Police responded to a report of a gunman on the 1400 block of Vine Street just before 10:30 a.m. When police arrived, they opened fire on the suspect, killing him.
"The radio call itself indicated that 10 shots had been fired by the suspect prior to the officers' arrival," said LAPD Detective Gus Villanueva.
Police say a total of three victims driving three separate vehicles were struck.
An eyewitness who captured the scene on a smartphone camera, said a plainclothes or off-duty officer shot the gunman.
Oscar Herrera, who works in the area, said he witnessed the entire incident in the area of Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street.
"He was walking northbound on Vine Street, and he had the gun up, and he was just shooting, and when cars went by, he started shooting all the cars that drove by," said Herrera.
Herrera said the gunman shot at a Mercedes-Benz, hitting the driver, and then walked to Sunset Blvd., shooting at a truck and another car. Between nine to 12 shots were fired, and according to Herrera, the suspect was yelling, "I want to die."
"He was just shooting crazy everywhere," said Herrera.
"He was just shooting everywhere as people were walking on the sidewalks, and people started running around, and cars kind of started swerving and braking .... I ran into the bank and they locked all the doors," said Amy Torgeson, a witness at the scene.
Police said the Mercedes driver was in guarded but critical condition. A second driver suffered a graze wound from a bullet to the left thigh. A third driver suffered a glass wound to the left side of the face.
No officers were injured in the incident.
The investigation is ongoing. Police said the suspect's name would not be released at least until Saturday morning.
If you have information about the case, contact the LAPD Hollywood Station at (213) 485-4328.
Traffic in the area was severely affected Friday afternoon into the evening. Streets were expected to reopen after midnight.
