2 Teens Held After Shots Are Fired in School Lot

Two teenage boys who fired shots into a high school parking lot were arrested after a foot chase Thursday, police said.

No one was hit in the shooting, but police said they believe the boys, ages 14 and 15, were aiming for rival gang members standing in the parking lot of El Camino Real Continuation High School.

One of the boys fired two shots from a .22-caliber handgun that was later recovered, Lt. Ken Rawley said.

“The people who did the shooting were gang members, and the people who were on the school campus, in the parking lot, were also gang members,” Rawley said.

Officers arrived at the high school, in the 1300 block of East Orangethorpe Avenue, about 11:30 a.m. after receiving calls of shots fired, Rawley said.

Officers spotted the two boys running and arrested them after a short chase, Rawley said. They were booked into Orange County Juvenile Hall.

School Principal Glen Collard, who commended the Police Department for its prompt response, said he did not believe that any students from the school were in the parking lot at the time of the shooting, which occurred while classes were in session.

“I’m not aware of anybody being out of class or out of the building,” he said. “Regardless, we always find ourselves wanting to do everything in our power to make sure that everyone feels safe and secure when they come back to school. I don’t anticipate that being an issue, but it is nevertheless important to make [students] feel safe.”