[symple_googlemap title=”” location=”1920 S. Acacia Court, Compton, CA” height=”300″ zoom=”13″]
Updated at 2:45 p.m., Jan. 2, 2015
A man was fatally wounded during a fight near the Metro Blue Line’s Artesia station in Compton on Friday, authorities said.
A call about a “man with a gun on the train” was received about 8:40 a.m. from the Metro Blue Line’s Artesia station, 1920 S. Acacia Court, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Ramon Montenegro said.
The shooting victim — whose name and age were being withheld — was taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 9:20 a.m., Montenegro said.
Detectives have learned that the victim was on the ramp leading away from the station when he got into a physical confrontation with another man, Deputy Guillermina Saldana of the Sheriff’s Information Bureau said.
“One of the men produced a gun, shot at the other man, and ran away,” she said. “The victim chased the suspect who turned and fired several more times at the victim.”
An armed security officer contracted by Metro saw the shooting and fired one shot at the suspect as he fled, but it was unclear if he was struck, she said.
He was described only as black, wearing dark clothing and a baseball cap.
Metro’s Kim Upton said the Artesia station was closed at 8:40 a.m., with the transit agency providing shuttle service for patrons at the Compton and Del Amo Metro Blue Line stations. The Artesia station is between the Compton and Del Amo stations.
Upton said with 500 million boardings a year, Metro had two homicides in 2014, zero in 2013 and one in 2012.
Anyone with information about the shooting was urged to contact the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. Anonymous tips can be provided by calling Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS.
—Staff and wire reports