At least six people were wounded when gunfire erupted in the Cypress Park neighborhood of Los Angeles on Saturday, authorities said.
The shooting was reported about 7:15 p.m. in the area of San Fernando Road and Merced Street, Los Angeles Fire Department officials said. One of the patients was critically injured, two were in serious condition and two suffered injuries described as not life-threatening, Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said. The condition of the sixth victim found at the scene was unclear.
Another shooting victim who took himself to a hospital may have also been wounded in the same incident, Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Frank Preciado said. One of those wounded in the shooting was 17 years old.
Police had nine people detained as they continued their investigation Saturday night, the sergeant said. It was not yet clear if any of them were suspects in the shooting.
Gang officers were patrolling in the area when a witness flagged them down and reported hearing “a lot of shooting,” according to Preciado.
The officers soon found five gunshot victims in the area, he said.
Police entered a nearby auto shop, where they believed a suspect may be hiding, police said. They found a sixth gunshot victim inside.
The shooting was suspected to have involved two groups of rival gang members, Preciado said. A group of gang members from out of the area were believed to be hanging out at a business on the north side of San Fernando Road when two to four members of a local gang confronted them.
Following the gunfire, at least one wounded person, described by Preciado as a possible suspect, got onto a passing Metro bus and tried to portray himself as a passenger. Officers stopped the bus and detained the man.
At least two different calibers of firearm were involved in the shooting, officials said.
A witness who asked that his name be withheld said he heard what sounded like a dozen gunshots, possibly fired from two guns at the same time. About eight seconds of silence followed before one final gunshot rang out, he said.
Detailed suspect descriptions were not available.
KTLA’s Dottie Evans contributed to this report.