By Brenton Garen, Beverly Hills CourierDetectives continue to investigate the Beverly Hills murder of well-known publicist Ronni Chasen who was found dead of five gunshot wounds about 12:30 a.m. in her Mercedes E-350 sedan, which crashed into a light pole on Whittier Drive just south of Sunset Boulevard.Detectives this afternoon searched her Westwood apartment on Wilshire Boulevard and Beverly Hills office on Beverly Boulevard, taking computers to try and find any evidence that could lead to suspects involved in the shooting.The Courier understands detectives are pursuing all possibilities, including any links to her business or personal life.LALate.com reports there are security cameras on North Whitter Drive which may hold some clues to what happened. Police were sent to the 800 block of North Whittier Drive at 12:28 a.m. on a report that a car had crashed into a light pole, and found the wounded woman, Beverly Hills police Lt. Michael Hill said. She was the lone occupant of the vehicle, police said. there were at least two reports of multiple gunshots in the Benedict Canyon area at about that time, RMG News reported. Police also taped off the intersection of Sunset and Whittier, another video news cameraman reported. on Scene reported that there was glass on the road there. Police who first arrived at the crash scene initially said the victim in the crashed car was “in and out of consciousness but breathing,” and they did not mention gunshot wounds, RMG News reported. It also reported that police at the scene said Beverly Hills firefighter-paramedics arrived and discovered the victim had five gunshot wounds, and that she was taken by ambulance to a hospital. The dark-colored Mercedes reportedly was on a curb near Greenway Drive, with part of the street light pole under the car. on Monday night, she attended the red-carpet premiere of Burlesque, starring Cher and Christina Aguilera. She had apparently attended an after-party and was on her way home to Westwood when she was shot.
Paul Bloch, Co-Chairman of Rogers of Cowan said: “She was a powerhouse in the industry. She was as good as it gets. She was a great woman and a brilliant publicist. I have known her for over 30 years. She had a great personality,” he said in a statement.
Lt. Tony Lee with the Beverly Hills Police Department said the shooting was unusual.
“We don’t have crimes like this in the city of Beverly Hills, so it is a surprise to us,” he told ABC News.
Chasen was mostly a unit publicist, working on films such as Driving Miss Daisy, on Golden Pond and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.She had been promoting Michael Douglas for best Supporting Actor for Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, as well as Alice in Wonderland 3D for best Picture, according to Deadline Hollywood.
The homicide is the third of the year in Beverly Hills. The City had no homicides in 2009. Diane Newlander, 73, was found dead in her home in the 400 block of South Swall Drive May 4, a victim of an apparent murder-suicide. Katsutoshi Tony Takazato was fatally stabbed July 20, allegedly by the boyfriend of a former girlfriend.Takazato was found dead outside his home in the 1800 block of Carla Ridge in the exclusive Trousdale Estates area. Scott Joseph Barker has pleaded not guilty in the case.keep checking bhcourier.com for updates throughout the day.– Additional Reporting CNS
m 111, personal life, police lt, publicist
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