Student Shot Near Poly High Campus

A 17-year-old Polytechnic High School student, believed by police to be a gang member or associate, was shot in the neck Wednesday afternoon outside the Sun Valley campus.

North Hollywood police said Juan Corral and a group of his friends were fired upon by a carload of suspected gang members. Corral was listed in serious but stable condition at Pacifica Hospital, and is expected to recover from the .22-caliber rifle shot, police said.

Detective Jay St. John said Corral was standing with about seven friends on Peoria Street, just outside the campus, when a car heading toward Roscoe Boulevard stopped in front of them. St. John said someone in the car asked the group about their gang affiliations.

When a member of the group responded, a passenger in the car began firing on the crowd.

“I heard these pounding noises and just started looking around,” said 18-year-old Poly High student Laura Cifuentes, who was standing near the group when the shooting occurred. “The next thing I knew, there were police cars everywhere.”

St. John said the shooting could have been far more serious for the Sun Valley teen-ager and his friends.

“Even though a shot in the neck is no walk through the park, there were a lot of kids out there and [Corral] was very lucky to survive,” St. John said.

Poly High Principal Carolyn Burch said Corral was supposed to be in his sixth-period class when the shooting occurred, but was cutting school. She described him as a quiet student.

“Unfortunately, it’s the scenario that occurs far too often in schools every day,” Burch said about the attack.

After the shooting, a few students were huddled together in the main office of the sprawling campus to comfort each other. Burch said student anxiety was high.

“It’s scary,” said Cifuentes. “In just minutes everything could change and you could be worried in a place where you are supposed to feel safe.”

According to police, sorting out the details of the shooting will be difficult because gang members and other witnesses are often unwilling to disclose information.

St. John said there have been numerous incidents of gang-related violence at Poly High, which he blamed on outsiders.

“When you have people that don’t belong at the school, either hanging out or just driving around or just trying to meet people, it may cause some problems,” he said. “Any given day there is a propensity for this type of thing to happen on any campus. And there is a distinct possibility for some kid to die if the right weapon is around.”

But Poly High music teacher Paul Sims said there was little trouble among his students.

“They come from different areas like Arleta, Panorama City and Sun Valley,” Sims said. “You would think there is a problem with gangs but there is usually not one.”