Gang Violence Leaves 4 Dead of Gunshots

SUN VALLEY —  A flurry of gang violence Sunday left four people dead in Pacoima and North Hollywood, authorities said.

The caseload was so heavy that local Los Angeles Police Department stations had to request reinforcements from the downtown Robbery Homicide Division.

“We didn’t have anyone left,” said Det. Mike Coffey of the North Hollywood Division.

The killing began shortly after midnight, when Elmer Ortiz, 17, and Eddie Marquez, 21--both of Sun Valley--were shot a few blocks from each other in Pacoima, possibly as a result of a gang rivalry, Coffey said.

Ortiz was shot in the 10900 block of Lehigh Avenue about 12:30 a.m. Moments later, Marquez was killed while standing on the sidewalk in the 10300 block of Cayuga Avenue, said Det. Frank Bishop.

Police believe members of the same gang shot both men, Bishop said.

About 6 that morning, Chan Juan Castellanos, 17, of Canoga Park was shot during an argument between rival gangs at Hart Street and Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood, Coffey said.

Castellanos was shot once in the upper body while sitting in the passenger’s seat of a car, said Scott Carrier, a spokesman for the county coroner.

Just before the shooting, Castellanos and the car’s driver were seen having an argument with two occupants of a gray foreign vehicle, said Coffey. One of the occupants of the gray car pulled a handgun and fired, Coffey said.

The driver of the car in which Castellanos was riding drove one block to Simpson Street, where he called for paramedics from a convenience store. But Castellanos died in the parking lot, police said.

About 10 p.m., North Hollywood Division officers responded to a call of shots fired at the 11700 block of Stagg Street. When they got there, they found the body of a male juvenile, Coffey said.

The victim, whose identity has not been released pending notification of relatives, was pronounced dead at the scene. Coffey said police believe this death was also gang-related.