A 19-year-old man who officials said opened fire and wounded a person near a World Cup viewing party in Koreatown last week has been identified and criminally charged, according to police and court records.
Andy Rodriguez is facing one felony count of assault with a firearm on a person and two special allegations of using a firearm during the commission of a felony and causing great bodily injury, according to court records.
Rodriguez remains jailed on a $1.1-million bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned June 30, records show.
The Los Angeles Police Department said Rodriguez was arrested several minutes before 7 p.m. on June 18 after police officers responded to a report of a shooting at the intersection of Normandie Avenue and James M. Wood Boulevard in Koreatown.
The shooting occurred near Seoul International Park, where hundreds had gathered to watch the Mexico vs. South Korea match that evening.
Upon arriving, police officers came across one man who had been shot in the leg and required a tourniquet. Kitty-corner from that victim, a small crowd had detained the suspected gunman.
A Times reporter who was in the area reported hearing three gunshots and saw a man in brown pants firing into the air.
A video taken at the scene shows one man lying on the ground, his leg bleeding and wrapped with a green garment as a tourniquet, while others help him.
Nearby, a police officer carrying a rifle stands guard over another man, also on the ground, wearing brown pants and a black shirt.
“Do not reach for anything,” the officer yells at the man.
The officer then asks people standing nearby where the gun is.
“We don’t know,” a woman yells back.
“Where’s the victim?”
“Over there,” several people tell the officer.
This week, Oswaldo Romero, who identified himself as the son of the shooting victim, created a GoFundMe page to raise money for his father’s medical bills and other living expenses.
Romero said his father, whom he identified as Luis Romero, was shot as he confronted the armed man in an effort to prevent other people from being hurt. During the confrontation, he said his father was shot in the thigh and suffered damage to an artery.
“Anyone who knows Luis knows he is a devoted father and proud grandpa, a hardworking provider, a passionate soccer fan, and a man who has always put others before himself,” Romero wrote about his father. “He has spent his life working hard to support his family and never hesitates to help those in need. Now, he is the one who needs help.”
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