Police Arrest 3 Teen Suspects in Shooting at Anaheim ATM

Three teenagers have been arrested in connection with the March shooting of a 30-year-old Long Beach man near an automated teller machine, police said Friday.

The boys, ages 13, 15 and 16, are suspected of shooting Tony Gallant in the head on March 20 after they robbed him of an undisclosed sum, Anaheim Police Lt. Ted Labahn said. The names of the youths, all of Anaheim, were withheld because they are minors.

All three were arrested Thursday night on suspicion of attempted murder, robbery and conspiracy, Labahn said. Investigators found them after a tipster called with information, he said.

Police believe the 15-year-old supplied the gun to the 16-year-old, who had plotted a robbery, Labahn said. The 16- and 13-year-old then attacked Gallant, with the 16-year-old firing the gun, Labahn said.

Gallant, a former U.S. Marine, remains in fair condition at UCI Medical Center with a bullet still lodged in his brain, his family said. He was found on March 20 lying on the ground wounded in front of the Wells Fargo Bank in the 2300 block of Lincoln Avenue.

Gallant’s relatives said Friday that news of the arrests has helped ease some of their pain. Terri Smith, the victim’s sister, said Gallant’s condition is improving but he still cannot speak and lost his left eye from the gunshot.

“Gallant was at the wrong place at the wrong time,” Labahn said. “It’s really a horrible situation.”

As the investigation unfolded, police found parts of the gun believed to have been used in the shooting in a bush near the neighborhood where the suspects live, Labahn said.

Police found other parts that apparently belong to the same gun in the house where the 15-year-old lives, Labahn said.