2 Men Wounded in Shooting; Police Chase, Arrest 3 Suspects

Three Santa Ana men were arrested early Sunday after wounding two men in a shooting and then leading officers on a long chase that left one suspect with a minor gun injury, police said.

Victor J. Ambrosio, 23, Tommy M. Barela, 19, and Daniel S. Saucedo, 18, were being held on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, according to Santa Ana Police Lt. Bob Chavez.

The three men allegedly opened fire on a white Ford Blazer at 12:15 a.m. near the intersection of 5th and Raitt streets, wounding the truck’s occupants, Gilbert Badillo, 23, of Orange and Efran DeAquino, 20, of Santa Ana.

Badillo and DeAquino suffered “minor injuries, arm and leg wounds” and were treated and released from Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center, where they drove after the shooting, Chavez said.

Members of the Santa Ana police gang suppression unit witnessed the shooting, and officers immediately raced after the suspects fleeing in a Ford Thunderbird, Chavez said.

The pursuit wound its way through the city until the Thunderbird went off-road and got stuck in a dirt field in the 2000 block of Alco Avenue, he said.

The three suspects fled on foot as a pursuing officer opened fire on them, Chavez said.

Police arrested all three a short time later after searching the area. One of the suspects, identified as Barela, had a hand wound, apparently from the police gunfire, he said.

The Orange County district attorney’s office is investigating the incident, a routine procedure in officer-involved shootings.