Two motorcyclists were recovering Saturday after being shot and wounded in separate incidents late Friday night within 20 minutes and 3 miles of each other on the 60 Freeway in the East Los Angeles area, authorities said.
Officers responded about 11:40 p.m. to the eastbound side of the highway near Indiana Street, in Boyle Heights (map), where a man on a motorcycle had crashed after being shot six times in the back, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The unidentified 38-year-old was approaching an onramp when he was attacked, investigators said.
“He felt somebody was shooting at him,” said LAPD Detective Raymond Martinez. “He lost control of his motorcycle … hit the center divider and his motorcycle broke in two.”
The man was rushed to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition.
About midnight, another motorcycle driver on the 60 was shot in the arm near Atlantic Boulevard (map), according to authorities. He was in stable condition after being transported to County-USC.
The shooter or shooters were among a group of five to 10 motorcyclists who approached the victim, witnesses told police.
When interviewed by police, the wounded man acknowledged that he was a member of a gang, Martinez said. His name was not released.
No arrests have been made in either shooting. An investigation into both incidents is ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to call the LAPD’s Hollenbeck Division at 323-342-4100.