Boy, 15, Killed in Alleged Theft Attempt : Man Shoots Youth Outside Costa Mesa Automobile Repair Shop

A 15-year-old boy was shot in the head and killed early Wednesday outside a Costa Mesa auto repair shop by a man who allegedly saw the youth and a companion trying to steal car parts, authorities said.

Neither the youth nor the man were identified by police. Police said they had not determined if the youth was armed. The second youth was detained by the man and is in custody, Costa Mesa police said.

It was the second shooting in two days of a youth suspected of car burglary in Orange County, where the number of auto thefts has increased dramatically over the last year, according to the FBI. In the first incident, a 16-year-old boy was shot and wounded during a struggle early Monday with a Garden Grove police officer who was trying to arrest him.

Wednesday’s victim, believed to be a 15-year-old Costa Mesa boy, died at a Newport Beach hospital at about 1:30 a.m., an hour after he was wounded outside Holtz VW repair shop, Costa Mesa Police Lt. Rick Johnson said Wednesday. The boy’s name was being withheld until relatives could be notified.

Johnson said he would not release the name of the man who fired at the boys, saying that the Costa Mesa resident is considered a witness--one of only two--to the shooting. He did say that the man, who is “about 30 years old,” was not a security guard at the repair shop located in the 700 block of West 20th Street.

The second witness, Johnson said, was the 16-year-old Costa Mesa boy detained by the gunman, whom police arrested on suspicion of auto theft. The 16-year-old, whose name was withheld because of his age, was booked into Orange County Juvenile Hall.

Johnson said an investigation was continuing into the shooting to determine whether any criminal charges should be filed against the triggerman. The man was not taken into custody because investigators believe he will not flee.

Costa Mesa police said officers received a 911 call at 12:04 a.m. from the gunman, reporting that he had just shot someone in the area of apartments and light industrial businesses.

The youths were in the process of “committing grand theft of Porsche wheels and tires from a vehicle in the parking lot of Holtz VW when the informant first saw them and attempted to make contact,” Johnson said.

“They hopped in a car and that’s when he (the gunman) made his contact with them and a shot was fired from the shotgun.”

Johnson said the youths were inside “their vehicle, a Volkswagen,” when the driver was wounded in the head.

The manager of Holtz VW repair, who gave his name only as Russ when contacted Wednesday about the incident, said the alleged thieves “didn’t get away with anything. In fact, he (the dead youth) left something here. His life.”

He said the man who fired at the two youths did not wish to identify himself or talk about the shooting.

Jamie Holt, the licensed owner of the repair shop, could not be reached for comment.