Boy, 9, Shot With BB Gun From Passing Car; Condition Critical

A 9-year-old North Hollywood boy was critically wounded Monday when two youths fired a BB gun at him from a passing car as he walked with his brother in front of his elementary school, police said.

Roberto Garcia was at Childrens Hospital in critical condition after the BB punctured his left temple and lodged in the middle of his brain, according to Bob Vos, nursing supervisor. The boy also has a congenital heart problem, but doctors are not certain yet if it has worsened because of the attack, Vos said.

Police arrested two youths, ages 13 and 16, on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. The two boys were released in the custody of their parents, Sgt. Ike Langston said. Detectives will decide later in the week whether they will file charges against them.

Outside School

The shooting occurred outside Victory Boulevard Elementary School at Radford Avenue and Sylvan Street about 2:50 p.m., Langston said.

The wounded boy’s brother told police that he and his brother were walking on the sidewalk by the school when Roberto felt a sharp pain in the left side of his head. The boy began bleeding and became nauseated, Langston said. Paramedics were summoned to the scene, treated the boy and transported him to Childrens Hospital.

Two witnesses said they saw a large gray car of unknown make drive past the two boys slowly, with a BB gun pointing out of the window, Langston said. Witnesses also told police that they saw a 5- or 6-year old child in the back seat of the car, Langston said.

Police do not believe the attack was gang-related and offer no specific motive for it.

“These kids had a BB gun and just must have thought it would be fun to shoot at someone,” Langston said. “The kid was only 9, he couldn’t possibly have done anything to them.”