Two employees shot in shootout at South L.A. restaurant

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (FOX 11) - Two employees of a southern kitchen in Los Angeles suffered non life threatening injuries Monday after they were shot during an altercation involving customers.

It happened at Carolyn's Kitchen in the 800 block of Manchester Avenue. LAPD says it all began with a confrontation between an employee and a customer, but employees tell a much different story.

Two employees told FOX 11 off camera that three customers began beating up a man inside the establishment, and that when two of their coworkers stepped in to break it up, one man went outside to a car, grabbed a gun, and started shooting into the restaurant.

Tizinski Bailey, a cook at the restaurant, confirmed the account, and told FOX 11 he had been clocked in for about 10 minutes when the bullets started flying.

"Glass was shattering, people were screaming get down get down," he said. "A couple of bullets passed right past me, and I could hear the whistle, so I thought I was gonna get hit, but fortunately I didn't."

But two of his coworkers did get shot.

"One got shot in the leg, and he's fine, the other got shot in the stomach below the belly button, it went in and out, more like a flesh wound, I talked to him earlier on the phone and he's fine," he said.

Employees told FOX 11 that other customers returned fire at the suspects.

Video posted to YouTube shows the aftermath-- with windows blown out and patrons hiding beneath tables.Crying children can be heard in the background.

The windows of several cars in the parking lot were shot out as well. A city bus was hit by a bullet, and bullets riddled buildings across the street.

The suspects eventually fled the scene and have not been caught or identified.

LAPD describes them as three black men in their twenties to thirties.

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