An altercation between two groups in two separate party buses in downtown Santa Monica, CA around 1 a.m. Saturday ended in a shooting that left one dead and several wounded.
It’s not clear what started the altercation between the groups, but at least two people aboard one of the buses pulled out weapons and opened fire on the other bus as it was trying to drive away.
Four people total sustained injuries: three aboard the bus and one person standing in the street. One of the individuals, a woman in her 30s, died from her wounds. Two remain hospitalized while the fourth only sustained minor injuries that did not require a transport.
By a stroke of luck, the shooting occurred near the Santa Monica police station and the bus being attacked turned into the station’s lot; officers nearby on the Santa Monica Pier also responded as they heard the shots being fired.
“We had some officers that were on the pier that may have heard it, so they immediately responded and started broadcasting that they heard some gunshots,” Santa Monica police Lt. Saul Rodriguez said. “So we had officers on scene pretty quickly, enough so to try to close off and set up a perimeter as best we could. But again, we couldn’t find or locate any possible suspects because there were a lot of people that apparently were trying to disperse and leave the area immediately. So it was hard to tell what was going on at that point.”
According to CBS, no arrests have been made. The suspects were described as two to three black males. Investigators are unsure exactly how many people opened fire or how many rounds were shot. They are hoping more witnesses come forward to help provide more detailed suspect descriptions. Anyone with information should call police at 310-458-8495.
via CBS