Suspects Sought in Drive-By Shooting

Police were looking for three men who pulled alongside a car at a South Los Angeles intersection and opened fire, killing the driver and a passenger.

The victims were driving home from a nightclub in Hollywood with two women in the back seat when the shooting occurred at 1:45 a.m. Sunday at Florence and Central avenues, police said. Investigating officers said no words were exchanged and there was no known motive.

“It should be emphasized that this case is not a gang-related incident,” said Lt. Roger Murphy of the Los Angeles Police Department. “The victims have absolutely no gang ties. It is unknown at this time if the shooters do.”

The driver, Marcos Antonio Miranda, 25, of Chino died Monday morning at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center. His friend of 10 years, Leonardo Charott Valdivia, 24, of Pomona, died at the scene.

Miranda’s sister, Carmen, said he worked as a landscaper with their father and had “never been in jail or had trouble with police, nothing.”

The passengers described the killers as in their teens to early 20s, driving a white or gray Jeep Grand Cherokee, police said. Three men were in the SUV, but the women were able to describe only two.

Detectives asked that any witnesses or others with information call (213) 485-1383.