The dispatcher’s voice had crackled through police radios across Los Angeles: “Shots fired … AK-47 … there’s an officer down.”
She’d been a voice of calm 20 years ago today during 44 minutes of abject terror. Once again, she was heard at 9:17 a.m. during a tribute to those who had risked their lives during the North Hollywood shootout — one of the longest gun battles in police history.