Girl, 12, Paralyzed by Stray Gang Bullet

A 12-year-old girl was hit by a stray bullet that left her paralyzed when gang members exchanged shots Monday in the parking lot of a South Los Angeles fast-food restaurant, authorities said.

Two alleged gang members also were wounded in the 3:30 p.m. shootout at Imperial Highway and Avalon Boulevard and were taken to Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center, where they were in critical but stable condition, police said. The victims, ages 16 and 17, were not identified.

The wounded girl, Cindy Rodriguez, had gone outside her family’s apartment directly across the street from the restaurant to pick up mail, said her sister Nancy, 15.

“When we saw guys shooting at a car, my sister said, ‘Nancy, let’s run for it,’ ” she said. “Then I heard her say, ‘Nancy, I can’t get up.’ ”

She said her brother ran outside and picked up Cindy who was screaming: “Dad! Dad!”

She was rushed to the medical center, where she was in critical condition after surgery.

“She’s probably going to be paralyzed for the rest of her life from the waist down,” said Dr. Pierre Charles, who performed the surgery. “She also lost her kidney, which was shattered. I think the bullet transected her spinal cord completely.”

Los Angeles police said the incident began as a shoving match among rival gang members in the lot outside a Church’s Fried Chicken restaurant in the 400 block of East Imperial Highway.

“Then someone pulled a gun,” said Detective Ray Monroy.

At least 10 shots were fired in a gun battle that lasted about 30 seconds and involved at least two automatic handguns, he said.

“We have a pretty good idea of who was involved and at least two arrests are imminent,” Monroy said.

Late Monday, Jose Rodriguez, 39, the father of eight, stood outside his small, $550-a-month apartment, staring across the street at the restaurant with tears welling up in his eyes. He had moved his family there about four months ago from San Fernando.

“Every day they shoot, and I don’t know why,” said Rodriguez, who was recently laid off from his job as a silk-screen printer. “Today, they shot my daughter. She’s only 12 years old, and she’ll never walk again. Why? Just because she was standing outside.”

Earlier, Nicholas Briggs, 10, said he was riding his bicycle to a nearby store when the gunfight broke out.

“We heard shooting,” he said, “then we started ducking.”

Christopher Session, 11, said his cousin was one of the wounded boys.

“I started crying because my cousin got shot,” Christopher said. “He said, ‘Go. I don’t want you getting involved.’ ”

He paused before adding, “It’s so stupid.”

Police said they were seeking four assailants who fled in a late-model burgundy Nissan Pathfinder.

While officers were investigating the incident, a group of self-described gang members spotted two rivals. With television reporters broadcasting live reports from the scene, one group of gang members, armed with tire irons, assaulted the two men in front of at least 20 police officers.

One man involved in the fight yelled at a television camera: “They’re coming into our territory. That doesn’t go. We don’t stand for that down here.”

Officers quickly broke up the fight and arrested Joseph Rodriguez and Francisco Flores, both 18. They were booked for assault and held in lieu of $5,000 bail. Investigators had not determined whether Rodriguez is related to the wounded girl.

Times staff writer Nieson Himmel contributed to this story.