LA man accused of firing on crowd By DAISY NGUYEN, Associated Press Writer
Fri Feb 29, 8:51 AM ET
LOS ANGELES - A suspected gang member was in custody Friday, accused of shooting into a crowd at a South Los Angeles bus stop and wounding five children and three adults.
ADVERTISEMENT
Billy Ray Hines, 24, was arrested Thursday while walking on a street less than a half-mile from the shooting after detectives recognized him in security surveillance video that recorded the scene a day earlier, police Chief Bill Bratton said at a news conference.
Bratton said the attack "was sparked by a dispute between the shooter and two other individuals who we believe were the intended victims."
He said "eight innocent individuals, including five children, were struck." The children were walking home from school when they were hit, he said.
The gunman opened fire Wednesday afternoon at a busy intersection filled with shoppers, motorists and students.
Hines is a member of the Crips gang and has one burglary conviction, said Lt. Paul Stalker, a detective commander.
Hines was unarmed at the time of the arrest and police were looking for the automatic handgun used in the shooting spree. Police said at least 15 rounds were fired.
Hines was booked for investigation of attempted murder, and police said they would ask prosecutors to file 10 counts of attempted murder because the two targets were intended victims, although they have not been identified. Bratton said the motive was not known.
It wasn't immediately known whether Hines had an attorney.
A 12-year-old girl who was shot in the chest remained hospitalized Thursday, but "she's going to be fine," Officer Karen Smith said.
Smith said six other people were treated at hospitals and released: a 12-year-old girl shot in the arm; two 12-year-old boys with leg wounds; a 15-year-old boy grazed in the thigh; a 43-year-old man with a wounded knee; and a woman, 48, who was shot in the face.
A 68-year-old man was treated at the scene for a wound to his right arm, she said.
All were expected to recover.
The shooting was the second major outbreak of gang violence in Los Angeles in a week. A Feb. 21 shootout between police officers and alleged gang members in the city's northeast area left one gunman dead and another wounded.
