A man originally thought to be an Uber driver was shot and killed by gang gunfire in his car on a street in Lincoln Heights Tuesday morning and four suspects — two men and two women — were arrested after a freeway pursuit that ended in La Puente, the California Highway Patrol reported.
Although an Uber sticker was on the windshield of the victim’s car, police determined that he was not a driver for the ridesharing service, said Officer Matt Ludwig, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman.
The unidentified man, who was 25 to 35 years old, was killed near the intersection of Broadway and Griffin Avenue about 2 a.m.
Authorities withheld the name of the victim, who was pronounced dead at the scene, pending family notification.
“A suspect pulled up alongside the victim’s vehicle … and shot approximately eight rounds at the victim and then fled,” LAPD Capt. Edward Pape told reporters at the scene. “We do know that the suspects are gang members … this does appear to be gang-related.”
LAPD units responding to the shooting began chasing an SUV on surface streets near the East L.A. interchange. The chase was handed off at 2:19 a.m. to the California Highway Patrol, when the driver got on the San Bernardino (10) Freeway in West Covina, said CHP Officer Francisco Villalobos.
The SUV exited the 10 Freeway at the Vincent Avenue offramp and the chase continued on surface streets until the driver got onto the westbound Pomona (60) Freeway at Azusa Avenue, Villalobos said.
The pursuit ended in La Puente after the SUV exited the 60 Freeway at Hacienda Boulevard, where the occupants were taken into custody.
As of late this morning, the suspects were still being questioned and had not been arrested, Ludwig said.
—City News Service