Girls, 12 and 13, Shot While Riding Bicycle in Wilmington

A 12-year-old girl remained hospitalized Thursday with large-caliber rifle wounds that left her paralyzed from the waist down after she and another girl were gunned down while riding a bicycle in Wilmington.

Police have arrested a 15-year-old boy in connection with Wednesday’s shooting, which detectives said appeared to have been triggered by an argument over a bike--possibly the one the girls were riding.

A bullet pierced the 12-year-old’s chest and passed through her spine before exiting her right side and penetrating her arm, said Greg Harrison of St. Mary’s Medical Center in Long Beach. “She’s awake and alert, but she has no feeling in her legs,” Harrison said.

The second girl, 13, was treated at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center for a gunshot wound to the shoulder and released Thursday.

Los Angeles Police Detective Chuck Hawley said the girls were riding on the same bicycle when a car pulled alongside them and a passenger fired several shots from a large caliber rifle.

The car sped off after the shooting and crashed into a parked car nearby. At least two young men were seen fleeing the scene.

Hawley said interviews with the girls’ families revealed they had been arguing with a 15-year-old boy over a bike since Saturday. The nature of the dispute was unknown.

Police picked up the boy in front of his O Street home about 9:45 p.m. Wednesday. He was booked as a minor on suspicion of attempted murder and released to his parents.

Meanwhile, police continued to search for a 20-year-old man they suspect was also in the car during the shooting. Hawley would not release his name.