A disgruntled passenger fired several rounds at the cab that had just dropped him off at his residence in Santa Monica before shooting himself in the head, a police sergeant said Thursday.
The incident took place in the 800 block of Bay Street at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, Santa Monica police Sgt. Cody Green said.
The man’s wife was with him inside the cab when it pulled up to his residence, Green said.
The unidentified suspect got out of the vehicle, went inside his residence and then came back out and fired several rounds at the cab, Green said.
There was some argument over the fare, but there could have been more that built up to the shooting, he said.
“Obviously based on the totality of the circumstances, I don’t think it could solely be contributed to the fare dispute,” Green said.
The cab driver was not injured.
The suspect then went back inside his home and shot himself in the head, Green said, adding that it was unclear why he shot himself.
The suspect’s two children, an infant and a toddler, were home at the time of the shooting, but were unharmed, he said.
A babysitter was also at the residence and was also unharmed.
The man was rushed to a hospital and remains in critical condition, Green said.
The shooting was being investigated as an attempted murder, he added.
