A man was discovered with gunshot wounds inside a car on the eastbound 105 Freeway near the Vermont Avenue exit in the West Athens neighborhood of South Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon, authorities said. Paramedics rushed him to a hospital in critical condition, and the incident triggered a SigAlert along with extended lane closures as investigators moved in. Officials said only limited information was available in the early stages of the investigation.
Scene and response
Aerial footage showed the car stopped near the Vermont Avenue exit with its right-side rear window shattered, according to the California Highway Patrol, which spoke with NBC Los Angeles. CHP reported that all eastbound lanes except the No. 5 lane were shut down Thursday afternoon while officers examined the scene, and the case was being handled as possible highway violence.
Past incidents on South L.A. freeways
Similar tragedies have unfolded before on South Los Angeles freeways, where shootings and crashes have left people injured or killed inside vehicles. In one such case in August 2024, the Los Angeles Times documented a fatal shooting that was tied to a single-car crash in the area. Incidents like these highlight how difficult it can be to investigate crimes on fast-moving ramps and freeways, where most witnesses are passing drivers and crucial evidence can end up scattered over a wide stretch of roadway.
Investigation underway
The California Highway Patrol told NBC Los Angeles that it was not immediately clear who shot the man or how he came to be wounded inside the vehicle, and that officers did not have a suspect description as of Thursday afternoon. Officials have not released further details and said the investigation remains active.
