A man was shot while sitting inside a parked vehicle in downtown Long Beach before dawn Sunday, leaving police searching for a gunman who approached the car and discharged a firearm. The motorist was rushed to a hospital, and his condition had not been made clear as investigators worked the scene.
Long Beach police officers were dispatched to the downtown area at about 4:45 a.m. Sunday, according to MyNewsLA.com. Officers arrived to find a man inside his vehicle suffering from gunshot wounds to the upper body. Police said the victim had been sitting in a vehicle in the 1000 block of Pine Avenue when an unknown adult male suspect approached and discharged a firearm, striking him.
Paramedics transported the motorist to a hospital, but his condition was not immediately clear, the outlet's report notes. The motive behind the shooting also remained unknown as of Sunday. Officers located a crime scene and evidence at the location, per the same account, with the suspect described as an unknown adult male.
A Familiar Address for Gun Violence
This is not the first time Pine Avenue has made headlines for gunfire this year. Earlier in September, a 38-year-old man was shot and wounded on Pine Avenue in downtown Long Beach, according to a Hoodline report. In that incident, officers responded to reports of shots fired around 1:45 p.m. on Sept. 20 in the 200 block of Pine Avenue, and investigators said the shooting followed a dispute. Both shootings occurred on Pine Avenue in downtown Long Beach.
Motorists sitting in parked cars have been targeted elsewhere in the city as well. In a separate North Long Beach case, a man was shot and wounded while sitting inside his parked vehicle in the 6500 block of Muriel Avenue near the 91 Freeway, the Long Beach Post reported. Police said in that incident the suspect approached and shot the victim before fleeing on foot, and suspect information and motive remained under investigation, according to the Long Beach Post.
A Fatal Precedent in a Parked Vehicle
Another Long Beach case from 2024 underscores how dangerous these roadside encounters can become. A 32-year-old man was fatally shot while inside a parked vehicle, with authorities responding to the 2200 block of Spaulding Street shortly after 7:30 a.m. on a Wednesday and finding a man with an upper-body gunshot wound, per MyNewsLA.com. The victim was later identified as Torrance resident Shane Camu, and investigators said there was no description of a suspect and no determined motive in that case.
Shootings Have Trended Downward Citywide
Despite the repeated incidents on Pine Avenue, broader city data points to a decline in gun violence. Long Beach recorded 133 shootings in the first half of 2025, described as a five-year low for that period, according to the earlier Hoodline report. That same account, citing city crime data, said shootings in Long Beach dropped 35.6 percent and homicides fell 23.4 percent in 2025 compared with the previous year.
The Long Beach Police Department maintains statistical reports sorted by five-year summary, year-over-year comparisons, and reporting district on its crime statistics dashboard. The suspect was described as an unknown adult male.
