Street takeover turned shooting leaves one dead in South LA
One person was dead after a street takeover in South Los Angeles turned into a fatal shooting late Sunday evening.
After receiving reports of a takeover near the intersection of W. Century Boulevard and S. Hoover Street, Los Angeles Police Department officers were dispatched to the area at around 12:45 a.m.
Upon arrival, they were informed by several witnesses that a shooting had occurred in the area and that at least one person was wounded.
As soon as officers found the victim, a 21-year-old man, they called for an ambulance and he was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
The shooting is said to have occurred after the suspect, another man in his 20s, exited his vehicle at the takeover and opened fire on the victim, who was standing near his own vehicle. He then fled from the area in a white BMW.
No arrests have yet been made in the incident and no additional information was available on the suspect.
Friends of the victim reportedly loaded him into a car and attempted to take him to a hospital. As they pushed through the crowd, paramedics caught up nearly a block away from the scene and were unable to save him.
Authorities indicated that the street takeover was especially large in scale, with as many as 200 spectators on hand for the illegal gathering. Footage from the scene, shortly before the shooting occurred, showed fireworks, cars performing dangerous stunts as people hung out of windows and sunroofs, and one car even engulfed in flames as attendees gathered around.
CBS reporters spoke with the family of the 21-year-old victim, who they said loved basketball and spending time with his friends. Besides themselves, they can't fathom what could have prompted the gunman to shoot their son in the chest during the chaos occurring around them at the takeover.
Detectives are unsure if the victim and suspect knew each other.
Yet another event in a trend that has been plaguing both law enforcement agencies and communities throughout the Southland, this is the second sideshow that has resulted in a fatality, after a pair of women were killed in a collision stemming from the incident in June.
Since recording is so common at street takeovers, officers are asking anyone with potential footage to contact their South Bureau Homicide Department at (323) 786-5080 or upload the video to Crime Stoppers.
"Most individuals do place things on social media," said Los Angeles Police Department Homicide Lieutenant Byron Roberts. "So, if someone did have anything that they captured on their cellular phones, we'd like for them to share it with us."
