An incident of street takeover in Los Angeles turned violent after a shooting erupted at the scene, following the overnight spectacle that was caught on camera, KTLA reported on Monday (local time).
According to a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesperson, deputies responded to the latest street takeover report at Compton and Gage avenues in the Florence-Firestone area around 3 AM. LA County firefighters were also present on the scene to extinguish a car that was found burning in the middle of the street after the takeover.
The emergency call was later updated when a person was found suffering from a gunshot wound and was transported to a hospital in unknown condition, the report added, citing a department spokesperson.
As the deputies investigated the shooting, fire, and street takeover incidents, they shut down the intersection. It remains unclear if any arrests have been made so far.
Second incident in less than two days
The incident occurred after over 24 hours, when four people were shot when cars took over Del Mar and Garvey avenues in Rosemead early morning on 12 April. The victims, whose ages ranged from 17 to 22, were taken to local hospitals in stable condition.
The crowd smashed windows and forced its way into a luxury building, the Los Angeles Times reported. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is currently investigating the incident. The Sheriff's Temple Station deputies responded to reports of a street takeover at Del Mar and Garvey avenues at 1:47 AM. The intersection, where vehicles were performing doughnuts and other stunts, is surrounded by eateries and small businesses.
As per reports, a shooting occurred during the takeover, and four people were wounded by gunfire. However, it remains unclear whether the sheriff's deputies were present during the exchange of gunfire.
It's unclear what prompted the shooting and who was firing. Sheriff's detectives are working on identifying those involved and determining the events that led up to the shooting.
LA mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, in a post on X, reposted a video of a street takeover in which a shooting occurred in the middle of a car full of passengers performing a doughnut, surrounded by a large crowd. Once shots are heard in the video, the crowd quickly disperses or takes cover. While it was unclear that the video, which Pratt reposted, was filmed in Rosemead, the mayoral candidate did say that takeovers happen in LA all the time.
LA street takeover shootings
The Los Angeles Times reported that the shooting incident marks the latest takeover within the LA County that has ended in injury or property damage. Earlier in March, a series of takeovers were reported in downtown LA, Harbour Gateway, and South Los Angeles areas. The first incident prompted the LA Police Department to focus its resources on deterring and responding to these events.
On 10 March, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced that the LAPD would increase enforcement in downtown LA, using a mix of patrol cars, mounted units, officers on foot, and undercover personnel to address street takeovers.
The move followed a downtown incident near the Circa LA apartments, close to Crypto.com Arena, where a takeover escalated into the building's lobby. The situation led to reports of assault with a deadly weapon, battery, and vandalism.
Footage from the scene showed a group attacking a man in a suit, believed to be associated with the property. In the same video, an individual wearing a black hoodie and mask smashed the lobby's glass windows with a metal barricade while bystanders watched and recorded. Others were seen damaging and overturning furniture inside.
About two weeks later, three separate takeovers were reported within a single day. In one case, a large crowd surrounded a Metro bus, climbed onto it, and blocked it from moving, leaving maintenance workers trapped inside.