Inglewood Man Slain in Car; 2 Arrested

An 18-year-old Inglewood man was shot to death in his car Thursday by assailants who shouted a gang slogan and then opened fire, Inglewood police officials said Friday.

Harold A. Lofton was shot once in the chest at about 4 p.m. at the intersection of 108th Street and Crenshaw Boulevard, authorities said. Officer Robin Patton said Lofton was pronounced dead on arrival at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital.

Patton said Darrell Lamar Dove, 22, and Derek Johnson, 27, both of Inglewood, were arrested on suspicion of murder shortly before midnight Thursday.

The two men were being held without bail Friday and were scheduled for arraignment Monday in Inglewood Municipal Court.

Dove and Johnson are believed to have gang ties, Patton said. They were arrested in the 3200 block of Imperial Highway after a police officer followed a car carrying two men who reportedly matched the description of Lofton’s attackers. Patton said the driver tossed a handgun out of the car. Investigators later found that it was the same type of weapon used in the shooting, he said.