By PETER YOON, Rafu Digital Editor
A Little Tokyo shooting sparked panic in the heart of Japanese Village Plaza on Friday afternoon.?
According to LAPD officers, two individuals who knew one another got into an argument and one fired a single shot inside Nijiya Market.
One victim was injured but remained conscious while being taken away by paramedics.? The LAPD Central Division Twitter page confirmed that the victim was taken to a local hospital.
Central Division can confirm that victim suffering a gun shot wound was transported to a local hospital. Officers are currently at scene investigating the circumstances. https://t.co/PIekfgubsx
— LAPD Central Division (@LAPDCentral) January 19, 2024
A woman was also injured after falling while fleeing into Tokyo Japanese Outlet. Her condition is unknown.
LAPD officers were searching the area in and around Little Tokyo for a white male who reportedly fired the gunshot.??
Business owners and employees in Japanese Village Plaza recounted the panic after the Little Tokyo shooting.
“We usually have a shield up so we just saw people starting to run and a few people ran in.,” said Rumi of Mitsuru Cafe, which is only a few feet away from Nijiya Market.
An employee of Maruya Ramen placed a barricade to deter unknowing visitors from entering Japanese Village Plaza.?
“I saw from the window that people were ducked down and running.? I remember last year the same thing happened, and I thought, ‘Oh my God, gunshots again,’” said the employee.?
“We tried to bring as many people in as possible and closed the door.? After that I heard the police were coming and some people didn’t know what was going on, so I told them, ‘Don’t come in, go back’ and I put the bar across so they didn’t come in.”
A commenter on the Rafu Shimpo Instagram shared their gratitude to the owners of Make Asobi. “Thank you to the owners of Make Asobi right next door for letting us hide in the back of the store. The owner was also very brave and put herself in danger to lock the front doors and afterwards check if the coast was clear. Thank you so much.”
A similar situation occurred in July of last year when two armed suspects pursued by LAPD fled through Japanese Village Plaza.
For more local crime news visit https://rafu.com/category/news/crime/