Man shot in gun battle with police

Keith Paul and Mary Manning

Friday, Nov. 30, 2001 | 10:48 a.m.

A seven-time convicted felon who told several people the police would never take him alive got into a running gun battle with Metro Police late Thursday that ended with the suspect being shot more than 20 times by as many as 14 officers.

Harry Kondiles, 37, was listed in critical condition this morning at University Medical Center after Metro officers fired dozens of shots at him in two locations Thursday as he fired at them, Capt. Dennis Cobb said.

None of the shots fired by Kondiles struck an officer. Police are checking the officers' guns to determine how many officers fired and how many shots were fired, Lt. Tom Monahan said.

"He told three or four people he wasn't going to be taken alive," said Lt. Jim Moses, commander of the repeat offenders program.

The repeat offenders detectives had been searching for Kondiles for the past three weeks to arrest him on 17 outstanding warrants, including one charging him in a road-rage incident in which he is accused of shooting a man in the ear, Moses said.

The detectives were watching a house near Gowan Road and Buffalo Drive for hours when about 11:30 p.m. they spotted Kondiles pull up in a Mazda RX-7. The detectives pulled their cars to block him in and went in to arrest him, Cobb said.

Kondiles is then accused of firing shots at the officers and ramming the unmarked police cars to escape. He was able to ram his car through the blocking police cars and speed away, Cobb said.

Three detectives apparently fired at Kondiles when he began ramming the police cars and shooting at officers, police said.

Other detectives and patrol officers started chasing Kondiles as he drove around northwest streets including Buffalo Drive, Rancho Drive and Rainbow Boulevard before crashing his black Mazda into a block wall at Rainbow and U.S. 95, police said.

Kondiles is accused of shooting at pursuing patrol officers during the 20-minute high-speed chase before he crashed into the wall.

"The officers surrounded the car and thought they were moving in for an arrest, not a gun fight," Cobb said.

But as the officers approached the car, Kondiles is accused of firing more shots. As many as 11 officers then fired shots at the car, hitting Kondiles many times. Police say the officers fired dozens of shots.

"The ROP guys were looking for him and knew how dangerous he was, especially after telling people he wouldn't be captured alive," Cobb said.

The repeat offender unit, which targets paroled or released felons accused of committing new crimes, had been trying to locate Kondiles for weeks, but wasn't able to find him until getting some information that he may be at the home near Buffalo Drive and Gowan Road.

Kondiles has been arrested many times by area police. Metro officers arrested him five times this year: Feb. 25 for possession of stolen property, May 11 for reckless driving, June 12 and July 13 for disorderly conduct and Aug. 8 for drug possession and resisting arrest.

Kondiles, who uses the street name "H Bomb" has been convicted of seven felonies in California and Illinois since 1990.

He was convicted in Illinois in 1996 of residential burglary. He has several California convictions -- burglary and false imprisonment with violence in 1990, assaulting his spouse and being a felon in possession of a firearm in 1993, and assault with a deadly weapon and drug manufacturing in 1996.

The 17 outstanding warrants against Kondiles include drug possession and manufacturing charges, weapons violations and assaults.