Shooting at Il Pastaio in Beverly Hills Leaves One Wounded

Gene Maddaus
·2 min read

A shooting at Il Pastaio restaurant in Beverly Hills left one person injured on Thursday afternoon, the police said.

A woman was shot in the leg during a robbery attempt and was taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries, according to police and eyewitnesses.

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The shooting was reported at 2:09 p.m. at the restaurant at Canon Drive and Brighton Way. According to the Beverly Hills Police Department, three male suspects demanded property from another patron. One of the suspects opened fire, striking the woman, and all three suspects fled on foot.

Several videos of the aftermath were posted on the Citizen app. One of the users said she heard two shots fired, and that it appeared that the robber had attempted to steal a patron’s watch.

Henk Scholten and Ran Ma were standing in line at the restaurant when the shooting occurred. In an interview with Variety, they said the restaurant was packed, and 10-20 other people were also waiting in line.

“Everyone started running in every direction,” Ma said. “I dropped behind a tree. I was in high heels. I’m not going to get very far in four-inch Louboutins.”

They said that the restaurant invited people inside to take cover, and they could see the woman who was hit in the leg. A second victim was also injured in the pandemonium and was treated at the scene, according to the police statement.

Scholten said that before the shooting, he saw a woman nearby who looked haggard, and who appeared to have been acting as a scout for the robbers. They heard arguing before the shots broke out, and then the suspects fled past them heading northeast on Brighton Way.

Ma and Scholten are co-founders of Siren, a venture-backed startup that makes smart socks. They were in town from San Francisco for a client meeting, and Ma had just been texting to a friend that L.A. is clean and beautiful by contrast. When the shooting broke out, she couldn’t believe it at first.

“It was really horrible,” she said. “A lot of people were really freaked out.”

The restaurant was cordoned off with police tape, and there was a heavy police response to the area. The police continue to investigate.

The restaurant is a popular hangout for Hollywood’s celebrities, who are often photographed eating on the patio. It’s also a favorite spot for entertainment industry lunches, though most talent agency employees are still working at home during the pandemic.

The 20-year old restaurant is owned by Giacomino Drago, whose nine Los Angeles-area restaurants also include Celestino and Drago.

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