One Wounded as Gunmen Open Fire in Restaurant

Several gunmen ran into a restaurant in Hawthorne on Monday afternoon and, as a dozen patrons scattered in terror, opened fire without warning, wounding one male customer six times before leaving as quickly as they arrived, authorities said.

“They all started shooting,” Hawthorne police Sgt. Bob Cooper said of the intruders. “They just walked in and started airing the place out.”

The incident took place about 1:46 p.m. in the Pho Hoa, a popular Vietnamese restaurant, in the 15000 block of Prairie Avenue. The establishment opened in July.

An eyewitness who works nearby said she was waiting for a food order at a nearby doughnut shop when she saw two cars pull into the parking lot, one a white Volkswagen Rabbit convertible, the other a red Datsun or Toyota.

She said four or five young men in their late teens or early 20s ran into the restaurant and she heard five or six shots. “They were in there only 10 or 15 seconds,” she said. “They ran back into their cars and took off.”

The witness said she jotted down the license plate of one of the cars and gave it to police.

The injured man, whose name was not released by authorities, was in critical condition at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital, a hospital spokesman said.

Hawthorne Fire Department paramedic Paul Zazala said the victim was shot numerous times in the chest, abdomen, arms and legs.

“They didn’t miss anything,” he said.

Cooper said police did not know if the shooting was linked to Asian gang activity. The victim and the gunmen were Oriental, he said.