Ronni Chasen shot in botched robbery; gunman acted alone, police say [Updated]

Ronni Chasen was killed in a botched robbery by a Hollywood man with a long criminal record who appears to have acted alone and may have shot the publicist while riding a bike, Beverly Hills police believe.

At a news conference, officials said they don't believe Harold Martin Smith was a hit man and believe he acted alone. Officials said he was at a desperate point in his life and resorted to "desperate measures."

"It was a random act of violence, more a robbery gone bad," said Sgt. Michael Publicker of the Beverly Hills Police Department.

Beverly Hills Police Chief David Snowden confirmed that the gun Smith used to kill himself at a Hollywood hotel last Thursday was the same one that had killed Chasen, based on a preliminary ballistic examination. 

[Update at 3:30 p.m.: Officials said they do not believe Chasen and Smith had any connection and that her slaying was a random act. They said it was possible that he used his bike in the crime but were not sure. Officials said neighbors told them Smith used a bike to get around and appeared not to have a car.

“The gun used to shoot Ms. Chasen is the same gun used by Mr. Harold Martin Smith to commit suicide,” Snowden said. “We believe Mr. Smith acted alone. We don’t believe it is a professional hit.”

Snowden and others stressed the investigation was ongoing.]

Smith took his own life last week when Beverly Hills police went to his residence to talk to him about the Chasen slaying. Police had been tipped by a viewer of "America's Most Wanted," which had featured the case.

Officials have said they are not sure if Smith was involved in the killing and had asked the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department's Scientific Services Bureau/Firearms Section to do a ballistics comparison.

Chasen was shot to death last month while driving her Mercedes-Benz near the intersection of Whittier Drive and Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills. She was on her way home from a movie premiere after-party.

She was believed to have left the event about midnight, traveling west on Sunset. Friends believe she had planned to head south to her condominium on Wilshire Boulevard near the grounds of the Los Angeles Country Club.

Several residents dialed 911 at the time of the attack. The first call, from a person who lives near Sunset and Benedict Canyon Drive, reported a gunshot.

Moments later, more 911 calls came in reporting shots heard several blocks to the west, near Whittier and Sunset. Another resident called 911 to report hearing a car crash into a light pole.

Residents who heard the crash found Chasen slumped over the steering wheel, bleeding.

RELATED:

Ronni Chasen slaying does not appear to be a professional hit, police say

Tipster who linked suspect to Ronni Chasen slaying vindicated by ballistics match

Gun recovered from suspect appears to match one that killed Ronni Chasen

-- Andrew Blankstein and Martha Groves in Beverly Hills

 

Comments

[Jose]

Was she still shot in the left turn lane on Sunset?

Or has that changed too.

[G Gordy Litty]

They want this to go away. Easy to put the blame on a dead guy, you can't interrogate him. They won't bother doing the leg work to put the guy at the scene of the crime. It'll all be based on 'anonymous tips'. Since there's no trial, you can't cross examine the alleged witnesses. Perfect for the murderer who's getting away with this, and perfect for the police force which makes thing go away.
One question for the BHPD: Do they know when Harold Smith came into the possession of the gun?

[JoeGillis]

Unless they're doing this a tactical move to distract the real killer, it's a cover up. And to those of you who say, "who cares?" I say: if the cops can pin a murder on this guy, they can pin it on anyone of us if it's convenient. I've lost any trust I might have had in our system. And I'm white and middle class.

[Count Dracula]

Consider this angle. It is the same gun. It was given to
Smith by the shooter with the deal that he would give up
to the cops thus taking the pressure off of the real reason for her death. At most he would go back to jail. Then he
changes his mind and shoots himself.
Makes more sense than riding a bicycle on Sunset after
midnight when you live so far away.

[Count Dracula]

Consider this angle. It is the same gun. It was given to
Smith by the shooter with the deal that he would give up
to the cops thus taking the pressure off of the real reason for her death. At most he would go back to jail. Then he
changes his mind and shoots himself.
Makes more sense than riding a bicycle on Sunset after
midnight when you live so far away.

[Sara]

This is the most absurd thing I have ever heard....A crazy suicidal homeless man, on bike, chasing a car in Beverly Hills to rob its owner, a few blocks from the BH police station.....Ya, sure. Really? You really want the public to believe that? Really?

[Frankie]

This does not add up. I think those detectives from Law & Order LA could have done a better job - and that is not a complement - the show sucks and so does the BHPD. Time will bring this to light. Someone knows something and it will all come out. Do not buy the story.

[x-rae]

Likelihood of suspect biking his way back to safety 2 miles deep into Beverly Hills, after a homicide is reported in BH: 0%. I don't care if he's Lance Armstrong, he's not making it out of BH on a bike at 12:30 at night. Shoot, he ain't even making it into BH at that time of night.

[Tom]

Can't wait for all the conspiracy theorists to start. The media put out false information some stated were from "confidential" police sources. If one watched the local news, the police were careful not to put anything out. That's what professionals do....until a case is solved.

Some of these posts are the result of media speculation and false information.

