Abutting

What's that old saying about coming in threes? Even though the others weren't technically Montecito Heights, another sketchy crime happened within biking distance.

Neighborhood tale from, well, a neighbor last night...

"I heard five or six shots at around 8:05 tonight and immediately ran out because I figured they were on Berenice or on Montecito Drive. I could hear ricochets and thwacks very close to my house. Sure enough, when I got to the street, a neighbor was running up the street yelling about how close some of those bullets had gone by him. I tried to call Rich while he called 911. Another neighbor had been on the street just little around the bend when it happened, so he was able to identify a black Honda Acura. There was another car along with it, too, but he couldn't see what it was.

Five black and whites arrived within ten minutes. I am fairly certain that some other neighbors who were closer to the source of the gunfire had already called 911 a couple of minutes earlier.

We had already found some 9mm shell casings on the pavement and pointed them out the the officers. Police took statements from witnesses, then most of them left. I believe they picked up the shells and then they drove up and down the street a few times. We thought they were leaving when they returned and pulled a car across the road, blocking Montecito Dr. One officer asked the five of us neighbors who had talked to them to stay where we were. He said there was a victim. I was alarmed at first and asked if this was a neighbor from one of the houses (the bullets had all gone into the yards of the houses along Pagoda alley. He said no, it was someone from one of the cars and that person was on the way to the hospital. He wanted us to stay because if the victim were to die it would be a homicide and we would have to talk to a detective.

Interesting process.

Anyway, after a while they said we could go and they got in their car and started to leave. A few seconds later they turned around and came back and blocked the road again and told us to stay again. A sergeant drove up and they all commiserated quietly for quite a time. I could overhear some things on the car radio. "...shot in face..." "...car at end of Montecito with bullet holes..."

Anyway, after another ten or so minutes, they got in their cars again and waved goodbye and thanked us without imparting any more news. It wasn't until 9:20 that I walked back home."


Sun Ra "Sketch"
Mobb Deep "Shook Ones, Part 2"