3 Arrested After Predawn Gunplay

Three men were arrested early Saturday as they fled from Reseda Park after drive-by shooting there that is believed to be gang-related, Los Angeles police said.

One of the men tumbled from a car as it rounded a corner several blocks from the park, said Sgt. Jim Thompson of the West Valley Station.

There were no injuries to the rival gang members in the park, Thompson said.

Arrested were Carlos Torres and Antonio Garcia of Northridge, both 18, and a 16-year-old Van Nuys resident.

Thompson said the three made “two or three passes” at the park from Etiwanda Avenue and Kittridge Street before police were called to the scene at 2:45 a.m. by neighbors who complained of gunshots. A .25-caliber automatic pistol was found in the street where the 16-year-old fell from the car as police were chasing it.

The suspects may have been seeking retaliation against a local gang that hangs out at the park, Thompson said. “One of the young people arrested said that there had been a fight, and one of his friends was beat up about a week prior,” he said.

All three were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder, Thompson said. The two older youths were being held at the West Valley Police Station. The younger suspect was being treated at Los Angeles County Medical Center for injuries from the fall out of the car, Thompson said.