A 15-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with a shooting that wounded two young women in a vehicle last month in Santa Maria.
At approximately 6:25 p.m. Oct. 9, officers from the Santa Maria Police Department responded to the area of Vine and East Jewel streets regarding reports of a shooting, Sgt. Todd Logan said Wednesday.
They located a vehicle with two females who had been struck by bullets fired by two male assailants.
The victims, ages 17 and 18, suffered serious injuries, and had to be transported for medical treatment for their wounds, Logan said.
Meanwhile, the two male suspects fled the area on foot.
“SMPD detectives then took over the case and worked diligently to locate and identify both suspects, who were now wanted for attempted-murder charges,” Logan said.
“As the investigation continued, one male suspect was identified and determined to be a 15-year-old male resident of Santa Maria, and is a documented gang member,” Logan added.
On Tuesday, police located the juvenile and took him into custody without incident, Logan said.
The boy was admitted into the Santa Maria Juvenile Hall on charges of attempted murder.
Because of his age, police did not release the suspect’s name.
Detectives were still working to identify the second suspect, who is believed to be an adult gang member, Logan said.
Both female victims, who do not have known gang affiliations, are recovering from their injuries, Logan added.
This investigation is ongoing, and the public can contact the Detective Bureau at 805.928.3781, ext. 1362, with any information regarding this case.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.