Man Killed in Freeway Crash Is Believed Shot

A man died Tuesday afternoon after apparently being shot as he drove on the Harbor Freeway in South Los Angeles, where he lost control of his car and crashed into the center divider, Los Angeles police said.

Michael Livingston, 20, of Long Beach was heading north near Manchester Boulevard about 2:30 p.m. when he was killed.

“It appears that he was just driving down the freeway and someone shot him and he ran into the center divider,” said Los Angeles Police Department Det. Roosevelt Joseph. The gunman may have fired from another car, he said.

“We found bullet casings on the road,” Joseph said. “It also appears that he suffered gunshot wounds, but that hasn’t been confirmed yet.”

But a witness said the victim apparently lost control of the car because of speeding.

Maurice Bingham, 24, of South Los Angeles said he was driving on the freeway when the driver of a silver Chevy Camaro pulled alongside and challenged him to race. Bingham said the man then sped off. He said the car slammed into the wall on the right side of the freeway, ricocheted across the road and smashed into the center divider.

Bingham said he and a California Highway Patrol officer who was ticketing a car on the southbound side of the freeway were the first to arrive at the scene. The victim, who was not wearing a seat belt, was lying on the passenger seat with apparent head injuries, Bingham said.

Several lanes of the freeway were closed for more than three hours, Joseph said. Police were searching for a gunman.

Police said they were mystified by the lack of witnesses, with hundreds of people around.

“It could be gangs ... or it could be a road rage situation. It’s really too soon to tell,” said police Capt. Kenneth Garner. “Somebody had to see that.”