SANTA CRUZ—Four juveniles were charged with attempted murder Friday for allegedly shooting a man as he walked in a neighborhood on Hagemann Avenue in Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz Police Chief Andy Mills said the victim was walking on the 100 block of Hagemann Avenue just after 3pm when the suspects pulled up alongside him in a black Mercedes sedan. One of them then fired at least one shot and struck the victim who collapsed in the middle of the street.
Police issued a countywide be-on-the-lookout order for a black Mercedes with at least three people aboard, one of them armed with a silver handgun.
A short while later, the suspected vehicle was located in South Santa Cruz County by a California State Parks Ranger. Members of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office Special Enforcement Team stopped the vehicle and arrested the four juveniles inside. Members of the Watsonville Police Department Special Investigations Unit also responded and assisted with the initial investigation.
Evidence linking them to the shooting, including a firearm, was recovered from the vehicle, SCPD said. All four juveniles are facing attempted murder charges with gang enhancements.
The victim, a 34-year-old Santa Cruz resident, was taken to a Bay Area trauma center and was reportedly in stable condition, SCPD said. His identity is being withheld.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the SCPD Crime Tip Line at (831) 420-5995.
