SIMI VALLEY : 2 Teen-Agers Hurt by Gang Gunfire

Two 16-year-old boys attending a friend’s birthday party in Simi Valley were injured in a drive-by shooting that occurred after an argument between rival Asian gangs, police said Sunday.

One boy, whose name was not released, was shot in the abdomen, Simi Valley Police Lt. Neal Rein said. The boy was in fair condition Sunday afternoon at Simi Valley Hospital and Health Care Services, Rein said.

The other boy, whom police also declined to identify, was treated at the hospital for a gunshot wound that passed through his right hand and released, Rein said.

The shooting occurred in a residential neighborhood on Coleman Court about 10:45 p.m. Saturday as the party of about 100 people was breaking up, Rein said. Members of two rival Asian gangs began to argue outside of the Coleman Court house, Rein said. Members of one gang then left the area in several cars, he said. The others remained in a group on the driveway to the house that is near the corner of Coleman Court and Honeyman Street. A few minutes later, the cars returned, cruising back and forth on Honeyman Street, Rein said.

People in one of the cars yelled gang slogans and shots were fired into the group, which included rival gang members. Friends took the wounded boys to the hospital, and police received a call about gunshots in the neighborhood.

Police said they are unsure whether the boys, one from Simi Valley and the other from Van Nuys, belong to a gang. It is also unclear whether the boys were specifically targeted in the shooting, Rein said. Police refused to name the gangs involved. The gangs were described as large groups based in Southern California that have members living in Simi Valley. “They are both large, prominent Asian gangs in Southern California,” Rein said.

The shooters had not been arrested by Sunday afternoon. Detectives were pursuing the investigation in Los Angeles, Rein said.