Los Angeles Cops Kill Man Shooting at Random Cars in Hollywood

LOS ANGELES – A gunman who fired at cars and shouted "kill me" and "I'm gonna die!" was shot to death Friday by police after wounding a driver in the heart of Hollywood, authorities and a witness reported.
The unidentified man was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were hurt, Los Angeles police Officer Cleon Joseph said.

Police had few details. However, witness Oscar Herrera told KABC-TV that he saw the gunman walking down the middle of Vine Street near Sunset Boulevard, firing at least nine shots into the air and at passing cars while shouting "Kill me!" and "I'm gonna die!"

"People were running all over," Herrera said. "People was ducking."

The 40-year-old male driver of a Mercedes-Benz was wounded in his upper body and taken to a hospital in unknown condition. A truck and another car were struck with bullets.

The gunman eventually ran out of bullets and pulled a knife before a policeman shot four or five times at the attacker, Herrera said.

Dave Pepper told KCAL-TV that he was in his car when the gunman attacked him.
"This guy came running across the street and he put the gun right up to this window," Pepper said as he sat in the car. "Why he didn't pull the trigger I don't know ... I thought maybe he was out of bullets."

Investigators were trying to determine a motive for the attack. The area was cordoned off, snarling traffic in the heart of Hollywood, as the gunman's body remained in the street under a white sheet for more than an hour after the attack.

Some witnesses described the surreal incident as something that might have been staged for a movie."When I heard it, I didn't react to it being real," said witness Greg Watkins, who was walking along the street when the shooting began.

"This is Hollywood, and they do film stuff all the time," he told the Los Angeles Times. "I honestly thought they were filming something."