Man, Passerby Wounded in Gun Battle
A 21-year-old Santa Ana man was critically wounded and a woman passerby was shot in the ankle Monday night during a gun battle on a downtown street, police said.
John Villalobos was rushed to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana with gunshot wounds to his chest and side, said Sgt. Dick Faust of the Santa Ana Police Department. The passerby, Maria Gonzalez, 46, also of Santa Ana, was hit once in the ankle, a wound not considered serious, Faust said.
Villalobos was driving near the intersection of First Street and Broadway at 7:46 p.m. when he became involved in an argument with an unknown pedestrian and the two men pulled out guns and started shooting, Faust said.
In the exchange of gunfire, Villalobos hit Gonzalez, Faust said.
Wounded, Villalobos drove to his girlfriend’s workplace on Fourth Street, about six blocks away, Faust said. He stumbled inside and someone called police.
Villalobos was arrested at the hospital on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon for the shot that hit Gonzalez, Faust said. Two handguns were found in his car.
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