One person died and several people were injured after a shooting led to a crash in El Monte Monday night, officials said.
Around 7:30 p.m., police responded to the 2600 block of Mountain View Road and requested assistance from Los Angeles County Fire Department, Supervisor Michael Pittman of the department told KTLA.
Officers arrived to find five patients at the collision site, including the driver of a crashed vehicle who was bleeding from his head. He was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene.
Investigators later found out that the driver had been shot in the head and that there was a handgun inside the vehicle, the Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.
“Although the preliminary investigation reveals that the deceased male possibly suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound prior to the collision, it is being treated as a suspicious death investigation,” sheriff’s officials said. “The cause of death will be determined by the coroner’s office.”
During the investigation, it was discovered that a female had possibly been inside the same vehicle and had gotten out before the crash. She was taken to a local hospital and treated for injuries that were not life-threatening.
The four occupants of the another crashed vehicle — a pregnant mother, father and two children — were taken to a local hospital for injuries that also weren’t life-threatening, officials said.
The shooting had led to the crash at 2601 Meeker Ave., according to the El Monte Police Department.
Sky5 was above the scene around 9 p.m., as authorities had taped off the area for an investigation. One car could be seen crashed into a structure with a sign for a market, while a second vehicle was crashed into the first car.
On Tuesday, detectives were canvassing the area in search for video surveillance and witnesses.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.
