Boy, 16, Is Chased, Beaten, Fatally Shot
A 16-year-old Sylmar boy was killed Monday morning in San Fernando by four assailants, apparently in the mistaken belief that he had killed a member of a gang they associated with, authorities said.
The four suspects rammed the motorcycle Jimmie Torrez was riding and, when he fell off, beat him and shot him with a rifle, authorities said.
Shortly after the shooting, three men and a 16-year-old boy were arrested on suspicion of murder and were being held without bail at the San Fernando Jail.
Torrez “was wrongly identified as a suspect in a gang killing,†San Fernando Police Sgt. Michael Harvey said. “The guys who chased him down thought he had killed a friend of theirs. But he was not a suspect.â€
The earlier killing occurred several weeks ago in the Pacoima area, Harvey said. He said the victim of that slaying was a gang member and the four suspects in the Torrez killing were associated with the same gang. Police said they had no information that Torrez belonged to a gang.
Witnesses described the assailant’s car to San Fernando police and the vehicle was sighted shortly afterward about a half-mile from the shooting scene, Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Wahla said. The car was halted and the suspects were arrested without incident.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
