Officer Wounded in Chase of Suspect : Violence: Santa Ana policeman responding to a call is shot in hand and arm. Four people are arrested. Area near El Salvador park is cordoned off for hours.

A 20-year veteran of the Santa Ana Police Department was shot in the hand and arm Wednesday while responding to a call of shots fired near El Salvador Park.

Police arrested four people, including a 15-year-old boy who surrendered a gun and who police believe was the shooter.

Lt. Robert Chavez, 45, was reported in good condition at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana, where he was to undergo surgery to remove bone fragments, said Santa Ana Police Department Lt. Robert Helton. Helton said the shooting was the department’s first in about six years.

“It’s not a life-threatening injury,” Helton said. “He’s in good condition.”

Of the four people held in the incident, Helton said, only the 15-year-old is expected to be charged.

“Unless we can tie the other three to the earlier incident, we probably won’t keep them in custody,” Helton said.

According to police, a woman dialed 911 about 3:20 p.m. to report she heard five shots fired in the 900 block of North English Street and West Civic Center Drive.

Police cars responding to the scene saw four or five young men running along 10th Street, but the men turned back and ran south through the park toward West Civic Center Drive when confronted by a patrol car on 10th Street.

Three of the men ran from the park, through a back yard and toward English Street, just a few houses north of West Civic Center Drive, and into the arms of a police officer, who took them into custody.

Authorities believe a fourth and possibly a fifth male ran into a garage behind a home in the 800 block of North English Street.

Chavez entered the garage and was shot in the right hand, Helton said. Other officers returned fire, but no one else was struck.

Police then retreated and surrounded the garage. A suspect with a gun later climbed out the garage window, dropped a handgun and was taken into custody without further incident, Helton said.

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Fearing that a fifth person or more might still be hiding in the garage, about 20 SWAT officers were called to the scene, where about 30 officers were also on hand. At least seven armed SWAT officers and one dog entered the house in the 800 block of North English Street.

“We don’t know if there is anybody in there, but we don’t want to take any chances,” Helton said.

However, by 7:30 p.m., police entered the garage, but found no one.

Helton said it is not yet clear what sparked the initial gunfire. Helton said it did not appear that any of the suspects live at the house on North English Street.

Several blocks surrounding the shooting scene were cordoned off, causing severe traffic snarls in the area. Dozens of residents stood by watching and waiting for something to happen.

“It’s a shame that officer was shot, just for doing his job,” said Marta Doritas, 26, who lives in the neighborhood. “Thank God it wasn’t worse.”

Several neighbors said the tell-tale pops did not surprise them.

“I heard four shots-- pow pow pow pow. But I didn’t think it was going to be a big deal. I thought it was gunfire in the air,” said another neighbor.

“There are a lot of people who sell drugs in the park, lots of people who don’t work just hang out there,” said a 28-year-old neighbor. “Here we hear shots pretty often. It’s common.”

He added, however, that things have been a bit quieter in recent months.

“Kids have been playing sports in the park and they put on the lights,” Martin said. “It has made it calmer.”

Times staff writers E.J. Gong, David Haldane and Mark I. Pinsky contributed to this report.