Deadly shooting closes northbound 5 Freeway near East Los Angeles

A deadly shooting forced the California Highway Patrol to close the northbound 5 Freeway near East Los Angeles Thursday afternoon.

It's unclear when the freeway will reopen.   

Officers described the deadly encounter as a road rage incident between people in two vehicles: a dark-colored Dodge Durango and a gold Cadillac sedan. 

Based on the preliminary investigation, the two cars were driving up the northbound lanes of the Golden State Freeway when the Cadillac rear-ended another vehicle at about 4:10 p.m. near the Lorena Street overpass. 

After stopping nearby, two men from the Dodge Durango exited their vehicle and started shooting at the two men inside the Cadillac. The driver was able to make a U-turn on the freeway but eventually crashed into other vehicles before coming to a stop. 

Immediately after opening fire, the two suspect ran back to their car and drove away. 

Crews from the Los Angeles Fire Department took the driver to the hospital where he remains in surgery, according to the California Highway Patrol. The passenger died on the freeway.