A man was shot and killed in an attempted robbery outside a popular Hollywood restaurant early Tuesday morning.

The shooting took place at around 2:10 a.m. in front of the Bossa Nova Brazilian Cuisine in the 7180 block of Sunset Boulevard.

The victim, a 23-year-old female, was sitting in her vehicle when she saw several people approach her partner outside and try to rob her, said Los Angeles Police Officer Drake Madison .

He got out of the car and was then shot, Madison said.

The suspects then fled, leaving the injured victim on the street near his car.

Police said there could be as many as eight suspects involved in the incident who are at large.

No arrests had been made on Tuesday morning, and no description of the attackers was available.

A security guard who works at a nearby business, Robert Jackson, said he was on a break in his car when he heard the gunshots and saw two cars drive away.

“I hear sirens, I see a helicopter, that’s when I decide to jump, to walk down the street,” Jackson said. “And when I got to the corner, I just saw the gentleman lying next to the car.”

The shooting sparked a major police backlash in bustling Sunset Boulevard, with about a dozen homicide detectives at the scene later Tuesday morning.

The video showed crowds watching behind a police gang blocking the streets surrounding the restaurant as officers surveyed the scene.

The case is still under investigation and no further details are available.

With the recent increase in home thefts, the LAPD announced on Tuesday the formation of the Follow Home working group.

About 20 detectives from the Theft and Homicide Division and other divisions of the Los Angeles Police Department will investigate this theft and other similar cases, the ministry said in a press release.