1 Slain, 2 Hurt in Gang Fight

A bloody street brawl between rival gangs in Van Nuys this weekend left one youth dead and two others injured, Los Angeles police said.

Armed with guns, knives and baseball bats, as many as eight members of two rival gangs clashed in a melee that erupted in the 13200 block of Vanowen Street about 8:20 p.m., on Saturday. When police arrived they found Jesus G. Gilberto, 17, of North Hollywood mortally wounded by gunshots.

The teen-ager died two hours later at Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills.

Two other victims of the same brawl arrived at another hospital for treatment a short time later. A 21-year-old North Hollywood man was in critical but stable condition with a stab wound, while an 18-year-old, also from North Hollywood, was treated for injuries caused by a baseball bat, police said. The 18-year-old was treated and released.

Neither of the men was identified, and police did not say if the two men or the dead youth were gang members. The two men were not arrested.

Police said they were looking for others involved and had not determined what sparked the confrontation.

Residents living in apartment buildings in the neighborhood said they heard shouting in the street, followed by a series of gunshots in quick succession. After the shots, they said, as many as seven people fled from Vanowen and Atoll Avenue, leaving the dead youth behind in the street.