Los Angeles Times

Man shoots self at illegal party

- By Richard Winton

Los Angeles police arrived at a Hollywood Hills home Saturday night after neighbors complained about a raging party taking place despite the coronaviru­s restrictio­ns on large gatherings.

But officials said the officers got more than they bargained for when they entered.

About 100 guests were packed into the 3,000square-foot, three-bedroom home in the 1400 block of Miller Drive.

Once inside, officers heard a gunshot from a back room and found a man with a self-inflicted wound, according to police.

The man was taken to a hospital.

His injuries were not considered life-threatenin­g.

Josh Rubenstein, the LAPD communicat­ions director, said the investigat­ion determined there was gang activity at the party.

Three guns were recovered from the scene, he said.

The house had been rented out through Airbnb and used for the party, Rubenstein said, and the owner of the property was seemingly unaware of the plan for its use during the short-term rental.

Airbnb has told homeowners that it will not only ban guests who attempt to throw unauthoriz­ed parties but it will cooperate with law enforcemen­t in any investigat­ion.

“We want to be very clear — not only will we ban guests who attempt to throw an unauthoriz­ed party in a Los Angeles-area Airbnb listing, we will be cooperatin­g with LAPD and other law enforcemen­t authoritie­s in any investigat­ions relating to parties and violations of public health mandates, consistent with our Terms of Service,” the company said in a statement published this month.

No arrests have been made in connection with the illegal party or the shooting, and police are continuing to investigat­e.

Gatherings of any size are prohibited under stayat-home orders issued by both Los Angeles County and the state, rules intended to slow the spread of the novel coronaviru­s.

But despite those restrictio­ns, Los Angeles police have been receiving complaints about gatherings that appear to violate the order.

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