A man from Duarte is recovering from a gunshot wound he suffered after tackling a gunman who opened fire near a World Cup watch party in Koreatown, in what police describe as an act of bystander intervention that may have spared others from harm.
A festive crowd, then gunfire
Soccer fans had gathered in Koreatown last week to watch South Korea face Mexico in a 2026 World Cup match when a man began firing a weapon nearby, ABC7 reported. Luis Romero, who had come from Duarte for the gathering, moved toward the gunman and tackled him. During the struggle, Romero was shot in the leg, and the bullet severed an artery.
The gunman was identified by police as Andy Rodriguez, who was taken into custody at the scene by Los Angeles Police Department officers, according to ABC7. The Koreatown area drew large, lively crowds throughout the tournament's group stage, and the LAPD has at times deployed extra officers to manage the gatherings, NBC Los Angeles reported.
An officer's fast response
With Romero bleeding heavily, an LAPD officer at the scene applied a tourniquet to his leg — a step that can be the difference between life and death when an artery is involved. The officer, identified by ABC7 as Helen Zhang, described the urgency of the moment.
"There was a lot of blood. Right away I knew this man needed help right now," Zhang said, according to ABC7. "Every second counted."
Recovery and an investigation
Romero was hospitalized for his injury and faces a recovery that his family says will keep him from work for some time; relatives have set up a fundraising campaign to help with expenses, ABC7 reported. The shooting remained under investigation by the LAPD, and authorities had not released a detailed account of what prompted the gunfire.
For a tournament that has turned street corners and parks across Los Angeles into impromptu gathering places, the episode was a jarring reminder of how quickly a celebration can turn — and, in the account police and witnesses have given, of one bystander's willingness to step into danger.
