Suspect arrested in Santa Ana gang-related shooting that sent 3-year-old to hospital

KABC logo
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
Suspect arrested in OC gang-related shooting that injured toddler
Suspect arrested in OC gang-related shooting that injured toddlerIt is believed the target of the shooting was a gang member riding in the vehicle, but instead a 3-year-old girl in the backseat was struck by a bullet.

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- Less than two weeks after a gang-related shooting left a 3-year-old girl in critical condition, a 20-year-old suspect has been arrested, officials said Monday.

The suspect has been identified as Angel Castillo, 20, of Santa Ana, described as a documented gang member. He was arrested Thursday in Santa Fe Springs and is facing multiple charges that include two counts of attempted murder, criminal street gang activity and discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury or death.

A little girl who was shot while sitting in the backseat of a car with her parents in Santa Ana is expected to survive following a series of surgeries.

The shooting happened on Feb. 25 around 8 p.m. Police say the shooter ran up and fired at a vehicle near the intersection of 15th and Spurgeon streets. A woman was driving the vehicle and her boyfriend was in the front passenger seat, while the woman's two daughters, ages 3 and 4, were in the backseat.

Police believe the mother's boyfriend in the front seat, a documented gang member, was the target of the shooting. He wasn't struck but the toddler in the backseat was hit by at least one bullet in the back. She was rushed to Children's Hospital of Orange Couny where she successfully underwent surgery.

An update on her condition was not immediately available Monday.

Copyright © 2024 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.