2 Men Found Shot to Death in Vehicle at Crack Hangout

Two men were found shot to death in a stolen vehicle parked in the garage of a crack “smoke house” in South Los Angeles, authorities said.

Police said they discovered the bodies of the unidentified men--one described only as a black in his late 40s and the other a Latino in his early 20s--late Tuesday night after responding to a report of a shooting in the 11000 block of South Spring Street.

“We believe it was narcotics-related,” Los Angeles Police Lt. Doug Collisson said. “But it’s somewhat unusual in that some things don’t add up--like the disparity in the ages of the victims and the fact that both were wearing blue, mechanics-style pants and shirt.”

It was not clear where the shooting took place, Collisson said. But a preliminary investigation suggested that the two men were fatally wounded during a struggle inside the small stucco house and then placed in the back of the gray mini-Blazer that was reported stolen from a Hawthorne address on New Year’s Day, the lieutenant said. In fact, he added, officers followed a trail of blood from the house to the locked garage.

“Each body had one or more gunshots in the upper torso,” Collisson said. “Both had been placed in the well between the front and back seat.”

The two deaths were the fourth and fifth homicides in (the Police Department’s) South Bureau in the last two days, Collisson said, “which is on a par with the trend we started with last year.”

The owner of the house, Debra Lewis, said the property had been vacant for several months and was frequently used as a hangout by gang members.