7 Arrested in October Gang Shootout at Party

PALMDALE —  Sheriff’s deputies arrested seven alleged gang members in connection with a shootout at a birthday party last month that left one man seriously injured.

The suspects, who represent three rival gangs, were invited to a Palmdale girl’s 16th birthday party in the 38700 block of 36th Street East and allegedly took part in the gunfight.

All seven were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

Three suspects were being held at Challenger Juvenile Hall without bail and the rest were at the Lancaster Station Jail, in lieu of $950,000 bail each.

All are scheduled to be arraigned Thursday.

Members of three gangs, a volatile mix, attended the party Oct. 11, deputies said.

“You play with fire and you get burned,” said Det. Joseph Dillon, of the sheriff’s anti-gang unit in Palmdale.

Around midnight, just as the celebration was ending, two members of one of the gangs were confronted by the girl’s father when they tried to crash the party, deputies said. After a brief argument the gang members, both juveniles, were turned away.

“The girl came out and said, ‘Why are you doing this at my birthday party?’ ” said Lt. Bobby Denham, also of the anti-gang unit.

The youths returned half an hour later with two carloads of fellow gang members, just as several members of another gang were leaving.

“They start disrespecting each other, calling out gang names,” said Det. Mark Machanic. “As they sat there throwing insults at each other one of the . . . gang members hits [another] gang member with a beer bottle.”

At least three gang members drew their weapons and began shooting at each other.

“They’re all spreading out all over the street shooting at each other with the bullets flying wildly, and the father was out there yelling at the party-goers and his daughter to get down and get in the house,” Machanic said. “One of the bullets hits the father in the side. He goes down, and all the gang members take off.”

Deputies say a single .22-caliber bullet perforated the father’s left hip and ripped through his intestines. It remains unclear whose bullet actually struck the father, an assembly line worker at a camper plant.

Complications caused by the injury may cripple him for life, deputies said. He was still hospitalized Tuesday night and being sustained through a feeding tube.

Deputies arrested Juan Ambriz, 20, of Palmdale, in connection with the shooting about 45 minutes later.

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In simultaneous raids at 6 a.m. Tuesday, 50 deputies arrested seven other suspects. They include Basilio Leon, 22, of Littlerock, and Luis Zaragoza, 18, Roddy Guzman, 19, and Jose Dearas, 18, all of Palmdale. Deputies did not name two 16-year-old Palmdale boys and a Palmdale man who turned 18 today because they were juveniles at the time of the arrests.

Zaragoza faces additional witness intimidation and terrorist threat charges because he allegedly telephoned the victim’s family after the shooting and threatened retaliation if they cooperated with deputies. The family has since moved out of the area for fear of reprisals.

Deputies are following up several other leads stemming from Tuesday’s raid, and Mechanic said more arrests may be forthcoming.