[Deb]

I cannot believe with all the bling in the area there is not more than one security camera that does not show images of Ms Chasen in her car driving from her party - some one has to know more than a guy on a bike shot here. I am from a small town and common sense says there is more to this story.

[K Jack]

COVER UP, COVER UP, COVER UP. THEY DO NOT WANT THINGS ABOUT CHASENS LIFE REVEALED SO THEY ARE PUTTING THIS ON A MAN WHO CAN'T TALK. THEY KNOW WHAT GOT HER KILLED AND THEY ARE BEING PAID OFF TO SHUT UP.........TRUTH IS ALWAYS TRUE AND EVERYONE KNOWS HOLLYWOOD CAN'T KEEP A SECRET!

[hippysaurus]

Isn't it possible that mr. Smith was hired to kill Ms. Chasen, then the person who hired Mr. Smith called Americas Most Wanted and told on him, knowing that Mr. Smith would not be taken alive, and the person who hired Mr. Smith is now getting away with murder.

[Monica]

They must think people are stupid. Not one drop of this feels right. What and who wanted this to be covered up? There is a much bigger story here, I hope the truth comes out. Whatever Ronni Chasen knew or did, she did not deserve this sleeze job!

[JAMES FERGUSON]

Easy way to clear a case, by a once superior police department, that is rapidly fading away into mediocrity. I don't believe this BS for one minute. By approving this decision Beck has shown that he is a weak Chief that needs to be replaced ASAP. It would have been better to have no Press Release.

[JAMES FERGUSON]

Apologies to LAPD who will eventually have to solve this case. I saw their ex- chief on television and thought they were handling it. Beverly Hills has always been just a PR police department to the mega-rich.

[Rich Henry]

How 'bout this idiot falling off the bike in the middle of the street to fake an accident. Then, when Ms. Chasen stops to see if he is okay, he pulls a gun and demands her $$. She tells him to "get lost" and puts the car in "drive" to pull away when he opens fire. Very plausable I think.

[Minnesota Mike]

One thing is certain, everyone - live each day to the fullest, because there is much randomness in this world, and you never know when your life will end, or how, or why.

[Columbo]

the original reports from 911 calls describe a single shot heard near B canyon and Sunset, moments later 4 shots reported further west on Whittier., then a crash (light pole) near Buddy Hacket's house (1/4 mile)
SO; Smith shot Chasen at Sunset and Whittier then chased Chasen (in her Mercedes Benz 350 cp) down Whittier ON A BIKE!!; fired 4 more shots and didnt take a thing from her?
THIS DOES NOT MAKE SENCE AT ALL; Think about it people; Oh but we cant say anything more, because it is an "ongoing" investigation.
Someone else is involved!!

[Charles Grandison Finney]

The Times steadfastly refuses to print a photograph of Mr. Smith. Who IS this mystery man?

[jffwtx]

Looking at a map and seeing where he lived and where the shooting took place, makes its hard to believe someone was bicycling that far from home in LA.
One news article quoted an officer saying that the shooter was a very good marksman.
People who hire a professional hitman don't hire three time losers like this guy.

Could it be that the police are trying to get the real shooter to think that they stopped looking for him?

[Bee R.]

California prisons are to crowded. We should release the 50,000 convicted felons that the California 9th District Court Judges ordered. These poor prisoners can not their own color televisions, private showers, more time in the weight rooms, etc. This way we can have more Ronni Chasen shot dead.

[changingtimes]

What about earlier reports that she said she felt like she was being followed since March? I thought the windows weren't shot out? Because when I read that originally, I remember thinking that if an SUV pulled up or another high car which they suspected, and maybe the SUV rolled down the window for directions, which would prompt her to roll down the window. There's no way she rolled down her window for a black guy on a bike in that neighborhood.

[Lexicon Artist]

"Something doesn't make sense: What in the heck was the shooter doing bike riding in Beverly Hills at 12:30 am when he lived in Hollywood?"

The shooting took place 2 miles from where Mr. Smith formerly lived at the Harvey Apartments. You have a hard time believing someone can ride a bike 2 miles?

"What are the odds that he had his gun with him while riding and that he happened to come upon Chasen?"

Probably 100% for someone who is always packing.

"I think he did it but the motive is not clear yet. And what about the $10K he was bragging about?"

It's not hard to believe that someone who was as delusional as Harold Smith was would make up the $10,000, pretending that he was a big shot when in fact he was a small crook.

[changingtimes]

One other thing: her own brother said in the LA Times article yesterday that he believed it was road rage, not a hit. Because the BHPD had already ruled out Smith. Struck me odd that the brother was quick to call it road rage rather than keep all options for discovery open.

[salmon]

This was not a robbery. From my background, I have never seen or heard of a robbery where the suspect tried to rob someone driving in a car, while the suspect was astride a bicycle. The window to the victim's car was rolled up prior to the attack. The suspect fired through glass. How does a suspect demand money through a rolled-up window with any expectation of receiving money from the victim?

The suspect was a 5150 w.i.c. petty criminal. He sounds delusional in his comments to neighbors. This sounds more like a Mark David Chapman or Hinckley type assault.