5 Held in Ambush on 2 Antelope Valley Men

Two Palmdale men and three juveniles have been arrested and charged with attempted murder for a gang-related ambush shooting of two Antelope Valley men, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced Friday.

Authorities described the assault as unusual for the Antelope Valley. On Jan. 11, a dozen gang members blocked the 1000 block of East Avenue R-4 in Palmdale with their cars and fired bullets into a car in which Marshall Tyree, 21, of Palmdale and Jason Gotcher, 18, of Quartz Hill were passengers. Tyree was hit in the head with three bullet fragments. Gotcher was struck in the left ankle with a bullet.

“We have shootings up here every week but not as brazen as this where you have four carloads of people blasting a car full of holes,” Deputy Chris Haymond said.

So far, five arrests have been made and more are possible, he said.

Omar Cordova, 18, was arrested last Saturday and Francisco Garcia, 19, on Tuesday. Both men were arrested at their homes and were being held without bail at County Jail.

Haymond said a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old were arrested on Jan. 12 and 21. at Highland High School and Desert Winds High School. A 14-year-old turned himself in at the Antelope Valley Sheriff’s Station Saturday. The youths are being held at Sylmar Juvenile Hall.