Girl, 13, Wounded in Head as Gangs Exchange Gunfire

A 13-year-old Sun Valley girl who had “just gone along for the ride” was shot in the head when her companions fired into a crowd in Pacoima, touching off cross-fire between rival gang members, Los Angeles police said.

The girl, Christina Sylvester, was listed in stable condition Saturday.

Christina was wounded as she rode in the bed of a pickup truck whose occupants opened fire on people gathered in front of a hamburger stand at Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Jerome Street about 11:50 p.m Friday, Sgt. Paul Haberman said. No one in the crowd was struck.

Someone in the crowd shot back at the truck, which then sped away, he said. Police on routine patrol observed the shooting and followed the truck, Haberman said.

The truck drove to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center at Roscoe Boulevard and Woodman Avenue, and several people piled out of the vehicle, Haberman said. Some of them were apprehended inside the hospital, while others were taken into custody by police outside.

Christina was rushed into the hospital, and later was transported to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Hollywood where she underwent surgery, Haberman said.

“It looked pretty bad for her for awhile,” Haberman said. “But then it started looking better.”

He added that the girl was not related to any of the other youths in the truck, but had “just gone along for the ride.”

Another of the truck’s occupants, Cesar Ramirez, 21, was treated at the hospital for a gunshot wound in the leg and released.

Two of the truck’s occupants--Richard Salazar and Juan Rubacalba, both 19--were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Four other occupants--Joanna Sasanella, 21; Jaime Garcia, 18; Gilberto Moreno, 19, and an unidentified 13-year-old--were booked on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a felony, Haberman said.

There have been no arrests in Christina’s shooting.