Three men have been arrested in connection with a fatal gang-related shooting in Santa Ana that left a man dead, police said.
The fatal shooting happened in the 1600 Block of W. MacArthur Boulevard at about 9:12 p.m. Saturday near the intersection of Bear Street and MacArthur Boulevard, the Santa Ana Police Department said in a news alert Sunday.
Responding officers located a vehicle that had been hit by gunfire with a man behind the wheel and a woman in the passenger seat. The man was unresponsive and had apparent gunshot wounds to his upper torso, the Police Department said. The officers rendered aid until the Orange County Fire Authority arrived on scene. The man was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased. The woman was not injured, police said.
According to the preliminary investigation, a witness who was traveling eastbound on MacArthur Boulevard told officers he saw a green SUV accelerate and drive next to the gray BMW.
“He then heard three to five gunshots and observed the green vehicle drive southbound on Bear Street from MacArthur Boulevard,” police said in a statement.
The gray BMW then came to a stop at 1600 W. MacArthur Boulevard, facing eastbound. Police said another witness reported hearing five gunshots and seeing a green SUV speed away southbound on Bear Street from MacArthur Boulevard.
When officers were responding, they saw a green Chevy Trailblazer traveling northbound on Harbor Boulevard from Warner Avenue and initiated a traffic stop. Both witnesses later positively identified the green Chevy Trailblazer as the same vehicle seen fleeing the scene of the shooting, police said.
The three men inside the vehicle were identified as Santa Ana residents Alfredo Ivan Pulido, 22; Leonel Diaz, 21; and Jason Garcia, 21. All three men were transported to the Santa Ana Police Department and interviewed by homicide detectives.
Pulido, Diaz and Garcia were each booked on suspicion of murder, assault with a firearm on person, and additional gang related charges, Santa Ana police reported.
Detectives said the motive for the shooting appears to be gang-related.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call SAPD Homicide Section detectives at 714-245-8390 or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-847-6227.
Correction: A previous version of this story provided conflicting statements about the woman’s condition. This post has been updated.
