2 Teen-Agers Surrender in Car Assault

Two San Pedro teen-agers surrendered to police Monday, saying they ran over a man in a shopping center parking lot after a verbal argument and a wild chase, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies reported.

The victim, 19-year-old Mustafa Noormohd of Torrance, was listed in stable condition at Los Angeles County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center with head injuries and possible loss of sight in his right eye, officials reported.

Noormohd was a passenger in a car driven by Sajjad Premjee, 18, also of Torrance, when the pair got into a shouting match with the driver of an older gray Honda Prelude on Sunday, according to investigators.

The dispute started on Hawthorne Boulevard in Rolling Hills Estates and ended in the parking lot of the nearby Peninsula Center. Investigators said Premjee used his car to trap the Honda in a dead end. Noormohd and Premjee apparently jumped out and ran toward the Honda, armed with a cricket bat, deputies said.

The driver of the Honda gunned his engine and ran over Noormohd, trapping him under the car, Sheriff’s Lt. Stephen Huss said.

“The Honda dragged the victim about five feet, then backed up, dragging him another 10 feet,” Huss said.

The driver of the Honda then sped out of the parking lot, running over curbs and driving across grassy areas to escape, Huss reported.

On Monday, the suspects admitted the incident to their parents and turned themselves in, officials said.

The names of the teen-agers were not released, but deputies said the driver was being held in the Los Angeles Juvenile Hall on charges of assault with a deadly weapon. No charges were filed against the second 17-year-old, who was released to his parents, deputies said.