Two Wounded In Shooting, Stabbing At Birthday Party In East Hollywood
HOLLYWOOD (CBSLA) - Two people were in critical condition Saturday after being shot and stabbed at a birthday party in East Hollywood.
It was not immediately clear what led up to the incident, as authorities continued to investigate the incident.
They were dispatched to the scene at around 1:45 a.m. on Santa Monica Boulevard near Western Avenue, where they found multiple victims suffering from more than one wound each, though it was not immediately clear whether the wounds came from gunshots or stabbing.
"People were running everywhere, trying to get out of the way, people shooting. It was just crazy," said one witness who wished to remain unnamed.
The scene unfolded in front of a performing arts center in the area. The owner of the business told CBS reporters that they don't traditionally rent out the venue for parties, but rather to cultivate art and creativity. However, the strain of the coronavirus pandemic has led him to open his doors for more reasons.
This was the first time they had rented the spot out for a private party, what the owner called "a bad decision."
"It seemed like they were going to have a really low key birthday celebration in one of our bigger theater spaces," he continued. "It was obviously not that."
Authorities have disclosed that there were about 40 people in attendance at what they are calling an "underground party." Some sort of altercation broke out inside of the rented venue before it spilled out onto the street.
It was then that one of the parties involved pulled out a firearm, shooting as many as eight times.
"As it bled into the street, gunshots rang out," said LAPD Sergeant James Day, noting that his recounting was all conjecture. "One person possibly hit their head in trying to get away. ... We do have video of somebody shooting a gun in that direction and then that person falls. We're not quite sure whether he actually got struck by a gunshot or if he just has multiple wounds from the stabbing."
An investigation into the incident remained ongoing through Saturday.