Panorama City : 2 Teen-Agers Held in Shooting of Boys

Two teen-agers were arrested in connection with a shooting in Panorama City that left two boys injured--including the brother of one of the suspects, Los Angeles police said Friday.

The victims, ages 11 and 13, were sitting in a car parked in the 8500 block of Ventura Canyon Boulevard around 7:30 p.m. Thursday. One of the suspects outside the car was handling a gun when it went off, striking the 13-year-old in the neck, police said.

The same bullet grazed the upper right arm of the younger boy, who was treated at a hospital and released, police said. The older boy remained hospitalized Friday in serious condition, police said.

“Kids and guns are the same as drinking and driving . . . they don’t mix at all,” said Los Angeles Police Lt. Terry Pratt. “As a result, all of sudden you may have a kid who may never walk again.”

Police captured a 16-year-old boy, who is the brother of the 11-year-old, about six blocks from the scene of the shooting, Pratt said. The youth, who had fled on his bicycle, was arrested on suspicion of possessing a sawed-off shotgun.

Police later arrested a 15-year-old boy at his home on suspicion of negligent discharge of a firearm, Pratt said. The handgun believed to have been used in the shooting has not been found.

All four youths are from Panorama City and none of their names were released by police because they are minors. Pratt said the shooting did not appear to be gang-related.