Police Arrest 5 After Youth, 16, Is Shot in Leg

Five people were arrested Friday after a 16-year-old youth was wounded in the leg in what appeared to be a gang-related, drive-by shooting, police said.

The shooting occurred about 2:30 p.m. in the 700 block of South Broadway. Residents reported hearing gunfire and called police, who found the 16-year-old with a gunshot wound to the lower left leg, Police Lt. Chuck Magdalena said.

The youth told police his assailants were driving an old, rusty Chevrolet Camaro. Police tracked down such a car at the corner of McFadden Avenue and Flower Street and arrested the five occupants--two men and three teen-age youths--on suspicion of attempted murder, Magdalena said.

A .25-caliber automatic pistol and a .22-caliber assault-type rifle were recovered from the car, Magdalena said.

The arrested men were identified as George Valdez Sepulveda, 18, and Alejandro Quintanilla, 20, both of Santa Ana. The names of the teen-agers were withheld because of their age.

Magdalena said preliminary indications were that the shooting was gang-related, but that the investigation was continuing.