mesica saw police chase two armed men who had just robbed a downtown jewelry store, his instincts took over when he saw a third suspect slip out of the getaway car and run.

When no other witnesses would come forward, 10-year-old Brandon Williamson Jr. identified the gang member who had shot his father and his father's friend.

During the 17th annual Courageous Citizens Awards ceremony Friday, District Attorney Steve Cooley honored all three Los Angeles residents - Lazaro, Mesica and Williamson - for their acts of heroism and bravery. The event sponsored by the Rotary Club of Los Angeles was held at the new Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels in downtown Los Angeles.

``I thank our honorees,'' Cooley said. ``They acted beyond the call of duty and with great courage. They remind us that our citizens remain Los Angeles' greatest asset.''

When Lazaro walked out of the market in April 2001, he saw two men, bleeding badly, fighting each other on the ground near his car, Deputy District Attorney Dan Akemon said.

The man on top had pinned the other man to the ground. The man on the bottom had a gun, but the man on top yelled to Lazaro, ``Help me. I need to disarm him,'' Akemon said.

But the man on bottom cried out, ``Don't help him. He'll hurt me,'' Akemon said. The man on top identified himself as a plainclothes security guard, but the man he was pinning down begged Lazaro not to believe him.

When the man on top tossed Lazaro his security badge, Lazaro ordered the gunman to hand over his weapon.

``The security guard ran inside the store for help, leaving Joe holding the gun with the suspect standing in front of him,'' Akemon said. ```Give me the gun back,' the man said.''

But Lazaro refused and the angry suspect charged him. Unwilling to shoot, Lazaro held the gun over his head, using his arm to hold the young man back.

Fearing police would arrive and shoot him because he had the gun, Lazaro tossed the gun into the middle of the street in the hope the passing traffic would discourage the suspect from trying to retrieve it.

The young man ran into the street, weaving in and out of traffic to get the gun, but as he looked up he saw a uniformed security guard had drawn his weapon on him. The suspect dropped his gun and surrendered. He was later convicted and sentenced to five years in prison.

In the second act of courage, Zuri Mesica said his instincts took over when he saw the getaway driver run from the car.

``I didn't decide it,'' Mesica said. ``It was just an instinct. I saw the police running after the two robbers and the third one escaping. My instinct made me run after him.''

Mesica chased the suspect, tackled him and escorted him back to the police car, where he locked the man inside, Deputy District Attorney Frank Tavelman said.

The suspect was charged in the 1995 armed robbery case but jumped bail and was not caught until this year. He recently was sentenced to five years in state prison.

``For jewelers and the community at large, Zuri is a hero,'' Tavelman said. ``The defendant and his accomplices were part of a sophisticated South American jewelry theft ring. The armed robbery in 1995 was one of a slew of crimes on the defendant's record. ''

The third honoree, young Brandon Williamson, was outside his home with his father and a friend's family when a carload of gangsters drove by and opened fire, striking his father in the back and arm and killing his father's friend.

The shooter was arrested, but many witnesses - fearing for their lives - refused to testify. But Brandon identified the suspect in a lineup, despite knowing the man had threatened to kill another witness.

The shooter was later sentenced to life in prison.

``Courage comes in many forms and sizes,'' Deputy District Attorney Kendra Carman said. ``Compared to the other gentlemen being honored here today, Brandon may be a little guy, but his courage is of heroic proportions.''