4 Held, 1 Sought in Drive-By Killing : Crime: A driver died when suspected gang members apparently settled a score with his passenger.

A man and three young women, all suspected gang members, were in jail Wednesday in connection with a drive-by shooting that killed a man in Van Nuys, Los Angeles police said.

Police said they were still seeking Walter Oswaldo Barillas, 22, of Canoga Park on suspicion of killing Oditon Navarete in a shower of automatic or semiautomatic gunfire Saturday morning.

Detective Jim Vojtecky identified those arrested Tuesday night as Robert Ayala, 19, of Panorama City; Karen Argott, 18, of Arleta; Tanya Dowdy, 18, of Sun Valley, and a 17-year-old Sun Valley girl. The three adults were being held without bail at the Van Nuys jail. The 17-year-old was turned over to juvenile authorities.

All four were arrested on suspicion of murder, Vojtecky said.

Navarete, 23, of Pacoima, was shot while driving west on Oxnard Street near Van Nuys Boulevard, police said. Vojtecky said 20 to 30 shots were fired at Navarete’s car from an auto driven alongside by one of the female suspects.

Irma Ortega, 21, a passenger, was not injured. “The driver pushed the girl down to the floor of the car to save her life,” Vojtecky said. “He was hit multiple times. It’s a miracle she wasn’t killed.”

Police said the suspects are members of a North Hollywood gang. The dead man and his passenger were not members of a gang, police said.

The motive for the shooting apparently involved an earlier dispute between Ortega and the three female suspects, who tried to enter a private party hosted by Ortega Friday night at the Eagle Lodge on Haskell Avenue in Van Nuys, police said.

After a quarrel at the door, Ortega refused to admit them and the three left, Vojtecky said. But fearing retribution, Ortega ended the party and left with Navarete in his car.