A van came under gunfire Friday before crashing into parked vehicles in North Hills in an incident that killed the driver and and left three others injured, authorities said.
The crash occurred at 2:04 a.m. in the 14700 block of West Plummer Street, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The dark gray van, peppered with bullets, was shot at least seven times, investigators said. It slammed into four vehicles parked on the street.
It was not immediately clear if the gunshots were fired from another car or by a pedestrian walking on the street, said Det. Dave Peteque of the Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Bureau Homicide division.
The driver, who was discovered with a gunshot wound, died at the scene and the front passenger was also shot and hospitalized in critical condition, police said.
The two people sitting in the back of the van sustained non life-threatening injuries, LAFD said.
The cause of the shooting is unknown, but investigators believe it may be gang-related. Police described three of the four victims as gang members.
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One of the men was celebrating his birthday and spent time with the others in a nearby parking lot before the incident. They were heading to a friend's home when the shooting happened.
The man celebrating his birthday survived with broken wrists and was cooperating with detectives Friday.
The driver had not yet been identified.
Plummer Street was closed between Natick Avenue and Van Nuys Bouelvard Friday morning.
City News Service contributed to this report.
