Two Gang Members Flee During Ballgame at Juvenile Hall, Escape

Authorities are searching for two youths who escaped from Juvenile Hall on Tuesday afternoon and fled with two accomplices in a getaway car.

At about 1:40 p.m., the two sprinted across a grassy field and dove through a large hole that had been cut in the fence, apparently by the two accomplices, said Tom Wright, director of Juvenile Hall.

One of the escapees was identified as a 16-year-old Stanton gang member who was convicted of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon on June 10, Wright said. His escape came just one day before he was to be sentenced for those crimes.

The other escapee is a 16-year-old Santa Ana gang member who allegedly fired shots at two bicyclists on April 28. He is charged with assault with a deadly weapon and various firearms possession counts. His record also shows that he has had several parole violations, Wright said.

The two escaped in the midst of a softball game involving about 27 youths, which was supervised by two staff members. They ran across the field as their accomplices cut the chain-link fence, which runs along the perimeter. The getaway car had been parked about 50 yards away on the nearby Santa Ana Freeway.

The four then ran across the dry Santa Ana River and up the freeway shoulder to the car. They were seen fleeing south on the freeway.

Wright said that officials believe the escape may have been arranged by telephone between at least one of the escapees and friends on the outside. He said that each minor held there has daily access to a telephone in their cells.

This is the first escape from Juvenile Hall since December and the third and fourth in the past year, Wright said.