Bullets Bounce Off Gang Member in Drive-By Shooting, Police Say
A gang member was shot in the head and chest as he stood on a Pacoima sidewalk Monday, but the bullets bounced off, doing him little harm, police said.
The 29-year-old man, whom police would identify only as a gang member from Van Nuys, was standing on Correnti Street in Pacoima at about 6:30 p.m. when a car drove by and someone inside fired at him.
“The bullet didn’t enter his skull and the shot to his chest bounced off his breastplate bone,” said Sgt. Charles Evans of the LAPD’s Foothill Division. The man was treated for superficial wounds at a local hospital and released, Evans said.
Police said a second man, standing a few feet away, was also shot in the attack. He was hospitalized in fair condition with wounds to the foot and stomach.
It was not known whether the second man was with the gang member.
Police have no suspects but plan to continue their investigation. They said witnesses and victims were reluctant to give any information about the shooting.
Evans said the shooter may have used a .22-caliber handgun--the weakest cartridge available.
“It is not all that unusual,” he said. “If the bullet hits you a certain way, it can be easily deflected.”
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
