LONG BEACH : Five Charged With Arson in Attack on Three Sisters

Five suspected gang members have been charged with arson in a firebomb attack that allegedly was intended for a rival gang member but instead burned three sisters who had moved into his former home, police said Friday.

The girls were seriously hurt June 18 when Molotov cocktails were thrown into the bedroom of their Long Beach home as they slept. Police arrested Ruben Hernandez, 19, Joseph Miranda, 18, Daniel Alamanza, 18, Thomas Cruz, 21, and a 17-year-old whose name was withheld because of his age, Sgt. Linda Fierro said.

All five were charged with arson causing great bodily injury and use of explosive devices. Fierro said the attack was thought to be an act of retaliation against a rival for the shooting of a fellow gang member in March.

The Hernandez sisters, Rocio, 11, Adriana, 14, and Angelica, 16, moved into the former home of the targeted rival less than two months ago. They suffered second- and third-degree burns and remained hospitalized Friday at Long Beach Memorial Hospital. Angelica was listed in critical condition and Rocio and Adriana were in serious condition, Fierro said.