11:15am | Long Beach police were still searching Thursday for the individuals involved in a fight downtown Wednesday afternoon after one of the individuals pulled out a gun and fired a single round, police said.
Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman Nancy Pratt said the incident occurred at about 3:45 p.m., and no one was hit by the single shot.
“Apparently, there was a dispute that escalated into a physical altercation,” in front of Wal-Mart, Pratt said. The discount retailer is located at 151 E. Fifth St. in the CityPlace shopping center.
Passersby intervened and broke up the fight, which witnesses told police involved about four black males.
However, the individuals launched into a second physical altercation after heading closer to the intersection of Pine Avenue and Fifth Street.
It was during the second fight that one of the individuals involved pulled out a gun and opened fire, Pratt said.
Pratt said “several” people were involved, but the department does not “have an exact amount.” Witnesses, however, were able to provide investigators with descriptions of at least some of the individuals.
Investigators believe the incident was likely gang-related.