San Diego

Two teen-agers were shot late Wednesday, the third straight night young people have been hurt in suspected gang-related shootings, police reported.

The latest incident occurred about 10 p.m. when Richard Mendez, 19, and an unidentified 15-year-old companion were wounded as they walked from a store in the 4600 block of Wightman Street in East San Diego.

The two youths were followed by a car. When the car stopped, the two teen-agers tried to run into an alley, said Lt. George Saldamando of the Police Department’s gang unit.

Saldamando said several people were in the car, and one of them fired a shotgun loaded with birdshot.

Mendez was hit in the arm, and was treated at Hillside Hospital and released. The 15-year-old was hit in the chest and was taken to Mercy Hospital, where he was listed in serious but stable condition Thursday.

Although it was the third successive night of violence, Saldamando said the incidents are not related.

Those in the car, Saldamando said, may be members of an Asian-American gang. The shootings may be the result of an influx of Asian-Americans in what is a predominantly Latino community. Different gangs are now “beginning to run in the same area and are now bumping heads,” Saldamando said.

He added that police have a “good, solid lead” on the identity of the shooter.