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Six people were shot and three others are in critical condition after a gang-related shooting in MacArthur Park on Wednesday, Los Angeles police said.
The shooting was reported to police just before 1 a.m. in the 600 block of South Alvarado Street, and officers found multiple gunshot victims in the area, police said. Officers arrested a male suspect.
One victim, believed to have been struck by a stray bullet, was near the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Alvarado Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department’s Detective Division. Megan Aguilar.
Initially, police believed all six injured were victims. Police said one of the attackers was in serious but stable condition, which was later announced. It is not clear who shot the alleged attacker.
“Today, the mayor and I are deploying resources to our region to enforce our zero-tolerance policy against crime. If you break the law, you will be arrested,” Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said in a statement. Ta. “Please know that my top priority is your safety, and I will continue to hold accountable those who threaten your safety.”
The victims were announced to be four adult males and one adult female. All were taken to local hospitals. The three victims are in stable condition.
According to police, the male suspect who was arrested approached the group and opened fire with a handgun. The suspect then ran south on Alvarado Street to an unknown location.
Aguilar said investigators at the scene recovered shell casings from two weapons, indicating two additional shooters were involved in the attack.
Law enforcement officials said the shooting started when rival gang members fired shots and clashed. Police officials said the victim was a bystander.
Video taken by ANG News showed a trail of blood on the sidewalk leading to a man lying in a pool of blood as paramedics treated his wounds. Another video showed a man covered in blood with his lip nearly torn off.
The shooting is the latest in a string of crime problems plaguing MacArthur Park. The area is known for gang violence and drug use, much of which is caused by homeless people living in and around the park. The owner of nearby Langer’s Deli threatened to close unless the city cleaned up the area.
City, police and community leaders have spent months grappling with how best to address the intertwined crises at the park. The mop-up operation, which was scheduled to involve hundreds of police officers, has been postponed twice, most recently because police resources were needed to respond to the ongoing bushfires.
The shootings also put added stress on nearby immigrant communities already in crisis amid fears of mass deportations that the Trump administration has promised to carry out.
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