Officers Involved in Winnetka Shootout to Meet President

Fifteen Los Angeles Police Department officers who participated in two gunbattles at a home in Winnetka that left a SWAT officer dead will be honored Tuesday at the White House.

The officers were nominated by the Los Angeles Police Protective League for the Top Cops Awards, given by the National Association of Police Organizations.

The officers who will be honored are James Veenstra, David Keortge, Floyd Curry, Tom Chinappi, Mike Barker, Mike Odle, Richard Alba, Mark Nee, Daniel Sanchez, Douglas Dingman, Charles Buttitta, German Hurtado, George Ryan, Anthony Samuelson and Steve Scallon.

They will meet with Obama before the ceremony, said Los Angeles Police Protective League spokesman Eric Rose.

"The officers nominated by the LAPPL are heroes in every sense of the word," Police Protective League President Paul M. Weber said. "Their focus and courage under fire epitomizes what it means to be a police officer. Modern-day heroes are a rare commodity and these officers live up to the highest standards of the LAPD."

The incident began around 9 p.m. Feb. 6, 2008 when Edwin Rivera, 20, locked himself up inside the home in the 19800 block of Welby Way after calling police to claim that he had killed family members.

After killing three people, Rivera shot to death SWAT Officer Randy Simmons and wounded Veenstra, also a SWAT officer, before being killed by police in a second shootout hours later, officials said.

"It is a tragedy what happened out there, but it could have been much worse," Los Angeles Police Department Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell said at the time.