Driver Shot Dead in Car, Apparently by Passenger

A driver was shot to death, apparently by a passenger who opened fire inside the car, police said Saturday.

The 28-year-old victim, described as very tall and heavyset, was southbound on Laurel Canyon Boulevard on Friday night with two passengers in his 1983 Chrysler sedan when at least one of them fired shots inside the car. One of the shots struck the driver in the upper part of his body, said Sgt. Mike Coffey, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department’s North Hollywood station.

The Chrysler crashed into a parked car and stopped in the middle of the street, police said. The two passengers, described by witnesses as white men in their 30s, jumped out of the car and ran, Coffey said.

Officers responding to a report of gunshots found the 350-pound driver slumped behind the steering wheel about 9:25 p.m. in the 6900 block of Laurel Canyon Boulevard. He was rushed by ambulance to the Medical Center of North Hollywood, where he was pronounced dead about 25 minutes after the shooting, police said.

The name of the driver, who is believed to live in the Valley, was being withheld Saturday pending notification of relatives.

Detectives were releasing only sketchy details as they pursued leads.

Coffey said the two men who ran from the car are considered suspects. Both wore dark clothing, witnesses told police. One had short hair, and the taller one may have been wearing his hair in a ponytail and carrying a backpack, Coffey said.

“Several people saw what happened,” Coffey said. “We have several people who have assisted us, which makes this one a little different. We have real leads, very good leads.”