OAK VIEW : Gang Members Beat Party Host
A Ventura Avenue gang disrupted a party Saturday night in Oak View, beating the host and shattering the home’s front window with gunfire as they drove away, deputies said.
Robert Smotherman, 18, of the 200 block of Sunset Avenue, was treated for minor injuries and released from Ojai Valley Community Hospital.
Gang members interrupted the party before 11 p.m. and told Smotherman that they were taking his stereo. When Smotherman objected they beat him, Ventura County Sheriff’s deputies said.
When deputies arrived about 11:20 p.m., a woman inside the house reported hearing a gunshot and a car speeding away. The car resembled the one driven by gang members, deputies said.
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