Stevenson Ranch shootout

On August 31, 2001, a shootout occurred in Stevenson Ranch, an unincorporated community in Santa Clarita Valley, California. It resulted in the immediate deaths of James Allen Beck, a convicted felon, and Hagop "Jake" Kuredjian, a sheriff's deputy. Ten years later, ATF agent Jeff Ryan committed suicide resulting from the traumatic ordeal.

ATF received information in 2000 that Beck, a felon, was buying large amounts of ammunition for assault weapons. On August 31, 2001, eight ATF agents, two U.S. marshals, and three Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies visited Beck's home to serve a search warrant. Beck refused to come out and started firing upon the officers. Early in the gunfight one of the deputies, Hagop "Jake" Kuredjian, was shot by Beck from a 2nd floor window and was killed instantly.

Jeffrey P. Ryan (March 17, 1972 – September 19, 2011) had joined the ATF as an agent just 37 days before the shootout. He formerly served with US Air Force from 1990 to 1994 during both of the Gulf Wars and the Bosnian War and served with U.S. Border Patrol from 1996 to 2001. He was next to Kuredjian when the deputy was shot, and the gunfire forced him to stay beside Kuredjian for ten minutes before they could be moved to safety. Ryan suffered from severe post-traumatic stress disorder as a result. Ten years later, he committed suicide, leaving behind a widow and two children.

James Allen Beck (January 12, 1966 – August 31, 2001) attended Palisades High and later the Rio Hondo College police academy. He worked for the Arcadia, California Police Department before being fired during the probationary period. Subsequently, he impersonated law enforcement officers, typically a U.S. marshal. Beck worked at odd jobs. He was convicted in separate instances of burglary, receiving stolen property, and possession of an assault weapon. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) had conducted a search of Beck's residence, at another address, prior to 2001 without any resistance.

Hagop "Jake" Kuredjian (June 5, 1961 – August 31, 2001), born in Aleppo, Syria, to an Armenian family, was a 17-year veteran of the Sheriff's Department. He had received a medal for saving the life of a woman dangling from a cliff in Malibu. The family of slain deputy Kuredjian received a $650,000 settlement from Beck's home-owner's insurance for a wrongful death claim.