Smoke shop shooting spawns police pursuit; 3 people in custody

A shooting at an Echo Park smoke shop Tuesday evening left one person injured and spawned a half-hour police pursuit that ended with three people in custody and officers searching for a fourth connected with the incident, authorities said.

Just before 5:50 p.m., a shooting occurred at smoke shop in a strip mall in the 2600 block of Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles Police Officer Mike Lopez said.

A police helicopter spotted a vehicle quickly fleeing the scene and followed the car to the 110 Freeway onramp near Adams Boulevard and Flower Street. There, three people in the car were taken into custody about 6:30 p.m., LAPD Officer Drake Madison said.

A fourth person is possibly involved in the shooting, and investigators were examining the shooting scene and interviewing witnesses to determine his identity, Lopez said.

As night fell Tuesday, yellow crime scene tape was cordoning off the Sunset Boulevard strip mall.

The gunshot tore through the leg of the victim in the smoke shop, Lopez said. The victim was taken to a hospital, and the wound was not believed to be life-threatening.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

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Times staff writer Kate Mather contributed to this report.