Shooting at Hollywood Hills home that injured 2 sparks new concerns over 'party house rentals'
Police said the home where the shooting unfolded was a rental house, and neighbors say it's had problems in the past.
HOLLYWOOD HILLS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A Super Bowl party at a home in the Hollywood Hills took a violent turn overnight when gunfire erupted, leaving two men injured.
The incident was reported at 12:05 a.m. in the 1600 block of N Crescent Heights Blvd., according to the Los Angeles Police Department. It's unclear what sparked the shooting but the two victims, both in their 20s, were taken to the hospital in stable condition.
Two possible suspects have since been detained and are being questioned. Police also said two loaded guns were found in the back of the home.
Police said the home was a rental house, and according to neighbors, it's been the center of problems in the past.
"Something's got to change," said a man who lives in the area who spoke with ABC7 on Monday. "We don't want this to continue. We want the city to do something."
The man, who wished to be identified only as Stan, has lived in that part of the Hills for about 25 years.
He said the home where the shooting occurred is the same place where the famous YouTuber and Kick streamer N3ON was robbed last December. He posted video of the incident on his YouTube channel, but police could not find any record of a criminal complaint filing.
Stan said within the last few moments, a shooting was reported at another nearby home, which was also a short-term rental.
"There was some kind of shooting or gunfight, and you can see where the caution tape is up there ... they never fixed it," he said as he pointed to the home.
In the past few years, Los Angeles has strengthened its laws regulating short-term rentals, allowing it only in homes that are used as primary residences and requiring owners to get permits. But Hollywood Hills homeowners say it's not working.
"The parties have gotten worse, and our ability to try to deal with it has also been taken away, to a degree," said Paul Jenkins, the Public Safety Chair for the Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council.
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He said the frustrations over these so-called "party house rentals" have been growing since before another case in the Hollywood Hills back in 2020.
In that incident, a massive party was thrown and three people were shot, one of whom died. Then-mayor Eric Garcetti promised a citywide crackdown.
But Jenkins says the city attorney has since gotten rid of neighborhood prosecutors who would focus on party house rentals, leaving too many opportunities for profit-seeking party-throwers to game the system.
"They need to rent out a club somewhere, where there's proper security in a commercial area, not in someone's neighborhood," he said.
