Street robbery in Hollywood turns deadly; two in custody

One man is dead and his alleged killer in custody after a late-night street robbery ended in a shooting in Hollywood, police said.

The incident began just before midnight in the 1600 block of North Cahuenga Boulevard when an off-duty LAPD officer saw a man smashing the windows of cars parked along the street, said Officer Lilliana Preciado of the Los Angeles Police Department. The man confronted a pedestrian and demanded his money, then “shot the victim several times,” Preciado said.

Taylor Dawson, who works in the area, told KTLA-TV Channel 5 that he saw the shooting after getting off from work.

“We heard a commotion. We watched a guy shoot about six times into an African American male,” Dawson told KTLA. “The guy just drops and they took off.”

The off-duty officer and witnesses followed the gunman to Wilcox Avenue until officers arrived and took him into custody. The pedestrian was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. His identity will be released after relatives are notified.

The identity of the gunman was not immediately available. Police also arrested a second man believed to have been involved in the incident. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

There have been seven homicides in Hollywood in the last 12 months, according to the Homicide Report.

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