5 Gunmen Open Fire in Park; 2 Injured : Violence: Hundreds were celebrating Black History Month at Palm Springs picnic. One suspect is arrested.

Five gunmen opened fire in a Palm Springs park where hundreds of people were celebrating Black History Month on Saturday, wounding a 3-year-old and a young man, and sending panicked picnickers running for cover, authorities said.

Police from four agencies descended on the park and arrested one suspect who had fled by car, said Sgt. Mike McCracken of the Palm Springs Police Department. The gunshot victims were taken to Desert Hospital, where they were listed in stable condition, authorities said.

The suspect was identified as Christopher Bernard Spears, 30, of Cathedral City.

Police believe the shooting was not racially motivated and may have been gang-related, involving picnickers from San Bernardino, who had driven their low-rider show cars in a parade that preceded the park celebration, McCracken said.

“They were having a picnic, having a good time,” McCracken said. “It was incredible. The park was full of people, and a vehicle pulled up and (the occupants) began firing. At least two people from that initial vehicle were firing toward the visitors from the San Bernardino area. . . . One person in the park returned fire, and some of the visitors’ vehicles returned fire.”

At one point, people in at least three cars were firing at one another.

“The bad part is we went up there and we got 50 different stories from different witnesses,” McCracken said.

He said because of this police are uncertain how many cars the gunmen arrived in and what the suspects’ motivation may have been.