Los Angeles, Ca
Witness to deadly downtown shootout says party was a 'powder keg'
Gunfire erupted in what witnesses called an underground, illegal New Year’s Eve party at a warehouse in downtown Los Angeles early Monday morning leaving two people dead.
Police said the shooting broke out at around 1 a.m., following some sort of dispute and investigators believe there were multiple gunmen.
Arriving officers saw a large group of people in the street in front of the location and heard what they believed to be gunfire, Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Ryan Whiteman said.
Several victims with gunshot wounds were located and attended to by first responders.
“At this time, we have two confirmed fatalities,” Whiteman said. The victims were described as a male and a female who were in their 20s.
Eight other people were transported to local medical centers in unknown condition following the incident, Whiteman said.
Hundreds of people had packed the building in the 2300 block of Porter Street and many of them spilled outside. One witness, who did not want to be identified, told KTLA’s Chris Wolfe that the scene was already chaotic and dangerous even before the deadly shootout.
“It was a powder keg waiting for a match really,” he said. “There were double-parked cars three or four rows deep and only a single line of traffic was remaining. Everything became very hectic as drunken people spilled out of the venue. The venue is clearly not large enough to hold the number of people that were present. I made multiple attempts to call both 311 and 911.”
The man said that all the calls he placed to authorities were unsuccessful.
An Uber driver, identified only as Mike B., was in the area picking up customers when he got caught in the crossfire, saying he quickly crouched under his dashboard.
“I see gunfire from one of the perpetrators at a black SUV and I duck because it’s like maybe within 15-20 feet from me, in front of my car,” he told KTLA. “When I’m ducked, I hear…like a submachine gun, like an Uzi or something like that.”
His vehicle was struck by bullets and at least one of his passengers had their arm grazed by gunfire.
“There’s a guy 20 feet to my left side and there’s an SUV on the right side and I believe they were shooting at each other,” Mike added.
Later that morning, the aunt of the woman who was killed showed up to the scene.
“I thank God for the times we had with her and I just pray to everybody, turn your life around and give it to God,” she told KTLA.
While the loved ones of those who lost their lives will be dealing with pain that lasts a lifetime, the unidentified witness said he believes that along with the shooters, there are others who are responsible.
“I think, personally, that given the tragic events that led to at least two people being killed that the event coordinators and promoters need to be held accountable for their actions,” he said.
The situation remains under investigation as police continue gathering evidence, looking for surveillance footage and talking to witnesses.
Anyone with any information about the incident is urged to contact the Los Angeles Police Department. Anonymous tips can be made through L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or online at Crime Stoppers.
A hospital needs help identifying a male patient who was found injured and unconscious in downtown Los Angeles.
The man is believed to be in his 30s, according to the Los Angeles General Medical Center.
He was found injured on the ground on Omar Street and has been hospitalized since June 22.
He stands 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 176 pounds. He has brown eyes, dark brown hair and tattoos across his upper body.
He did not have any personal belongings to help staff identify him or contact loved ones. Workers did not disclose the nature of his injuries.
Anyone who recognizes the man is asked to call clinical social worker Cesar Robles at 323-409-6885.
The public can also call the L.A. General Medical Center’s Department of Social Work at 323-409-5253 or, after hours from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., call 323-409-6883. On weekends, call 323-409-5254.
Police are asking the public for help Wednesday in identifying a hit-and-run driver who left a woman badly injured in Long Beach late last month. The May 24 crash occurred around 11 p.m. as the victim was crossing East 2nd Street, according to the Long Beach Police Department. Video provided by police showed a dark-colored […]
WARNING: Video footage contains graphic violence
A 62-year-old street vendor is recovering after a brutally violent attack by another woman in broad daylight as bystanders in downtown Los Angeles looked on.
The attack happened around 4 p.m. on June 15 in the 700 block of Figueroa Street, where Arabelia Martinez has sold hot dogs for years to support herself and her family.
Video of the incident, which has since circulated widely online, appears to show a woman confronting Martinez at her stand before spraying sauce across the vendor’s cart. Martinez responds by throwing what appears to be Tajín seasoning in the woman’s direction, and the confrontation quickly escalates.
The difficult-to-watch footage shows Martinez being shoved to the ground and struck multiple times as people look on. Some can be seen attempting to intervene, but the assault continues for roughly a minute before coming to an end.
“I was speechless,” Martinez’s son, Constantino Garcia, said after watching the video. “I couldn’t even see the whole thing.”
According to Garcia, the suspect approached his mother before the attack and attempted to intimidate her into giving her money.
“The lady came up to my mom trying to intimidate her and extort her for money, telling her she needed a permit to sell, which my mom does have,” Garcia told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo.
When Martinez refused, Garcia claims the woman became verbally abusive.
“After she didn’t get her way and tried to extort my mom, she said, ‘Go back to Mexico,’ and made some racist remarks,” he said. “She said some disgusting things to my mom.”
Garcia said his mother continues to suffer lingering effects from the attack.
“She keeps complaining about her head,” he said. “We need to go see a head specialist because her head doesn’t stop hurting. As you could see in the video, she got slammed to the ground.”
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A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia)
The video has also sparked outrage over the response from some witnesses who were nearby during the assault.
“What’s going on with our society?” Garcia said. “Are we getting desensitized to an elderly woman being beaten in broad daylight and being surrounded by people doing the bare minimum to help her? That was horrible for me to watch.”
Witness Sebastian Gutierrez said he arrived moments after the confrontation and saw Garcia’s attacker causing additional chaos in the area.
“The lady began to flip over the tables of vendors,” Gutierrez said, describing the woman as possibly unstable. “It definitely seemed like there were mental health issues or drugs involved, like we see with a lot of things here in downtown L.A.,” he said.
The Los Angeles Police Department has launched a battery investigation into the incident KTLA confirmed, though no suspect information or news of a potential arrest has been released.
Meanwhile, Martinez’s family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help with her recovery and raise awareness about the dangers street vendors face daily.
“I hope that my mom gets justice for what happened to her,” Garcia said. He added that he’s been encouraged by the public response to the video.
“I’m grateful people are sympathizing with my mom,” he said. “People are giving it the attention it deserves.”
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