2 Teenagers Shot in Front of High School in Culver City

Two teenage boys were seriously wounded by gunshots from a passing car as they stood in front of the auditorium at Culver City High School on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

The victims, both former students at the school, were rushed to hospitals--one to UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, where he underwent surgery for a chest wound, the other to Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, where he was treated for a leg wound.

Detectives said the motive for the shootings was unknown, but they were looking into the possibility that it was gang-related.

The shooting occurred in a popular congregating spot on a sidewalk outside the auditorium about 100 yards from the school’s main entrance and across the street from a residential neighborhood.

Classmates said the victims--neither of whom was identified by officials--left the high school several years ago. Randi Joseph, a city spokeswoman, said one had been expelled from the high school and the other attends a nearby continuation school.

Joseph said the attackers--described by witnesses as three or four young men--sped away from the school after the shootings. Police said no suspects were in custody.

Shyram Thomas, 14, said she was attending a class about 2 p.m. when she heard gunshots.

“There were about eight shots,” she said. “They were real loud. I think everyone around here could hear them.”

Joseph said ambulances and police were summoned and students were held in classrooms until it was determined that there was no further danger. Counselors were brought to the school to comfort those left unsettled by the incident, and more counselors will be on campus today, she said.

Dewan Jones, 16, a student at the high school, said he thought the attack was “one of those rival gang things. . . .”

“I don’t know that those dudes [the victims] were in gangs, but maybe they were mistaken for gang members,” Jones said.

Joseph said it was not known what the victims were doing in front of the auditorium when the shooting broke out, but she said investigators hope to learn more from several witnesses.

“This sort of thing is very unusual in Culver City,” she said. “There’s been nothing like this, ever.”

The shooting came two hours before Culver City school district Supt. Laura Plasse was to begin a public meeting on a variety of issues. Plasse will reschedule the meeting, officials said.