A man was hospitalized early Sunday after he was shot during a confrontation in the driveway of a hotel near the Santa Monica coastline, prompting a police investigation and search for the suspected gunman.
Officers with the Santa Monica Police Department responded to reports of a shooting shortly before 2am in the 100 block of Wilshire Boulevard. The incident took place in the courtyard area of a hotel just steps from the beach and the city’s busy downtown district.
When officers arrived, they found an adult male suffering from a gunshot wound. Paramedics treated the victim at the scene before transporting him to a nearby hospital. He was listed in stable condition as of Sunday afternoon, according to police.
Preliminary details indicate the man had been engaged in a verbal dispute with the driver of a black SUV. The argument reportedly began in the hotel driveway and quickly escalated into a physical confrontation. At some point during the struggle, the driver pulled out a firearm and shot the victim before fleeing the area.
The suspect is described as a man between 40 and 50 years old with facial hair. He was last seen wearing a black shirt and black pants and driving a black SUV. No arrests have been made and investigators are working to determine what sparked the initial altercation. Detectives are reviewing surveillance footage from nearby businesses and hotels and are asking anyone who witnessed the incident or has relevant information to contact Santa Monica Police at 310-458-8491. The investigation remains active.
The shooting took place just hours after a separate, fatal incident on the Third Street Promenade, where an attempted robbery inside a closed store ended with a suspect shot and killed by the intended victim. Police have not said whether the two cases are in any way connected but emphasized there is no ongoing threat to the public.