Man killed after argument near food truck in East Los Angeles turns into gun battle

Police say a man was killed Sunday night after an argument with another man turned into a gun battle near a food truck in East Los Angeles.

Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies were called out to the 5500 block of Whittier Boulevard at about 9:50 p.m. Sunday. At the scene, the deputies found a man lying unresponsive in the street.

The man was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. His name has not been released.

Investigators say the man had "exchanged words on the sidewalk" with the suspect, whom they described as a "male Hispanic" near a food truck, when both of them started shooting at each other. The man ran from the scene for a short distance before collapsing, while the suspect jumped into a nearby dark-colored pickup truck and was last seen speeding away westbound on Whittier Boulevard.

An incident report detailed that the suspect is believed to have been the first to fire his weapon, prompting the victim to return fire. 

Both the suspect and the murder weapon are outstanding, and investigators have not released a description of him.

It's unclear if the two men knew each other prior to the shooting, which is being investigated as gang-related.

Anyone with information about the shooting can contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.