Detectives were investigating the possibility that a shooting that left a 16-year-old student wounded just outside a high school campus in North Hills was racially motivated, police told the NBC4 I-Team Wednesday.
The shooting happened Monday near the intersection of Gloria Avenue and Tupper Street, near the gates of Albert Einstein High School, a continuation school attached to the campus of Monroe High School.
The 16-year-old victim and another 17-year-old had just left Einstein and were getting into the 16-year-old's car when a man approached, used racial slurs and began shooting, police said.
“After those words were exchanged, the suspect produced a handgun and fired rounds at the victims. One of the victims, the driver of the vehicle, was struck and transported himself to the hospital," LAPD Dep. Chief Alan Hamilton said.
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"In the course of transporting himself, he [the vicitm] struck the suspect with his vehicle, and that suspect eventually ran from the location," Hamilton said.
The 17-year-old ran from the shooting scene and wasn't injured. The 16-year-old was said to be in stable condition recovering from gunshot wounds to the arm and face.
Witnesses told police the attacker was carried for more than a block on the hood of the victim's car as the victim drove south on Gloria Avenue.
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"The suspect fell off the front of the car and was struck by the vehicle, and the victim continued southbound towards Nordhoff and went to a nearby hospital," Hamilton said.
The gunman then ran away from the scene. Investigators were still working Wednesday to identify him. Other witnesses said he may have been a teenager.
The LA Unified School District said in a statement that both schools were placed on lockdown Monday, and added that counseling and other resources were available for students who either witnessed or were impacted by the violence near the schools.
"This incident took place at the perimeter of Einstein Continuation High School, not directly on campus. To support our students, we are providing additional mental health support for anyone who may have been impacted by this incident. In addition, the Los Angeles School Police Department will be providing additional patrols," the district said.
Based on the statements made before the shooting, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was notified about the case, but authorities said it was too soon to know if there was a hate motive for the attack.
