Rapper Rich the Kid targeted in West Hollywood armed robbery

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (FOX 11) - Bullets were flying outside a West Hollywood recording studio after a robbery and assault targeting rapper Dimitri Roger, better known as Rich the Kid. It's the second time he's been violently robbed in LA in less than a year.

Video given to TMZ shows West Hollywood Sheriff's deputies swarming the 7200 block of Santa Monica Blvd. around 3:15 Tuesday afternoon.

Sources say the target was Rich the Kid, who is known to show off his jewelry and wads of cash on social media. He posted a picture of the like to his Instagram just hours before.

Rich had allegedly just pulled into the alley behind the popular Westlake Recording Studio when three suspects wearing masks came around the corner and held him at gunpoint demanding his cash and jewelry, sources say.

LASD deputies say three men were assaulted. The robbery suspects took off in an unknown vehicle with Rich's jewelry and cash; that's when Dep. Todd Mohr says the shooting occurred "by an unknown male suspect."

The investigation shut down Santa Monica Blvd. between Poinsettia Pl. and Formosa Ave. for about six hours as police recovered bullet shell casings in the street.

"I heard nine gunshots go off, and I came outside, and I saw immediately several people standing in that alley over there," said Tamara Madjerin. She's lived nearby in West Hollywood for 15 years. "It's terrifying that this happened at 3:30 in the afternoon and something needs to change right now."

Police say no one was shot, and it's still unclear what the shooter's connection is to the robbery.

Recording artist Usher was inside the studio when it happened, according to TMZ. Usher left the studio unharmed shortly before 9 p.m.

Friends of Rich the Kid say they've cautioned him against flaunting his wealth online because it makes him a target. In June 2018, he and girlfriend Tori Brixx were badly hurt during a home invasion.

Police say all of the suspects in Tuesday's incidents are still on the loose.