2 Held in Attack on Man Run Down in Parking Lot

A suspected gang member who was allegedly driving a car that ran down a 17-year-old boy in the parking lot of a busy Reseda shopping center was arrested Tuesday along with his brother, Los Angeles police reported.

David Mendoza, 19, of Canoga Park was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and was being held without bail at the West Valley Division Jail.

His brother, Victor Mendoza, 21, of Canoga Park, was arrested on suspicion of being an accessory to a crime because police said he falsely reported that the car used, which was registered in his name, had been stolen. He was being held in lieu of $5,000 bail.

On Thursday afternoon, police said, Victor Escalante of Reseda was chased by gang members through a shopping center parking lot in the 18300 block of Vanowen Street. The boy eluded the pursuers, who were wielding baseball bats, but was run down by a car that police said was driven by Mendoza, who then backed over him before speeding away.

Police said the attack was motivated by an earlier confrontation between a Canoga Park gang and a Reseda gang that Escalante associated with. As many as 50 shopkeepers and customers watched in horror but were unable to intervene because the attack occurred so quickly.

Escalante suffered massive internal injuries. He was in serious but stable condition Tuesday at Northridge Hospital Medical Center.

Witnesses provided police with the license number of the car that struck Escalante. The car was traced to Victor Mendoza, who reported that the car was stolen early Thursday. However, police said evidence from the car and information from witnesses indicated that the car was being used by his younger brother.

Both brothers surrendered to police Tuesday afternoon after learning they were being sought, Detective Rick Swanston said. Police are still seeking four other youths who were with David Mendoza at the time of the attack. Victor Mendoza is not one of those suspects, Swanston said.