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Teen Killed in Argument; Youth Held : Crime: Witnesses say they were feuding over a broken truck window.

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

An argument between two south Orange County teen-agers on a sunny beach here ended Saturday with one man shot dead and the another in custody, the Sheriff’s department said.

The shooting took place about 1 p.m. in an area known as Dana Strand, at the southern tip of county-run Salt Creek Beach Park.

Sheriff’s Lt. William Francis said deputies responded to reports of a shooting on the beach, where they found bystanders giving first aid to an 18-year-old Dana Point man who had been shot. Paramedics transported the man to a nearby hospital, where he was reported dead on arrival. The man’s identity was withheld until relatives could be notified.

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Witnesses gave deputies a description of the suspect and the vehicle he was driving. A 16-year-old Laguna Niguel youth, whose name is being withheld because he is a juvenile, was arrested without incident in San Juan Capistrano, Francis said. The suspect was being questioned by sheriff’s deputies in Santa Ana, Francis said.

Witnesses gave the following account:

The two were apparently involved in a running dispute that began before Saturday over a pickup truck window that had been broken.

The victim was walking down a bluff toward the area in the sand where the suspect and a group of friends were sitting. The suspect saw the victim walking toward him and pulled a small-caliber, short-barrelled pistol.

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The suspect shouted, “Leave the beach or I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you if you come after me. I don’t want to kill you, just leave.” The victim replied, “Just pay me for the window.”

The two continued their shouting match as they headed north along the strand, the victim pursuing the youth with the gun. The suspect turned and pulled the trigger, hitting on an empty chamber. He ran again, then turned, went to his knees and fired again, hitting the victim in the chest, police said.

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