2 Youths Shot From Car; Suspects, 13 and 16, Held

Two Sylmar boys walking home from from junior high school were gunned down and two teen-age brothers were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder Tuesday in a drive-by shooting that may have been triggered by a gang grudge, authorities said.

Ninth-graders Francisco (Frankie) Plascencia and Hugo Lopez, both 14, were wounded when shots were fired from a car into a group of students leaving the Olive Vista Junior High School campus, Los Angeles police said.

Francisco was reported in serious but stable condition with a wound to his side after undergoing surgery at Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills.

Hugo was in stable condition with a wound to his knee, said hospital spokeswoman Candyce Columbus. Hugo later was transferred to Pacifica Hospital in Sunland, officials said.

The two suspects were arrested about half an hour after the 3:10 p.m. shooting. Police identified them as brothers, 13 and 16, from Pacoima.

Investigators said the 13-year-old fired a 6-inch, .38-caliber pistol into the crowd after his brother stopped the car at the curb, about 15 feet from the victims. Police said they found the weapon in the suspects’ car.

Investigators initially described the alleged gunman as a gang member and said his older brother was a “gang associate.” Late Tuesday night, however, police said they were not certain of the gang affiliation.

Both boys were questioned at the Police Department’s Foothill Division, said Police Sgt. Sol Polen. Later, they were turned over to juvenile authorities and were being held at the Sylmar Juvenile Hall, Polen said.

Witnesses said the shooting victims were in a crowd of about 30 students walking on Borden Avenue next to the school’s athletic field when about half a dozen shots were fired from a red Mustang.

Some witnesses said they were certain that the shooting was gang-related.

The gunman “started yelling stuff like ‘What’s up, Blood’ and, ‘Quit hiding your face,’ ” said onlooker John Gurule, 14.

“He was aiming at everybody. The gun was too heavy for him to hold.”

Using witnesses’ description of the car and of the attackers, police arrested the suspects in the 12500 block of Van Nuys Boulevard in Pacoima, about 3 miles from the campus.

Police said the shooting apparently stemmed from an ongoing dispute between the 13-year-old suspect and Francisco Plascencia. They would not elaborate.

Witnesses to the shooting said Francisco and another boy in the crowd, who escaped the fusillade, had fought with the 13-year-old about a month ago. They said the gunman called out their names before he opened fire.

After the shooting, the suspects drove away “real casually,” according to one witness.

“I was too scared to fall down to the ground,” said another onlooker, eighth-grader Ricky Gurule, 13. “I was right at the side of them when they were shot. I feel lucky, but I feel bad at the same time for them.”

Investigators said neither of the victims was a gang member. They said Hugo Lopez was not involved in the dispute and just happened to get shot.

Friends and family members of both boys hurried to Holy Cross Medical Center after paramedics rushed the victims there for treatment.

“Frank is a good student and a good boy,” said Betty Insalaco, Francisco Plascencia’s grandmother. “He is not a gang member.”

Joseph Lopez, Hugo’s brother, said he knows “for sure that my brother is not a gang member.” He said the gunman apparently “asked certain gang questions” before firing into the crowd, however.

Lopez, 23, said he fears that gang membership has been glamorized among some youngsters in the northeast San Fernando Valley. He blamed the movie “Colors” for contributing to what he called the attitude among many young teens that gangs are “cool.”

“A lot of these kids think it’s a game, and it’s not,” Lopez said.

“These kids want to look cute wearing gang colors. But they’re not gang members, they’re gang wannabees. But you start sporting hard-core kids’ gang colors and they’re gonna take action.”

Said Bertha Lopez, Hugo’s mother: “He’s never been in trouble.”

Times staff writer Rene Romo contributed to this story.