Driver Shot to Death on Freeway

A 28-year-old motorist, the apparent victim of a vehicle-to-vehicle freeway shooting, was found dead after his car crashed into a right shoulder wall on the Artesia Freeway on Saturday night, authorities said.

California Highway Patrol Officer Rosa Ray said witnesses reported hearing gunshots shortly before the crash and saw two men flee the scene in a dark-colored Jeep Cherokee. The crash occurred about 7 p.m. in an eastbound lane at Shoemaker Avenue.

Immediately after the accident, a female passenger leaped from the car and was about to run into a lane of traffic before a passerby restrained her, said Ray.

Witnesses said paramedics, who were first on the scene, initially refused to approach the vehicle without police because of the reports of gunfire. When Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies arrived, authorities found that the unidentified driver had been shot and was dead.