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# Altercation at pier ends in fatal shooting
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/altercation-at-pier-ends-in-fatal-shooting/
- Published: 2005-10-03T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T07:50:40.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Crime, Pier, #archive-import

*Police believe suspect fired a warning shot*

*By Daily Press staff*

A Los Angeles man was shot to death near the Santa Monica Pier over the weekend.

On Sunday, shortly after midnight, Michael Leon Gatewood, a 25-year-old male, was killed near the lifeguard headquarters south of the pier. The shooting occurred following an altercation that police believe started after Gatewood punched a teen girl in the face.

Several suspects have been arrested, including a 17-year-old male who is believed to have been the shooter.

On Oct. 2, at 12:08 a.m., Santa Monica police officers responded to the Santa Monica Pier regarding a fight. Additional information indicated a subject was seen firing a gun in the air.

Numerous officers immediately responded to that initial call. A responding supervisor arrived and heard three to four shots coming from the 1600 block of the beach. He and other officers observed several people running from the beach eastbound toward Ocean Front Walk. These people were detained.

Witnesses came forth, including a friend of the victim, saying a man had been shot and was lying on the sand. Officers went to that location to find the victim, later identified as Gatewood, a 25-year-old male from Los Angeles. Gatewood was transported to a local hospital, where he died at 1:05 a.m. He appeared to have been shot about six times, mostly grazing wounds, but apparently suffered one fatal wound underneath the armpit.

Police say information from witnesses and associates indicate Gatewood belonged to the Los Angeles-based gang known as the “Playboy Gangsta Crips.” Police say this information coincided with a “PGC” tattoo observed on his body. It is unclear, however, whether the altercation leading to his death was gang-related. Police believe the suspects and victim all knew each other.

Two of the suspects seen fleeing the sand were detained in the 1670 beach parking lot. One of these suspects, a 17-year-old male, was identified as the suspect seen shooting a firearm into the air while on the pier. The second suspect, a female juvenile, was running off the sand with the shooter. A handgun was found beneath a car in the 1670 beach parking lot in close proximity to their detention and arrest.

At the jail, the male suspect was found to have an empty holster tucked into his pants.

Two other individuals were arrested for possibly collaborating with the male and female suspects. Both were male adults. A decision to seek criminal charges against these two subjects is pending.

None of the suspects are from Santa Monica.

Police sealed off the area to conduct their investigation. A bullet casing matching the caliber of the recovered firearm was found on the pier in the area where the witness said he heard a shot fired and observed the suspect with a handgun.

Following the preliminary investigation, police say they believe the victim had a fight with the male and female suspects. The victim of the shooting reportedly punched the female in the face, after which a struggle ensued with the suspected shooter.

During the fight, police believe the male suspect pulled out a handgun and fired a round in the air to intimidate the victim. Police say the dispute made its way down onto the sand, near lifeguard headquarters, where the male suspect shot the victim.

Police report the two primary suspects are believed to know each other, although their exact relationship is undetermined. A total of 14 associates of both the victim and suspects were present at the beach and interviewed by police. The investigation is ongoing.

The primary male suspect was booked for murder and was transported to a juvenile facility.

Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact the robbery/homicide unit of the Santa Monica Police Department at (310) 458-8451 or the watch commander’s office at (310) 458-8426.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 3, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/100305.pdf?ref=smdp.com)