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Police shoot gunman as he stalks Hollywood streets

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A 26-year-old man walked down the middle of a street in Hollywood, firing on passing cars with no clear target until police shot and killed him, authorities said. A passing driver was injured.

Investigators are trying to determine a motive for the attack, which some people thought was part of a movie.

``This is Hollywood, and they do film stuff all the time,'' Greg Watkins, who was walking along the street on Friday when the shooting began, told the Los Angeles Times. ``I honestly thought they were filming something.''

There were amateur cameras on the man, who in video clips had short hair and wore jeans and a white tank top as he paced back and forth near the busy intersection.

Chris Johns captured video of the gunman from his apartment window several stories above the street, and tried to distract and divert the gunman from shooting anyone on the street.

``Hey why don't you come up here! Come up here buddy!'' Johns yelled.

Johns told KABC-TV he saw a plainclothes officer shoot the man.

``I started shouting out to the officer, saying `take him out, that's the guy!''' Johns said.

The gunman was pronounced dead at the scene, Los Angeles police Officer Cleon Joseph said. No officers were hurt.

The area was cordoned off and the gunman lay under a white sheet in the street hours after the gunfire, leaving traffic tangled on busy Hollywood streets, an area packed with stores and restaurants.

The 40-year-old male driver of a Mercedes-Benz was wounded in his upper body and taken to a hospital in unknown condition. A truck and another car were struck by bullets.

Oscar Herrera, a witness, said he saw the gunman walking down the middle of Vine Street near Sunset Boulevard, firing at least nine shots into the air and at passing cars.

``People were running all over,'' Herrera told KABC. ``People was ducking.''

The gunman eventually ran out of ammunition and pulled a knife before a policeman fired at him four or five times, Herrera said.

He was a 26-year-old from Los Angeles, police spokeswoman Norma Eisenman said. Police said they aren't immediately releasing his name at his family's request until other family members could be contacted.

Dave Pepper told KCAL-TV that he was in his car when the gunman came at him.

``This guy came running across the street and he put the gun right up to this window,'' Pepper said as he sat in the car. ``Why he didn't pull the trigger I don't know.''

 

<한글기사>

할리우드에서 무차별 총격..범인 사살



버지니아 공과대학에서 총기 난사 사건 이 발생한 지 하루만에 이번에는 미국 로스앤젤레스 번화가인 할리우드 거리에서 대낮에 총격전이 벌어져 범인은 경찰에 사살되고 1명이 중상을 입었다.

9일 (현지시간) 오전 10시30분 께 아크라이트 극장 앞에서 한 남자가 권총을 꺼내 길가던 사람과 차량을 향해 실탄을 쐈다.

갑작스런 총질에 사람들은 비명을 지르며 뛰어 달아나거나 엎드렸고 거리는 순식간에 아수라장이 됐다.

범인은 총알이 떨어지자 주머니에서 칼을 꺼내들었다가 마침 근처에 있던 형사 가 쏜 총에 맞아 현장에서 숨졌다.

범인을 쏜 경찰관은 비번날을 맞아 할리우드 거리에 나왔다가 참극을 막는 공을 세웠다.

승용차에 타고 있던 40대 남성 한명이 범인이 쏜 총탄을 머리에 맞아 중상을 입고 병원에 옮겨졌을 뿐 사상자는 더 없는 것으로 전해졌다.

경찰은 범인의 신원을 밝혀내지 못했고 범행 동기 역시 알아내지 못했다고 밝혔 다.

범인이 쏜 총에 맞은 희생자는 범인과 아무런 관련이 없는 것으로 드러났다.

목격자들은 검은색 바지에 흰색 민소매 셔츠를 입은 20대 청년이 "죽고 싶다"고 외치며 거리를 달리다시피 돌아다니며 총을 쐈다고 말했다.

데이브 페퍼라는 목격자는 총에 맞을 뻔 했다고 몸서리쳤다.

페퍼는 "길을 가로 질러 오더니 차에 앉아 있던 내게 총을 겨눴다. 왜 방아쇠를 당기지 않았는지 모르겠다. 아마 총알이 떨어졌을 것"이라고 말했다.

그렉 와킨스라는 행인은 "영화 촬영을 하는 줄 알았다"며 "현실이 아닌 것 같았 다"고 사고 당시를 설명했다.

총격이 벌어진 지역은 할리우드 스타들의 이름을 새긴 동판이 거리에 깔려 있는 할리우드의 중심 지역이라서 평소 관광객으로 붐비는 곳이다.  (연합뉴스)
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