El Segundo Youth Charged in Death : Street violence: The confrontation between El Segundo and Burbank youths last weekend has rattled the beach community and spawned fears of retaliation.

An El Segundo teen-ager turned himself in to police Wednesday in connection with a weekend slaying that has frightened residents of the beach town and prompted authorities to guard against possible retaliation.

The late-night confrontation between a truckload of Burbank youths and as many as 20 to 25 El Segundo teen-agers ended with many of the locals in cars chasing the truck through neighboring cities and one El Segundo teen-ager allegedly killing a Burbank youth and wounding another with a rifle that he had taken from his home, police said.

Police Chief Frank Meehan said the two Burbank youths were affiliated with a North Hollywood gang. Fearing reprisals, authorities have doubled police patrols, moved coming high school sporting events elsewhere, shut the city’s Teen Center and convened community meetings to allay concerns.

More than 500 residents attended a meeting Tuesday night at El Segundo High School, some questioning whether their children could safely play outside, school officials said. On Wednesday, several hundred attended another meeting at the high school. Counselors from nearby Loyola Marymount University have visited all three campuses in the El Segundo Unified School District to talk to students upset by the shooting.

The community of 15,200 people is sandwiched between Los Angeles International Airport, the Chevron Refinery, Dockweiler State Beach and the San Diego (405) Freeway. Residents sometimes see it as an enclave of small-town America amid the hubbub of Los Angeles. There have been only a handful of murders in the past two years, and no gang-related killings, police said.

“People are very distraught,” said City Manager Ron Cano. “A human life was lost. There is a concern for retaliation, although we hope it doesn’t happen.”

Lt. Mike Lunsford said the shooting “has fright ened a lot of people” and shattered people’s illusions about the isolation of El Segundo.

The 17-year-old suspect, whose name was not released, allegedly fired a .22-caliber rifle killing Jeramy Perales, 17, and wounding Jorge Castellano, 21, both of Burbank. The suspect is being held at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall on suspicion of murder and assault with a deadly weapon, police said.

The youth flew to Hawaii after the shooting but agreed through his attorney to turn himself in Wednesday morning, authorities said. He appeared at police headquarters as scheduled with his mother and Charles Matthews, his attorney, police said.

Police said they had had contact with the suspect in the past but would not elaborate.

Matthews said his client had been arrested once before but is a typical teen-ager who had run into trouble only when grappling with his parents’ divorce. He described the suspect as “utterly contrite. . . . He feels sorrow and he’s scared to death.”

Although police said the suspect’s vehicle chased the victim’s with the intention of inflicting harm, Matthews said the suspect fired the gun in self-defense, after being threatened by the Burbank youths.

Police said the incident began shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday when the pickup truck with four or five Burbank youths pulled into a Subway shop, across Main Street from a 7-11 where the El Segundo youths were gathered, several hours after a basketball play-off game between El Segundo High School and St. Anthony High of Long Beach.

Some of the male and female El Segundo youths, ranging in age from 12 to 18, had attended a post-game party where alcohol was served, authorities said.

The two groups exchanged insults and flashed hand signs at each other, witnesses told police. There are no established gangs in El Segundo and police have not yet determined whether the Burbank youths, who had been visiting nearby Dockweiler State Beach, are associated with a gang.

Three of the Burbank youths crossed the street and confronted the El Segundo group, police said. They threw a full beer can back and forth at each other. The Burbank youths chased one of the El Segundo youths. There were no injuries when the two groups parted, police said.

When the pickup truck left the parking lot, the suspect allegedly ran to his house for the rifle and got into a car with two male and two female friends. Some of those in the car later told police they did not know the suspect had a weapon.

The carload of El Segundo youths, followed by as many as six carloads of supporters, pulled up behind the pickup not far from the 7-11. The suspect fired a number of shots, killing Perales, police said. The truck was then chased east on Imperial Highway, south on Sepulveda Boulevard, east on Rosecrans Avenue and south on Aviation Boulevard to Manhattan Beach Boulevard.

According to police, the truck stopped and Castellano jumped out and stabbed the driver of a second El Segundo car with a sharp object. The suspect allegedly fired the rifle again, wounding Castellano.

The driver, whose name was not released, suffered a minor stab wound in the shoulder. He was treated by paramedics at the scene.

Castellano was in fair condition Wednesday at Harbor UCLA Medical Center near Torrance.

School board Vice President Nancy Wernich, whose phone had been ringing constantly from concerned community members, said before Wednesday’s meeting that she is organizing a memorial fund to assist the dead youth’s family.

“You can’t apologize for something like this, but this memorial fund is to just help them with funeral costs and show we care.”