A Lyft driver was expected to survive after being shot in the head in Glassell Park early Sunday during a road rage incident that left his passengers unharmed, officials said.
A person in what appeared to be a black Toyota Prius opened fire and struck the victim near the intersection of Eagle Rock Boulevard and Avenue 40, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The Lyft driver had two passengers inside his vehicle at the time of the shooting, authorities said.
Police received a call about the incident at around 5 a.m. After shots were fired, the Lyft driver’s vehicle slammed into a nearby fire hydrant, causing water to burst from it and into the air.
Joe Hedge, a witness, told KTLA he heard about three or four shots ring out and could see the Lyft passengers were left shaken. Bullet holes in the window, close to where they were sitting, could be seen in footage of the scene.
“The passengers were traumatized, definitely,” Hedge said.
The assailant managed to flee the scene, Sgt. Robert Alaniz told KTLA.
The victim, whose name was not released, was taken to the hospital. He had to undergo emergency surgery to have a bullet removed from his head, authorities said.
“Doesn’t look like he is going to die unless something happens on the operating table,” Alaniz said.
Just before the shooting, the Lyft driver was shouting back and forth at the other vehicle, police said, citing witness statements from the Lyft passengers.
Footage from the scene shows firefighters wheeling the victim into an ambulance and water gushing from a sheared hydrant nearby.
Authorities provided no further information.
KTLA’s Steve Granado contributed to this story.
