2 Teen-Agers Plead Not Guilty in Shooting of 2-Year-Old Boy

Two teen-agers pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that they shot a 2-year-old Lynwood boy while firing at rival gang members, authorities said.

The two 15-year-old boys were arraigned in Los Padrinos Juvenile Court where they denied two counts each of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon and one count each of shooting into an occupied vehicle, said Mike Botula, a spokesman with the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

The alleged gang members also denied use of a firearm to commit a crime and membership in a gang, which is illegal under the California Street Terrorism and Prevention Act.

Meanwhile, a third youth was released from custody after officials declined to file charges against him because of insufficient evidence. Police say the 16-year-old was unarmed at the time of the toddler’s shooting.

The teen-agers were arrested three days after young Jonathon Fabian was hit by a bullet in the mid-section while playing near his parents’ Platt Avenue home. The suspects were allegedly shooting at rival gang members driving down a street when they hit the little boy. Jonathon was released from Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center last Friday.

Police initially thought the shooting of the toddler may have been deliberate, a theory that sparked outrage throughout the community and prompted the county Board of Supervisors to offer a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. However, police later said they determined that Jonathon was an innocent bystander.

The two 15-year-olds will remain in custody pending a pretrial hearing scheduled for Oct. 10, Botula said.