Man Working on Truck Shot During Gang Confrontation

A man working on his pickup truck was shot several times Wednesday night as gang members apparently chased rivals down the street, police said.

Keith Birnfeld, 31, of Orange had driven with his wife to Anaheim to repair a truck he had purchased but not yet taken home. As he worked on the truck, parked at the curb in the 400 block of South Lemon Street, gunfire erupted.

A gunman in a passing car opened fire on a group running from the car, but several bullets hit Birnfeld.

Birnfeld’s wife, who was not injured, drove him to the Anaheim Police Department, about five blocks away. He was then taken to a local hospital, where he was in guarded condition, police said.

Birnfeld “is an innocent victim,” Sgt. Steve Rodig said. “He was out there working on the vehicle and got caught in the cross-fire.”

Police on Thursday said they were trying to find witnesses to the 10:45 p.m. shooting, which happened along a block bordered by small homes, apartments and a warehouse. The assailants remained at large.

The Birnfelds had moved to Orange from Santa Ana about two years ago because “it was getting dangerous” in their neighborhood, said Pauline Boesch, manager of the apartment complex where the couple live now.