A German tourist was shot in the arm during a broad-daylight gunfight in Downtown Los Angeles while returning a luxury rental car.
The visitor, whose name has not been released, had been driving a green-and-black McLaren when the shooting erupted around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday in an alley between South Figueroa and West Francisco streets, the Los Angeles Police Department said. He was not the intended target, but the exchange of gunfire left him and another bystander wounded.
Three men pulled up in a black BMW and allegedly opened fire on a male victim already in the alley, according to authorities. That man immediately fired back at the shooters. The suspects then sped away toward Figueroa Street in the same black car.
The tourist gave a brief account to KTLA at the scene. “My car got hit… I got hit in the arm. There were guys shooting at each other, a whole bunch of people,” he said.
Joshua Ramirez, who saw the shooting unfold, told KTLA that he and a colleague rushed to help one of the injured. They found a man bleeding heavily standing near the green McLaren shortly after the gunfire stopped.
The McLaren was left with bullet holes through its windshield, a stark marker of the violence that had torn through the alley. Both wounded individuals survived, though the full extent of their injuries has not been disclosed.
Police have not determined whether the shooting was gang-related. Investigators are actively searching for the three perpetrators who fled in the BMW.
The LAPD has released no official description of the suspects. The investigation remains ongoing with no arrests announced.
The tourist had been on his way to return the high-end rental when the confrontation engulfed him. Luxury car rentals in the area are common among visitors drawn to Los Angeles’s entertainment and business districts.