Two teenagers are in custody Tuesday for a terrifying shooting at an American Canyon gas station. Police say it started with an altercation and ended with three people wounded.
“He said the bullets were just whizzing and skipping everywhere,” said Dave Christensen, whose 19-year-old son witnessed the shooting. “He got off the bike and dove because, it was, because he said it was two machine guns going off at once,” said Christensen.
Police say three people were wounded when an altercation at the Safeway gas station in American Canyon escalated into gunfire around 4:30 p.m. Monday.
On Tuesday morning, police announced they’ve arrested two people -- 18-year-old Christian Evans and a juvenile, both from Vallejo.
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“It’s gotta be gang related. This is a very quiet town. We don’t have things like this happen here. It just doesn’t happen here. It happens down the road in Vallejo but not here,” said Kimberly Sutter, a Safeway gas station customer.
Gas station customers say they are rattled by the violence in what’s normally a pretty quiet community.
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“I'm appalled and numb at the same time it’s a weird combination of outrage and numbness,” said Michael Caldarola, a Safeway gas station customer. “I feel a little strange being on the ground, where some tragedy took place. It’s kind of a strange feeling.”
Resident Elmer Manaid delivered pizza to police Tuesday to thank them for responding so quickly.
He said seeing crime spill over into American Canyon is really troubling.
“We try to be as protective of our community as possible, but you can’t really separate us from the rest of what is happening out in the real world and this is real world stuff,” said Manaid.
Christensen said luckily, his son was able to drive to safety but the close call has left him shaken.
“He jumped up, got back on the bike and started it right quick and burned right out of here,” he said. “It was crazy, it seemed like a targeted hit right in front of him. He's just so lucky so many bullets are flying and he didn’t get hit by one. I’m happy he made it. I’m happy he made it home."
Police said all three victims remain hospitalized.
