Girl, 7, On Life Support After Car-To-Car Shooting In Palmdale
PALMDALE (CBSLA.com) — A 7-year-old girl is fighting for her life after suffering a head wound during a car-to-car shooting early Wednesday morning in the Antelope Valley.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, an altercation took place at 12:38 a.m. between at least three suspects and a family of six at a Mobil gas station, located at 5564 Fort Tejon Road, in Palmdale.
Following the argument, the victim's mother and her boyfriend drove away from the gas station with her two sons and two daughters and were followed by the suspects' vehicle.
"As the family drove through the intersection at Sunburst Drive / Stratford Drive in the City of Palmdale, multiple gunshots rang out from the suspects vehicle towards the family's vehicle. The suspects in their vehicle chased the family's vehicle through a residential neighborhood firing several more times," Lt. Glenn Brandon said in a statement.
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After evading the suspects, the girl's mother discovered her daughter, Desirae Macias, was wounded and called for help.
"I heard the mother yelling, 'She's not breathing! She's not breathing!'" neighbor Ray Disepia said.
The 7-year-old's aunt, Rosa Galvan, told KCAL9's Crystal Cruz she believes the mother's boyfriend may have caused the situation to escalate.
"He sprayed mace on them and he ran into the car and that's when they started getting chased," Rosa Galvan said.
Macias was airlifted to a local hospital in extremely critical condition. Family members say the girl was shot in the head and is on life support.
Galvan's sister, Alicia, described her as a sweet little girl who always had a smile on her face.
"Like she said she always had a smile - had something funny to say. She loved life," she said.
"I would have rather taken the shot, you know. She's just starting. We've already lived."
Police arrested three suspects, who are believed to be gang members, during a traffic stop after the incident.
They were booked at the Palmdale Sheriff's Station for attempted murder, officials said.
Additional arrests were possible, according to authorities.
"It is not yet clear as to the motivation for the shooting," Lt. Brandon said.
Anyone with information about the shooting should contact Palmdale Sheriff's Station detectives at (661) 272-2400.
