Dec 27, 2007 12:25 am US/Pacific
Man Wounded, Suspect Arrested In Pasadena Shooting
PASADENA, Calif. (CBS) ―
The shooting of a 23-year-old Arcadia man on Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena's crowded Old Town shopping and entertainment district was the result of a drug deal gone wrong, police said on Thursday.
"It appears that the shooting was a result of a drug deal that went south," Pasadena police Sgt. John Dewar said. "It initially started as a drug transaction."
An investigation revealed that four men -- the shooter, the victim and two others -- were conducting a drug deal and got into a car together Wednesday night. But at some point "things went wrong," Dewar said.
The driver -- who thought he was either going to get ripped off of money or drugs -- drove down to the crowded Old Town district, got out of his vehicle and exchanged words with the three men, Dewar said.
The driver then took out a gun, fired a number of shots and struck one of the men, he said.
The assailant, Marcus Cole Jr., 18, fled but was caught a short time later. Police were still searching for the other two men, who ran from the scene, he said.
Cole was taken into custody on suspicion of attempted murder shortly after the 7:30 p.m. shooting, said Pasadena police Lt. Randell Taylor said, adding that investigators recovered a small-caliber semiautomatic handgun believed to have been used in the attack.
The victim, whose name was not immediately released, was shot in the lower back outside 12 E. Colorado Blvd., between Fair Oaks and Raymond avenues, police and fire officials said.
He was reported to be in stable condition at Huntington Hospital.
Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said the victim's wounds were serious but not life-threatening.
The shooting is believed to have been the first in Pasadena's Old Town, an area through which Tuesday's Rose Parade will pass.
Bystanders initially told the Los Angeles Times that the shooting may have been prompted by an argument in which a racial slur was used.
KCAL9, which had a camera crew at the scene working on a story about the weather, reported that three shots rang out and the victim fell in the middle of the street. A physician passing by came to help while paramedics were on their way.
The physician, identified by the station as Dr. Mark Lowe, said that the victim "had a strong pulse, so I knew he was going to be OK."
One bullet flew harmlessly at waist level across the street and shattered the front window of Lather, which sells oils and lotions. A heavy crowd was in the street at the time despite the evening chill.
"The place was packed; there were hundreds of people here," Taylor told The Times. "It was crazy, mayhem; shots were being fired and -- imagine -- hundreds of people trying to take cover."
The gunman was captured by police with the help of several Pasadena Guides, city employees who provide visitors with information, The Times reported. The guides saw the gunman running and began following.
Police urged anyone with information about the shooting to to call 626-744-4241.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
