Uber driver in critical condition after being shot in Willowbrook area

WILLOWBROOK, Calif. (KABC) -- An Uber driver is in critical condition after being shot in his car in the Willowbrook area, and authorities are searching for two suspects in the crime.

Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies responded to a crash shortly before midnight Sunday in the 2100 block of El Segundo Boulevard.

Deputies discovered a man in a sedan with at least one gunshot wound to his upper body. Emergency crews transported him to St. Francis Medical Center in critical condition, sheriff's officials said.

A witness said the incident was captured on surveillance video. The person said the rideshare driver headed directly into traffic on El Segundo, swerved over the center divider, pulled up to a curb, hit his emergency lights and two men approached the vehicle.

One of the men reached into the vehicle with something that looked similar to a barbecue skewer. Then the driver hit reverse, jumped the divider backward and the vehicle remained in that spot after he was apparently shot.

"About four gunshots last night. About four of them. That's all we heard. We didn't hear no boom or nothing like that," said Ronnie Hurst, who lives on the next block.

The witness with the surveillance video said no gunfire was seen or recorded in the footage. It was possible the driver may have been shot before he came to stop in the area.

The victim's identity was not released, but sheriff's officials later confirmed he is an Uber driver in his 20s.

Detectives learned two men got out of the back seats of the victim's vehicle before one or both of the suspects shot the victim, ran eastbound on El Segundo Boulevard and got away. The victim continued to drive a short distance before crashing into another car.

Sheriff's officials said they're still investigating whether the suspects were paying customers of the driver at the time of the shooting. A spokesperson for Uber said the victim was not online as a driver at the time of the shooting.

A detailed description of the suspects was not released. Sheriff's officials said it's unknown whether they're gang members.

El Segundo Boulevard was shut down in both directions for the investigation.

Anyone with more information about the incident is encouraged to contact the L.A. County Sheriff's Department's Century Station at (323) 568-4800.