Arleta Man Paralyzed in Drive-By Shooting

An Arleta man was left paralyzed after he was struck by a bullet during a drive-by shooting prompted by an unpaid loan, San Fernando police said Saturday.

Steven Velis, 38, was crossing the 100 block of South Workman Street near First Street in San Fernando about 9:45 p.m. Friday when he was shot three times--in the right arm, right leg and back, Officer Ralph Delgado said.

The gunshots came from a pickup truck passing through an adjacent parking lot about 45 feet away, a witness and the victim told investigators, Delgado said.

Police arrested Danny Sosa Villanueva, 24, of Mission Hills within an hour of the shooting, Delgado said. The suspect is being held at San Fernando City Jail on suspicion of attempted murder, Delgado said.

The motive for the shooting appears to be a debt owed to Villanueva’s father by the victim, Delgado said. Neither the suspect nor the victim are known gang members, Delgado said.

Velis was taken to Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills. The victim is paralyzed from the waist down, Delgado said, and a bullet is lodged in his spine.