Guard Slain During Robbery Worked `To Pass The Time' -- Partner Hurt, Suspects Flee After Armored-Car Ambush At Lynnwood Fred Meyer

LYNNWOOD - The security guard killed yesterday during a robbery outside the Fred Meyer store here was a retired telephone-company manager who wanted a flexible job that allowed him to travel.

Peter Walter Berg, 48, had taken an early retirement about four years ago from an upper-management job with a phone company in Los Angeles, his brother said.

George Berg said his brother then followed his three grown children and other relatives to the Seattle area and traveled frequently with his wife.

The job with Loomis Armored Inc. ``was just for him to kind of pass the time,'' Berg said.

``He liked to drive trucks. He just wanted a job that was part-time so he could travel when he wanted to.''

Lynnwood police said Peter Berg, a Redmond resident, was driving yesterday when two men ambushed his armored car yesterday about 11:20 a.m.

Police said Berg was shot as he fired at two men, at least one of whom had shot at Berg's fellow security guard, Jeffrey Pease of Edmonds.

Pease suffered four to five gunshot wounds to the hands, chin, upper legs and feet and was listed in satisfactory condition last night at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Berg probably died even before paramedics arrived at the west entrance to the Fred Meyer store at 4615 196th St. S.W., said Lynnwood police Cmdr. John Szalda.

The robbers escaped with at least $20,000.

Loomis today announced it is offering a $100,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the shootings.

Witnesses gave police a description of the two robbers and their escape vehicle, a MG convertible with California license plates, but a Lynnwood officer found the car abandoned at 180th Street Southwest and Highway 99 shortly after the shooting.

Szalda said police haven't found any witnesses who saw the two men leave that car, and would like to talk to anyone who did.

Witnesses described the two suspects to police as white males in their mid-20s to mid-30s. The taller one, described as about 6 feet tall, was wearing a khaki jacket and had a ponytail. The shorter one, described as about 5 feet 8 inches tall, was wearing a blue and white plaid jacket.

Dave Stevens, regional manager for Loomis, declined comment.

Police initially reported that shots were fired as soon as two guards got out of the armored truck, but Szalda later said Pease dropped off some change inside the store and was leaving with the store receipts when attacked.

Szalda said the shorter robber started hitting Pease and there was a struggle for the guard's gun.

As Pease gained control of his gun, the taller robber opened fire, Szalda said. Later, Pease said in a statement that he was able to return fire.

Szalda said police didn't find enough blood in the abandoned vehicle to tell whether either of the robbers had been injured.

When Berg heard the shots, Szalda said, he apparently left the armored car, came around the back and fired several rounds. The gunman shot back, hitting Berg several times.

Lynnwood Police Chief Larry Kalsbeek earlier said at least 12 shots were fired. The gunman used a 9mm semiautomatic handgun, he said.

As Berg went down, Pease staggered back into the store and the two robbers fled, Szalda said. Witnesses said Pease was bleeding when he went back into the store and warned others to get down.

Dick Thurston, a spokesman for the FBI's Washington state office, said there were two armored-car robberies or attempted robberies in the state last year - one at a Redmond bank and one in downtown Seattle on Second Avenue.

The FBI has jurisdiction in armored-car robberies because they involve federal violations. But because this case involves a murder, Thurston said, Lynnwood police will be the lead agency.

The Lynnwood Fred Meyer store is among the largest in the 122-store chain.

The chain's top security personnel were sent to Lynnwood yesterday to gather information on the incident and assess its effect on employees, said Rob Boley, Fred Meyer director of public relations.

The store was closed for about three hours yesterday after the shooting

Employees who witnessed the incident were allowed to go home if they wished.

-- North Times reporter Ignacio Lobos contributed to this story.