Pair Unhurt, Car Damaged in City Hall Drive-By Shooting

Two people traveling in a car on a normally quiet downtown street were shot at several times Sunday afternoon by a group of men who may have mistaken them for gang members, police said.

A 19-year-old man, Juan Huerta, and a 14-year-old boy were not injured in the 4:30 p.m. incident on Poli Street in front of City Hall, Ventura Police Sgt. Randy Janes said. Neither is thought to be a gang member.

Huerta was driving his white Cadillac west on Poli when the gunfire started. Six bullets struck his car, shooting several holes through the front and rear windows and grazing Huerta.

Huerta and the boy, who are both from Ventura, said the shots came from a black Honda compact that had been tailing them for several blocks.

The Honda, which was carrying three or four people, sped west on Poli after the last shot was fired.

Janes said officers recovered eight to 10 shell casings at the scene that had been fired from the same small-caliber handgun.

During the incident, Huerta’s car struck a small unoccupied truck parked in front of City Hall.

The impact pushed the truck onto a sidewalk and into a short retaining wall, resulting in major damage, Janes said.

Officers were investigating whether the shooting was intended to be retaliation for a fight between rival gang members Saturday night at Arroyo Verde Park in Ventura.