A Modesto teenager was shot as he walked along Mitchell Road near the Tuolumne River bridge Sunday evening but the wounds were not life-threatening.
The 15-year-old victim was walking northbound on the west side of Mitchell Road near River Road at 3:04 p.m. when somebody drove by and shot him. The teen was on the ground when police arrived, shot clean through from the right side and exited the left side of his body.
The victim was not cooperative with police who suspect the shooting was gang related. One theory is that the teen was involved in an altercation at the parking lot of the shopping center at the northeast corner of Hatch and Mitchell roads and that it ended with the shooting.
The teen was transported to a Modesto hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound.
Ceres police also worked the following cases in recent days:
• CAR THEFT SUSPECT ENGAGES IN CHASE - A stolen Honda passenger car was crashed Christmas morning after its 16-year-old driver led police on a short pursuit through a west Ceres neighborhood.
The incident started when Officer Brian Peterson was patrolling the Westpointe area of Ceres at 12:34 a.m. Christmas morning and spotted a red Honda and tried to stop its driver but he accelerated. The chase last about a mile and one minute as it snaked through the Malik Avenue area. The chase ended when the Modesto teen lost control and crashed into a parked Dodge pickup at Malik Avenue and Pompei Lane.
The driver was apprehended but a passenger escaped because Peterson was alone in the pursuit.
The teen, whose identity was not released because of his age, was booked into Juvenile Hall on charges of auto theft, driving without a license and leading police on a pursuit.
• KMART DOORS SMASHED - The front doors and side window of the Kmart store on Hatch Road were smashed early Christmas day in what was likely an abandoned burglary attempt, said Ceres Police Lt. Brent Smith.
Suspects did not make entry for whatever reason after the smash occurred at 6:54 a.m.
Police have no suspect information.
• SCHOOL A/C UNITS STOLEN - Four roof-mounted air conditioning units were removed from Walter White Elementary School over the weekend.
The units had an estimated cost of $30,000 and were completely stolen, said Lt. Brent Smith.
• CARGO TRAILER FOUND - Police located a possibly stolen small cargo trailer Sunday night at Morgan Road and Partee Lane which had been ransacked.
Lt. Brent Smith said the trailer's contents, which included household goods and clothing, had been rifled through. Police impounded the black trailer as they search for its rightful owner. Police traced the Idaho license plates (#SUM6723) to an owner in Ohio who said he sold it to someone who was possibly moving to Florida.
The owner of the trailer may contact police to see about its return.
