By Lookout Staff
June 15, 2009 – Two men were wounded in separate incidents that took place within a few blocks of each other in the Pico Neighborhood last week, but police believe the incidents are not related.
The latest incident took place Saturday when a suspect in a vehicle opened fire on a man who was standing on Kansas Avenue near Stewart Street at around 6 p.m.
Multiple shots were fired, with one of the bullets hitting the victim, police said. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Police are investigating whether the drive-by shooting in Santa Monica’s poorest and most diverse neighborhood is gang-related.
The shooting took place three days after a man was assaulted with a deadly weapon Wednesday night in an apartment on the 2200 block of Stewart Street, just south of Kansas Avenue.
Witnesses told police they heard what “sounded like a physical altercation” inside the apartment at around at 8:36 p.m., said Sgt. Dave Hunscke, a police department spokesman.
When they entered, the officers found the victim on the floor, bleeding from the head, police said.
Santa Monica Fire Department paramedics treated the victim for severe head trauma and transported him to a local hospital, Hunscke said.
Officers arrested Osvaldo Garcia, a 29-year-old Santa Monica resident at the scene, police said.
The suspect was transported to the Santa Monica Police Department, where he was booked for attempted murder and violating probation.
Bail was set at $1 million.
Anyone with information about either of the incidents should call the Santa Monica Police Department at 310.458.8451 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or the Watch Commander 24 hours at 310.458-8427.
