Angry Driver in Sylmar Kills 2 in Squabble
An angry driver shot and killed two men during an argument at a stop sign in Sylmar, police said today.
The double slaying was one of two shooting incidents Sunday afternoon and was the ninth traffic-related shooting in Southern California since mid-June.
Manuel Brown Avila, 28, and Angel Aguirre Barrera, 36, were killed about 6:40 p.m. Sunday when Avila apparently failed to move his car after he came to a stop at La Valle Street and San Fernando Road, Detective David Alfred said.
“It appears to be a motorist getting upset with another motorist,” Alfred said, “I guess everybody figures they own the streets.”
The gunman in the latest shooting drove off in a Buick Riviera, Alfred said. Barrera and Avila were found lying in the street near their car, which was stopped in the traffic lane.
Although there was no immediate information linking the killings to gangs, the Los Angeles Police Department’s anti-gang unit was investigating the shootings because one of the victims was believed to be a gang member, Alfred said.
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