The Orange County Sheriff’s Department was searching for a suspect April 8 after a man was shot around lunchtime in Laguna Hills.
Police said the man, believed to be in his 30s, did not suffer fatal injuries during the shooting near Paseo De Valencia and Alicia Parkway. He was taken to hospital for treatment.
Following the 12:23 p.m. crime, police arrested three underage suspects caught fleeing the scene.
Police said the investigation began at 12:23 p.m., when they received reports of a man found shot at a park near Paseo De Valencia and Alicia Parkway.
One suspect, a young man described as wearing a green or blue white flannel top with baggy pants, remained at large. Police were using ground and air support, including K-9 units, to find him.
The gun used was also missing.
The incident could be gang related, said Capt. Gene Inouye, but police are still working to determine a definitive motive.
“I just want the community to be aware that this activity is occurring in your community, and to be aware of anything out of the ordinary that may occur,” Inouye said in a video released to the public.
Laguna Hills High School went into a brief lockdown following the shooting, even though it was mostly empty, barring a few baseball players.
While the victim was found in a park, police said the shooting did not happen there and might have occurred at a nearby home off Via Lomas, with the victim somehow making his way over to the park.
