COVER-UP DENIED IN SHOOTOUT DEPUTIES' ACTIONS DEFENDED.

Byline: Troy Anderson Staff Writer

Sheriff's officials on Monday denied an accusation of a cover-up in the death of James Beck, the gunman who died Aug. 31 in a fiery inferno in the Stevenson Ranch area of Santa Clarita.

Beck's mother, Donna Beck, filed a claim against Los Angeles County alleging that the burned-out house was razed almost immediately to cover up evidence of wrongdoing by sheriff's deputies in what she called the ``wrongful death'' of her son.

``In order to cover up the wrongful death of James Beck, deputy sheriffs and others tampered with and destroyed physical evidence at the scene, failed and refused to maintain the scene intact for coroner's investigators, and razed the residence before permitting (Donna Beck and her) investigators to have access to it,'' Los Angeles attorney Carol A. Watson wrote in the claim, which does not specify an amount of damages sought.

A claim is precursor to a lawsuit.

Sheriff's homicide Capt. Frank Merriman conceded that investigators didn't follow coroner protocols in processing the crime scene, but said all the evidence that could have been gathered from the scene was obtained.

``My people made a protocol 'faux pas' with the coroner's office. It was not something that was an issue of destroying evidence, hiding evidence or tampering with evidence.''

Deputy Hagop ``Jake'' Kuredjian, 40, was killed in a shootout that erupted as federal agents tried to serve a search warrant on Beck, 35, a felon known for stockpiling assault rifles and ammunition in his home.

The fierce gun battle went on for four hours with 18 deputies and seven federal agents firing at least 555 rounds of ammunition. Beck was seen wearing a gas mask and body armor during the fight and died several hours later, when his house caught fire and burned to the ground.

In November, the coroner's office determined through DNA testing that partial remains found at the home were indeed those of Beck, but no cause of death was determined. Investigators believe a fragment of a bullet that killed Kuredjian came from an assault rifle.

Bob Hauter, senior deputy to county Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, said the remains of the home were leveled quickly after residents expressed fears that the neighborhood might be swamped by sightseers following the televised gunfight.

Some of Beck's neighbors have also filed claims against the county, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the U.S. Marshal's Office.

Phillip and Marilyn Lombardi, who lay over their 2-day-old daughter, Gianna, as more than 100 bullets ripped through their house next door to Beck's, filed a $500,000 claim with the three agencies, alleging that officials behaved with deliberate indifference to their safety in the shootout.

``After Kuredjian went down, they went in there like wild cowboys and were shooting the wrong house,'' said Lombardi's Brentwood attorney, John H. Wolf. ``I think there was poor execution and poor training.''

Wolf also filed a claim on behalf of neighbors Steve and Taylor Rizzo, whose home was hit by numerous bullets.

Assistant County Counsel Louis Aguilar said the county has denied all the claims, making it possible for the parties to sue the county.