Two dead after car-to-car shooting, collision in Baldwin Hills area

LOS ANGELES (FOX 11 / CNS) - Two people were killed in the Baldwin Hills area near Dorsey High School as the result of a car-to-car shooting that led to two pedestrians being struck by the suspect vehicle, and authorities searched Tuesday for the shooter.

Police responded about 8:30 p.m. Monday to the 4800 block of West Rodeo Place, not far from the intersection of Rodeo Road and Crenshaw Boulevard, according to Officer Mike Lopez of the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations Section.

"As a result of the shooting, there's a deceased male,'' LAPD Capt. Alex Baez told reporters. ``As the vehicle was fleeing, it also hit a pedestrian, who is also deceased. The vehicle continued eastbound on Rodeo all the way to Farmdale where it also struck a bicyclist and then fled.''

A woman told news outlets her niece was in the vehicle that was shot at.

"She was in one of the cars,'' Guadalupe Delaratorres said. ``She's good. She's just in the hospital right now.''

Bridgette May told news outlets she heard three shots, then stopped to help a woman get out of the victim's vehicle.

"They was just coming from the grocery store, getting ready to go home and cook some crab, and she said somebody drove by and started shooting at them,'' May said.

One of the pedestrians who was killed was riding a skateboard at the time of the crash, authorities said. The other pedestrian was on a bicycle and was transported to the hospital in stable condition.

Firefighters sent to the scene discovered one person was trapped beneath a vehicle, and another person had been shot nearby, according to Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Metro's Expo Line service was disrupted at the Farmdale station as police conducted their investigation at Exposition Boulevard and Farmdale Avenue. Passengers were transported around the station using Metro buses. Normal service resumed about 11 p.m. Monday.

No information was immediately available about the shooting suspect, who had left the scene by the time police arrived, and it was not immediately clear if the shooting was gang-related, Lopez said.

Authorities described the suspect's vehicle only as a light-colored sedan.