Man Wounded as Argument Leads to Gunfire; 3 Jailed

An argument between rival gangs outside a Shalimar Street apartment complex erupted into gunfire early Saturday, leaving one man hospitalized and three alleged gang members jailed on suspicion of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, police said.

Henry Franco Moreno, 20, of Costa Mesa was rushed to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana with gunshot wounds to his leg and shoulder after the 2:30 a.m. incident, Costa Mesa Police Sgt. Mike Millington said. Moreno was listed in good condition Saturday afternoon, Millington said.

Moreno, who lives at the apartment complex in the 700 block of Shalimar Street, and two friends, Manual Ruelas Tejeda, 23, and Jose Luis Muniz-Godinez, 20, both of Costa Mesa, were apparently confronted by the three suspects at the apartment complex. Several shots rang out and Moreno was hit while Tejeda and Muniz-Godinez managed to escape injury, Millington said.

The suspects attempted to escape in a blue Buick but were spotted by a police officer who had just heard of the shooting on his police radio, Millington said.

“The suspects ran from the complex and jumped in the car and took off at a high rate of speed,” Millington said. “The officer saw the car speeding by and the call came out. He put two and two together.”

The suspects were stopped and arrested without further incident, Millington said. A handgun believed to have been used in the shooting was recovered, said Millington, who declined to elaborate.

Two of the suspects, Jorge Perez Rubio, 19, and Jose Rios-Ramirez, 21, both of Costa Mesa, were being held in Costa Mesa city jail in lieu of $250,000 bail. A third suspect, a 17-year-old male and the driver of the car, was transported to Orange County Juvenile Hall, Millington said.