2 Plead Guilty in Shooting of Trick-or-Treater, 12
Two teen-age gang members pleaded guilty Thursday to felony charges stemming from the wounding of a 12-year-old boy, who was shot in the leg for his Halloween mask and candy. One of the boys, age 16, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and is to be sentenced Feb. 20. The other, a 14-year-old, admitted a charge of assault with a deadly weapon and is to be sentenced Feb. 8.
The boys, whose names were withheld because of their ages, entered their pleas in Eastlake Juvenile Court. They remained in custody pending sentencing.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Terese Farrell said the pair confronted Fernando Castillo Jr., 12, a Nicaraguan immigrant, as he walked with his parents and other trick-or-treaters on South Broadway, near 42nd Street in South-Central Los Angeles.
The suspects demanded the boy’s mask and candy. When he tried to run, the 16-year-old shot him above the knee.
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