PACOIMA : Man Shot to Death in His Parked Car

A man sitting in his car with two passengers on a Pacoima street was shot to death early Tuesday by another motorist, Los Angeles police said.

Rudolfo Valdez, 23, of Pacoima was killed about 3 a.m. in the 10700 block of Sutter Avenue, Detective Woodrow Parks said.

Parks said Valdez was returning to his home after spending the evening with two women at a nightclub in downtown Los Angeles. When he stopped in front of one woman’s house to drop her off, a pickup truck drove up and the driver got out holding a gun. The driver walked up to Valdez’s car and, after a brief exchange of words, fired one time at Valdez.

The gunman jumped back into his pickup, which was black with a black camper shell, and sped away, Parks said. The women with Vasquez were unhurt.

The motive for the shooting was not clear Tuesday. Parks said the victim had not been involved in a dispute earlier, but it appeared that the assailant knew him or believed he knew him.