Koreatown shooting: Teen sitting in car's passenger seat killed
Police are still searching for the suspect who fatally shot a 17-year-old boy in what they have declared a robbery gone wrong in Koreatown.
The shooting happened at around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday evening, when an unidentified person approached two teenagers sitting in a car on 7th Street between Barrendo Street and New Hampshire Avenue. The suspect allegedly demanded property from the teens, Los Angeles Police Department said.
Police believe the teens were simply looking for somewhere to eat when the suspect approached.
The driver, 16-years-old, panicked and began to drive away, at which point the suspect opened fire, striking the passenger.
He has been identified as 17-year-old Los Angeles resident Dylan Martinez, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office.
LAPD officers dispatched to the area after learning of the shooting found the teens, still inside the vehicle, near Olympic Boulevard and Burlington Avenue in Westlake — nearly a mile from the initial scene.
Officers attempted to perform life-saving maneuvers on Martinez, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Now, they're searching for the suspect who they've described as a heavy-set male between 5'8" and 5'10". There were no further details provided.
Martinez's brother, Alejandro Castro, said that their family was very concerned when he didn't come home Tuesday evening. After attempting to call him multiple times without a response, they received a call from the Coroner's Office, which relayed the tragic news.
"For me, it didn't feel real for the first time. I had trouble breathing and having an anxiety attack," Castro said, noting that investigators were having a hard time getting in touch with his mother. "It was best they called us first, because my mom, she has severe panic attacks."
Anyone with additional information was asked to contact investigators at (877) 527-3247.
