Man Fatally Shot Next to Pier

By Lookout Staff

October 4 -- A man police believe was a member of a Los Angeles street gang was fatally shot on the beach next to the Pier shortly after midnight Saturday, according to police.

Michael Leon Gatewood, 25, was shot half a dozen times by his 17-year-old assailant after engaging in a fight with the gunman and his female companion, police said.

Gatewood -- who was reportedly a member of the “Playboy Gangsta Crips” -- suffered a fatal wound under his armpit after being grazed by the other shots, police said. He was transported to a local hospital where he died at 1:05 a.m. Sunday.

The shooting took place after a fight broke out on the pier between the victim and the two suspects, who reportedly knew each other, said Lt. Frank Fabrega, the Police Department spokesman.

The victim punched the female suspect, who is a juvenile, in the face and struggled with the male suspect, Fabrega said.

The male suspect then allegedly pulled out a handgun “and fired a round in the air to intimidate the decedent,” Fabrega said.

“It is believed the dispute (made) its way down on to the sand, near Lifeguard Headquarters,” where the victim was shot, he said.

Police, who had responded to the initial call, heard three to four shots coming from the 1600 block of the beach, Fabrega said.

Several people were then seen running from the beach eastbound towards Ocean Front walk and were detained by police, Fabrega said.

“Witnesses also came forth, including a friend of the decedent, claiming their friend had been shot and was lying on the sand,” Fabrega said. When officers went to the designated spot, they found the victim.

The letters “PGC” were tattooed on Gatewood’s body, indicating he was a member of the “Playboy Gangsta Crips,” Fabrega said.

The two primary suspects seen fleeing the sand were detained in the 1670 Beach Parking lot, Fabrega said.

One of the suspects was identified as the 17-year-old black juvenile seen on the pier shooting a firearm into the air, according to police.

At the jail, the suspect was found to have an empty holster tucked into his pants, Fabrega said. He was booked for murder and transported to a juvenile facility.

The second suspect -- identified as a black female juvenile -- was running off the sand with the shooter, Fabrega said.

A handgun was located beneath a car in the 1670 Beach Parking lot near where the suspects were detained and arrested.

Two other suspects -- both of them black men -- were arrested for possibly collaborating with the two key suspects, Fabrega said. A decision to seek criminal charges against the two subjects is pending.

Crime scenes were established on the Pier, on the 1600 block of the beach and the 1670 Beach Parking lot, Fabrega said.

A command post was also established and a bullet casing matching the caliber of the recovered firearm was found on the Pier in the area where the witness said he heard a shot fired and observed the suspect with a handgun, police said.

A total of 14 associates of both the victim and suspects were present at the beach and were interviewed in the field and at Police Headquarters, Fabrega said. The investigation is ongoing.

The “Playboy Gangsta Crips” gang -- which claims turf along La Cienega Boulevard less than one mile south of Beverly Hills -- has been around for at least 30 years, but its ranks have dwindled to some 20 members, according to Los Angeles Police.

Anyone with additional information should contact the Robbery/Homicide Unit of the Santa Monica Police Department at 310 458-8451 or the Watch Commander’s Office at 310-458-8426.