LOCAL : Santa Ana Girl, 16, Drive-By Victim
A 16-year-old Santa Ana girl is in critical condition today after she was struck by a bullet in the back during a gang-related drive-by shooting, police said.
The girl, whose name was being withheld, was standing with three friends in the 1700 block of West Wisteria Place in Santa Ana at about 9:25 p.m. Thursday when gang members drove by, yelling a gang slogan and firing about three shots, said police spokeswoman Maureen Thomas.
“Someone in the car shouted a gang name, and several shots were fired,” Thomas said. She said there was no verbal exchange between the girls and the assailants. Thomas said it is not known whether the girl and her friends were involved in gang activity.
The assailants were in a mid-size, dark-colored car, Thomas said.
The injured girl was taken to Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center.
“That general area has had some gang problems,” Thomas said. “Gang activity, generally speaking, is on the rise during the summer when school is out.”
No suspects have been taken into custody, she said.
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