LOS ANGELES (AP) — Three people were shot Wednesday night in a large throng of Halloween revelers in Hollywood, sending a flood of police into the area to control the crowd.

Police Sgt. Andrew Chao of the Hollywood Station told City News Service that the shooting took place around 10 p.m. on Hollywood Boulevard.

A 17-year-old boy was critically wounded with gunshot wounds to the chest and a leg.

A 14-year-old boy was shot in a foot and a 25-year-old man was struck in the buttocks, he said. All three were transported to local hospitals.

The gunmen fled, possibly in a white sport utility vehicle, Chao said.

KNBC reported a fourth person injured in a possible assault with a deadly weapon, around 11:20 p.m. Footage shot from KNBC helicopter showed paramedics loading a man into an ambulance.

Dozens of police officers were on the scene, some in riot gear and others on horseback and bicycle, to control the crowd and close off the street, one of Los Angeles' major thoroughfares.

Video footage on KNBC's website showed several hundred people along Hollywood Boulevard and at least three men taken into custody in handcuffs.