Two Held in Shooting on Freeway

More than six months after young Richard Bautista of Whittier survived a gunshot wound through the brain on his way home from a Dodgers game, a suspect has been arrested in the shooting, authorities said Friday.

Leo Javier Burgos, 18, of Los Angeles turned himself in Thursday afternoon and admitted the crime, saying it was a gang-related “thrill shooting” from a passing van, police said. Burgos was being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.

Detectives were able to crack the case after two months of negotiations with an unidentified man who said he was walking through an alley when he overheard Burgos say that he shot the 12-year-old boy. At least $50,000 in government and private rewards have been offered since the Sept. 22 shooting.

It remained unclear whether Burgos was firing at Bautista’s car for a particular reason or randomly selected it, police said. They suggested that the incident may have been a case of mistaken identity.

Burgos allegedly knew since the day after the freeway attack that he had shot Richard, police said, and he apparently showed little emotion when he surrendered to police.

“I didn’t feel any remorse [from him],” said Det. Armando Moriel, characterizing Burgos as a “hardened gang member.”

Richard’s mother, Ramona Bautista, expressed relief at finally having a clue about how and why her son--an altar boy and model student--was shot.

“Richard prayed every day that the Lord would touch [the gunman’s] soul and make him realize his guilt,” she said.

“And that this is Good Friday, the day of love and passion of the Lord, makes our faith even stronger. . . . I hope they realize the pain that they have caused us.”

Richard, along with a cousin and a friend, were traveling south on the Harbor Freeway when a van pulled up in back of their car and opened fire.

Richard was shot through the top of his head, destroying the part of the brain that controls his motor skills.

Dets. Moriel and Tal Terrell said the informant in the case wants to remain anonymous because he fears retaliation. He is communicating with them through Los Angeles Councilman Richard Alatorre’s Eastside office.

Also taken into custody Thursday was the van’s alleged driver, a 17-year-old boy whose name was withheld because of his age. A 36-year-old man, initially thought to have supplied the weapon, was taken into custody but was scheduled to be released Friday because of a lack of evidence, officials said.

Richard, now 13, can speak clearly and is living at home but is almost completely dependent on caretakers to do even the simplest of tasks, according to his doctors at Miller Children’s Hospital at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center.

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Twice a week, Richard goes to the hospital to work with a team of specialists, but rehabilitation has been slow and difficult for the boy who dreamed he would grow up to be a world-class soccer player.

Richard faces at least two more operations, his mother said.

“We take turns--his father, brothers and me--taking care of him. We watch him, bathe him, brush his teeth, open his eyes for him in the morning,” said Bautista, who gave up her job at a bank to be with Richard.

The boy has made some small improvements. Recently, he regained the ability to move his head from side to side.

“It’s not much, but it means a great deal to him,” his mother said.