3 Men Wounded in Dispute Over Driving

Three young men were shot and wounded while riding in a vehicle on a Northridge street early Sunday after a shouting match in which the assailants accused them of driving too slowly, police said.

Los Angeles Police Lt. Don Kitchen said the three gunshot victims range in age from 18 to 23 and live in the Devonshire area. A fourth victim was hit by flying glass.

Kitchen said the victims were heading west on Lassen Street east of Balboa Boulevard about 1:30 a.m. when a blue, late model Japanese-made car came up from behind them. Five men in the second car began shouting and making hand gestures at the victims, indicating they were driving too slowly.

A man in the second car leaned out a window and began shooting with a handgun, he said.

Kitchen said the shooting did not appear to be gang-related. But he declined to identify the victims for fear of their safety.

One of the victims was hit in the neck and shoulder and a second was hit in the shoulder. They were taken to Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, where the more seriously injured man remained in stable condition Sunday. The other man was treated and released.

The third man, who was hit in the right elbow, was treated at Northridge Hospital Medical Center and then released.