2nd Suspect Held in Running Down of Boy

A second man has been arrested in the attempted murder of a 17-year-old boy who was chased by bat-wielding gang members and then run over twice by a car at a Reseda shopping center, Los Angeles police said.

Jose Gutierrez, 20, of Panorama City was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of attempted murder. He was being held without bail at the West Valley Division Jail. Earlier Tuesday, police arrested David Mendoza, 19, of Canoga Park on the same charge.

On March 15, police said, Victor Escalante, of Reseda, was chased through a shopping center parking lot in the 18300 block of Vanowen Street. The boy eluded his pursuers but then was run down by a car, which backed over him a second time before speeding away.

Although police originally announced that Mendoza was the driver of the vehicle, detectives said Wednesday that evidence in the case now indicates that Gutierrez was the driver and that Mendoza was one of the suspects who chased Escalante with a bat.

The attack, motivated by an earlier gang confrontation, is still under investigation, police said.

Mendoza’s older brother, Victor Mendoza, 21, did not take part in the attack but was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of being an accessory to a crime. Police said he falsely reported that his car, which was used in the attack, had been stolen when it actually had been borrowed by his brother.

Escalante, who suffered massive internal injuries in the attack, was in stable condition at Northridge Hospital Medical Center.