An illegal warehouse party in downtown Los Angeles turned violent just after midnight on Tuesday. Shooting broke out at the gathering, attended by around 200 people, leaving five injured. Police were called to the scene a little after 1:20 a.m.

“The call came out that approximately 20 shots were fired and people were running everywhere,” LAPD Officer Mike Chan said in a statement.

All victims, including three men and two women, were taken to local hospitals and are expected to survive the ordeal. No suspects were named by authorities, but police said that they believe the incident to be gang-related.

In the wake of the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the state, the California Department of Public Health closed all bars and restaurants and banned parties of all sizes. These mandates have fallen on a few deaf ears, however, with numerous reports being made of illegal parties similar to Tuesday night. LA Mayor Eric Garcetti has also threatened to shut off utilities for any residence caught hosting a party.

Last week, another illegal gathering at a Mulholland Drive mansion in LA also escalated to shooting, injuring four and killing one. Police at the time were investigating a reported gambling game at the party as well as several social media posts about it. This party was also said to be potentially gang-related.

According to Johns Hopkins University, California has seen over 574,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus, the most of any state, and 10,481 deaths.

Cars queue at a coronavirus testing site in Los Angeles, California, where authorities have reimposed containment measures owing to fresh spikes in the disease
Cars queue at a coronavirus testing site in Los Angeles, California, where authorities have reimposed containment measures owing to fresh spikes in the disease AFP / Robyn Beck
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