Flareup of Gang Violence Leaves 3 Dead, 9 Injured

Three people were killed and at least nine others were wounded in gang violence over the weekend, authorities said Monday.

A 16-year-old boy was fatally shot Sunday by reputed gang members as he rode in the back of a pickup truck on a residential street in Pacoima. The victim, identified by police as Arturo Gonzalez Grosso, died at Pacifica Hospital in Sun Valley shortly after the 6:40 p.m. attack, Sgt. Al Yarbrough said.

Two others were killed by gang gunfire earlier in the weekend.

On Saturday, two men shouting gang slogans opened fire on a lone victim in Compton, killing him. On the same day, a 15-year-old gang member allegedly shot to death a 16-year-old rival on a Lennox-area street.

On Sunday afternoon in Long Beach, three reputed gang members were wounded in a fight between rival gangs on the Hudson Elementary School playground. Several shots were exchanged between the groups.

Police arrested Marco Quiros, 22, of Long Beach and a 16-year-old boy, who was not identified, for investigation of attempted murder.

David Watson, 25, of Long Beach was reported in stable condition at Pacific Hospital in Long Beach with a chest wound. Kelly Stofas, 20, of Long Beach was reported in fair condition at the same hospital with head injuries, and Thomas Megallon, 20, of Long Beach was at Doctors Hospital in Lakewood with a gunshot wound to the arm.

Meanwhile, a 14-year-old boy shot between the eyes in another alleged gang attack underwent surgery Monday at Martin Luther King Jr.-Drew Medical Center on Monday.

The boy, Jose (Tiny) Carrillo, was wounded in a drive-by shooting at 12:10 a.m. Sunday as he stood outside a liquor store on South Vermont Avenue, Sheriff’s Sgt. Craig Peterson said. His two assailants reportedly sped away in a late-model burgundy Camaro.

Drive-By Shooting

Police were also investigating a drive-by shooting Saturday outside a wedding reception in Inglewood, in which five people were wounded, one seriously, by shots fired from a passing van, Police Sgt. James Kimoto said.

The victims were not identified by authorities, and officers said they had determined no motive for the gang-style attack.

CHP officers, meanwhile, remained on alert after a man identifying himself as a member of the Crips street gang called CHP headquarters Friday and threatened to kill five officers a day.

CHP officials warned patrol officers Saturday and tried to determine whether the telephone call was a prank, Officer Michael Brey said.

No attacks against CHP officers were reported Monday, Officer Richard Perez said.