Shots Ring Out Saturday During Youth Soccer Play at Villa-Parke Community Center

People watching a youth soccer match at Villa Parke Community Center in Pasadena were startled to hear several shots fired Saturday afternoon somewhere along Garfield Avenue when a man fired at a group of men at about 1:50 p.m., according to police.

No one was injured, police said.

Pasadena Police Lt. John Mercado said a soccer match was going on at the time the shooting occurred near the east curb of Garfield Avenue which runs west of the park and not too far from the Villa Parke turf field where the soccer match was being held.

Mercado said police received multiple calls about the shooting and immediately dispatched officers to the area.

When police arrived, witnesses described a group of four to five male Hispanics, ages 20 to 30, who were shot at while they were either standing or sitting on the east curb about mid-block on Garfield between Parke and Villa Parke streets.

“When we got there, we were unable to locate suspects or victims, but we did find quite a few witnesses and were able to piece together the story that one of the suspects walked south on Garfield from Parke towards the group of victims,” Mercado related.

There was an exchange of words between the suspect and the victims and the suspect opened fire.

The victims ran in different directions, the suspect ran north on Garfield and entered the front passenger seat of a vehicle that was waiting for him on Parke Street, and it drove away west.”

Mercado said the shooter was described as a male in his 20s, dark-skinned, wearing a red baseball hat, white t-shirt and red shoes, and armed with a dark colored semi-automatic handgun.

A second suspect drove the getaway car, and was described as a male Hispanic in his 20s, approximately six feet, 240 pounds, wearing a grey t-shirt and had fuzzy hair. The vehicle, witnesses said, was an early 2000 grey Nissan 4-door car.

Another suspect who was the rear passenger in that car was simply described as male Hispanic, Mercado said.

Officers found bullet casings in the middle of the street which are now being examined.

“Fortunately, no one in the park was hit, including the intended victims,” Mercado said.