Police are still searching Monday for at least four men seen leaving the scene of a shooting at a Long Beach gas station that left two bystanders -- including a 10-year-old boy-- injured.
The boy was struck as he sat in the backseat of his family's sport utility vehicle, parked at pump No. 1. Witnesses said the boy told his parents that his chest "felt hot" after the bullet pierced the SUV. His mother saw blood running down his chest.
His parents -- who hadn't yet filled up their tank -- drove to the police station a quarter mile away for fear they couldn't make it to the hospital without running out of fuel, according to Long Beach City Councilman Al Austin, who visited the family in the hospital last weekend.
Police officers drove the boy to the emergency room. No arrests had been made as of Monday evening.
"His son's primary concern was, did they catch the guy who shot him?" Austin said after meeting with the family.
The boy, who attends elementary school less than a block away from where the shooting happened, was stable Monday afternoon, officials said. The young victim has not been identified.
"We know he's a young boy who likes to play football," Austin said. "His dad was telling me they were just playing catch that day, and they were actually looking forward to going to Knott's Berry Farm on that Saturday."
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Surveillance footage shows four men running through a gas station at the corner of Long Beach and Del Amo boulevards about 8 p.m. Friday, said Nancy Pratt, spokeswoman for the Long Beach Police Department.
Shots struck the 10-year-old boy sitting in his parent’s SUV at pump No. 1. Another bystander at the gas station was hit by the crossfire. His injuries were non-life threatening, Pratt said.
A group of men were arguing near the gas station before the shooting occurred, Pratt said.
The family was in the "wrong place at the wrong time," she said.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Long Beach police detectives at 562-570-7250.
