Actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña, who were on a police ride-along last night doing research for their roles in the upcoming movie “End of Watch,” got to witness the aftermath of a gang shooting at Van Ness Park in the 5700 block of South 2nd Avenue.  An unidentified victim, who was shot in the lip and arm, was hospitalized.  No arrests were made.  The L.A. Times is reporting that authorities plan to increase late-night patrols at the park.

The fact that two actors were caught in the middle of the gang action has sparked a lot of coverage about the incident.  A quick google search this morning shows more than 170 related articles from publications ranging from the L.A. Times, E! Online, Us Magazine, Newsday (from New York) to the National Enquirer!

The terrible thing about this is that it’s negative nationwide coverage of South Los Angeles.  But could the attention bring more crime fighting resources to the area?  What do you think?