3 Wounded in Drive-By Shooting After Soccer Game

Three men who had just finished playing soccer at a Pacoima schoolyard were apparently mistaken for gang members and wounded in a drive-by shooting, Los Angeles police said Friday.

The shootings occurred at 9 p.m. Thursday at the corner of Pierce Street and Glenoaks Boulevard, police said. No arrests were made.

The victims were identified as Carlos Lopez, 27, who was hit in the face; Guillermo Martinez, 21, who was struck in the chest; and Benigno Gonzalez, 25, who was struck in the legs. All three are from the Pacoima area, police said.

Lopez and Martinez were taken to Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, where Lopez was in critical condition and Martinez was in serious but stable condition, hospital officials said. Gonzalez was taken to Olive View Medical Center and was in stable condition.

Detective Jay St. John said police found no indication the victims were affiliated with gangs. He said they regularly played soccer at Charles Maclay Junior High School in the evening.

“Most of them carry daytime jobs and gather there afterward to play,” St. John said. “I don’t know of many gangsters who spend their nights playing soccer.”

Police said the three men had finished playing on the school grounds and walked across Pierce Street to use a phone at a service station. While one man used the phone and the other two stood nearby, a red car carrying two or three men drove slowly by.

“Some sort of gang challenge was spoken by the suspects in the car,” St. John said. “Then they fired shots. We don’t know how many.”