Following social media reports that there was an active shooter inside Soho House West Hollywood on Wednesday morning, sources close to the social club and the L.A. Sheriff’s Department West Hollywood Station have confirmed to Variety that the incident took place in the building’s parking garage and no shots were fired.
A representative for the L.A. Sheriff’s Department West Hollywood Station said that since no shots were fired, it was not an active shooter situation.
On Wednesday morning, the LASD West Hollywood Station tweeted that it was looking for an assault with a deadly weapon suspect, and that it had received a call around 8:18 a.m. to report the person, who was described by LASD as a “male adult wearing a grey sweatshirt.” LASD also tweeted that the suspect “pointed a handgun at the victim.”
1/4 #HappeningNow in #WeHo
This morning at approximately 8:18am West Hollywood Station, received a call of a possible assault with a deadly weapon incident.
West Hollywood Station has an active containment and investigation at the 9200 Block of Sunset Blvd.
What we know: pic.twitter.com/SwP8tLwBxp
— LASD West Hollywood (@WHDLASD) April 27, 2022
A source close to the social club said the entire building at 9200 Sunset Blvd. was on lockdown, not just Soho House. The source noted that the Soho House entrance is through the building’s parking garage, which is where the suspect was seen.
The incident occurred in the parking garage of the building where Soho House is located, but not actually at the Hollywood hotspot. An individual who works in the building explained what happened, sharing that a person who was working in the building went to the parking garage — which typically is full out numerous high-end luxury cars — when they noticed someone appearing to burglarize or steal from their vehicle. When the worker confronted the apparent thief, they pulled out a gun, but then swiftly left the building and headed down Sunset towards Beverly Hills. After the incident, certain floors of the building were put on lockdown and some employees were instructed not to leave. Soho House has now reopened.
Around 11:30 a.m., the scene at Soho House was as if nothing ever happened. Not a single police car or any authorities were at the building, clearly signaling the matter had been cleared and the venue was deemed safe. In the parking lot — which happens to be the entrance to the member’s only club — valet staff who had just arrived said they weren’t aware of any situation, with one saying he hadn’t heard the news. In fact, two women dressed in upscale trendy attire were walking out with smiles on their faces, and one man in sunglasses and a fedora was standing right outside the entrance happily chatting on the phone.
The SoHo House is an international members-only club catering to elites and creatives across industries. The West Hollywood location is a hotbed of Hollywood meetups and schmoozing. By day, any number of A-list screenwriters camp out in luxurious leather booths working on script drafts and pounding Diet Coke. By night, the garden terrace boasts koi ponds and panoramic Los Angeles views.
Elizabeth Wagmeister, Marc Malkin and Matt Donnelly contributed to this report.
