2 Held in Robbery, Shooting Foray

Two men were arrested in Beverly Hills early Thursday after a 45-minute robbery and shooting foray that left two victims seriously wounded.

The three-city series of robberies reportedly began in Hollywood shortly after 1 a.m., when parking lot attendant Gholamali (Ali) Basharzadesedigh, 24, was approached by two men outside a restaurant at 1835 N. Cahuenga Blvd.

Witnesses said there was an argument and Basharzadesedigh was shot with a sawed-off, .22-caliber rifle. He was later reported in stable condition at St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank.

Minutes later, officers said, suspects matching the pair’s descriptions attempted to rob Kevin James, 25, as he jogged in the 6700 block of Franklin Avenue. James told the suspects that he had no money with him and was forced to take them to his home, said Los Angeles Police Detective C.M. Harris of Hollywood Division.

Scared Off by Dog

But, said Harris, “the victim had a dog (at his home) and apparently that’s what scared them off.”

The bandits next accosted Cincinnati computer programmer Andrew McCauley, 31, who had pulled his rental car to the curb on La Cienega Boulevard near Holloway Drive in West Hollywood to check a map. The bandits opened the car door, shot him in the face and dragged him from the vehicle.

Although seriously wounded, McCauley pushed his way back into the car. He ousted the man who had taken over the wheel and sped away, leaving both suspects in the street. Deputies said McCauley found a group of people on nearby Sunset Boulevard and asked them to call police.

McCauley was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where a neurosurgeon and a plastic surgeon worked for 11 hours to repair the base of his skull, remove a bullet from his brain and rebuild the shattered bony wall around his left eye. He did not lose his eye, however, said hospital spokesman Ron Wise.

Robbed, Truck Stolen

Shortly after the attack on McCauley, Raul Aguilar, 25, was at a pay phone in front of 240 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, when the bandits robbed him at gunpoint of $16 and drove away in his white pickup truck.

The truck and the suspects were spotted by Beverly Hills police officers a short time later at Whittier Drive and Wilshire Boulevard. The pair were arrested without incident. They were identified as Gregory Walker, 18, and Alvin Brantley, 20.

Beverly Hills Police Lt. Bill Hunt said they were booked on suspicion of attempted murder, robbery, grand theft auto, possession of a sawed-off rifle and kidnaping for robbery.