Santa Ana : City’s Holiday Crime Battle Is Up in the Air

Police are gearing up for what they expect to be a busy New Year’s Eve, including the chronic holiday problem in the city of people firing weapons into the air.

Although it is a violation of city law to discharge a firearm, said police spokeswoman Maureen Thomas, Santa Ana traditionally experiences a flood of reports of shots fired on Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, Fourth of July and Cinco de Mayo.

“When (someone) shoots a bullet in the air, it’s got to come down somewhere, and they don’t realize it comes down at an incredible speed,” Thomas said. “In one case it came through a metal mobile home roof.

“We had one injury I know of last year--a child who was grazed by a bullet that had been fired in the air,” Thomas said. “It wasn’t intentional, but it comes down at some point where kids can be playing or anywhere. . . .”