The westbound 91 Freeway was shut down through Cerritos for several hours Friday as authorities investigated a fatal car-to-car shooting.
The incident was reported shortly before 4:30 p.m. near the Artesia Boulevard exit, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Stephan Brandt.
Aerial video from the scene showed traffic was backed up for miles as the ensuing investigation forced the westbound freeway’s closure. After the sun had set, detectives were seen walking along the freeway with flashlights, combing the area for evidence.
Shortly after 11 p.m., officials could be seen preparing to tow the victim’s car from the scene.
CHP announced on Twitter at 2:31 a.m. Saturday that all lanes on the freeway were back open.
The person killed was a 27-year-old black man from Cerritos, according to CHP Sgt. Saul Gomez. He was the lone person in the vehicle.
The victim was shot at least once in the chest, and several more shots were fired into the vehicle.
The man died after being transported to UC Irvine Medical Center, Gomez said.
The shooter sped away from the scene.
Authorities were interviewing the victim’s family Friday night, trying to uncover a possible motive.
No suspects have been identified, and it’s unclear what led up to the shooting.
“It could be a multitude of things,” Gomez said. “It could be road rage, because we have seen that in the past. I don’t know much about the victim, and thus I can’t speculate whether it was gang-related or not.”
The victim’s vehicle, a white Nissan sedan, remained in the rightmost lane on the westbound side of the freeway, aerial video showed. What appeared to be items of clothing were sitting in the roadway nearby, and at least two bullet holes could be seen on the driver’s side.
Anyone with information can contact CHP investigators at 323-644-9550.
Correction: A previous version of this story misidentified the city in which the shooting occurred.