PICO NEIGHBORHOOD — Police on Wednesday were searching for a man who witnesses said walked up to a car stopped at a red light and opened fire, striking a female passenger in the shoulder.
The shooting took place Tuesday at about 7:10 p.m. at the corner of 20th Street and Delaware Avenue, said Sgt. Richard Lewis, spokesman for the Santa Monica Police Department.
A known gang member was driving a gray Chevrolet with two female passengers when he stopped for a red light facing westbound on Delaware Avenue. An African-American male with a thin build walked up to the car and fired five times with a handgun, Lewis said.
The victim suffered a "minor wound" and was driven to a local hospital and dropped off. The driver, a resident of Santa Monica, did not wait for police and the victim was reticent when questioned by investigators, Lewis said.
The suspect, who witnesses said was in his 20s, ran and may have fled the area in a vehicle. Detectives are still investigating. Lewis said police are not ready to declare the shooting gang related.
The neighborhood where the shooting took place is home to two of Santa Monica's gangs. Santa Monica 13 is a Mexican-American street gang while the Graveyard Crips is comprised mainly of African Americans. The gangs are small in number and mainly focus on drug sales.
kevinh@www.smdp.com
