Shoot-Out at Tommy's
On Tuesday evening May 3, at about 5:45 p.m., three blocks of Eagle Rock's business community was rocked by the sound of gunfire, sirens and police helicopters. Everyone for three blocks of the business district was out on the sidewalk trying to see what happened as police cordoned off the area. As the darkness fell, the sound of police helicopters droned on into the night, as they shone their searchlight through back yards and even into the hills and up on the 134 freeway.
Lots of rumors and reports have been circulating, but at a recent community meeting held at Toland Way Elementary School, officer Gina Chovan of Northeast Division gave us the straight scoop, along with a safety tip.
The shooting at Tommy's was between two rival gangs. One of which was HLP (Highland Park). What happened was that one person, a member of a rival gang, was in a car at the drive through at Tommy's getting some food. Two members of HLP, pulled in behind him to order food as well. As the rival gang's vehicles sat nose to tail, they apparently recognized each other. One of them started shooting at the other, and the other started shooting back. This was all caught on tape as the security cameras at Tommy's were rolling, recording everything.
