(Sept. 9, 2005) -- A student at LB Poly High's satellite campus (Poly PAAL [Academy for Accelerated Learning], LB Blvd. @ 16th St.) was shot and wounded while walking to school this morning, triggering a precautionary lock-down of Poly PAAL, Poly High, Roosevelt Elementary and Washington Middle School campuses and a nearly nine hour police search in an area spanning 7th St. to Anaheim St. and LB Blvd. to Atlantic Ave.

This is the second off-campus shooting in the Poly High area in the first three days of the school year; on Sept. 7, a juvenile was shot and wounded while walking just north of the main campus on the first day of school year.

It comes as Councilmembers Patrick O'Donnell, Bonnie Lowenthal and Laura Richardson (apparently responding the first shooting) agendized an item (filing stamp indicates Sept. 8) for the Sept. 13 Council meeting, seeking to maintain LBPD's "Safe Passage Program" which assigns two patrol cars to each of LB's five High School campuses. The program is slated to end in mid-October [presumably for budget reasons]. The three Councilmembers propose to direct the City Manager to explore the continuation of the "Safe Passage Program" and report back by October 4. The Council is slated to vote on adopting a FY 06 budget on or before Sept. 30...and perhaps as soon as the Sept. 13...although the Council can amend the budget even after Sept. 30.

"Safe Passage has been an effective program in addressing many of the public safety needs surrounding our campuses," the Councilmembers write in their agendizing memo, adding "we recognize the need for a public safety presence as thousands of students travel to and from school, after school programs, home and work."

In the most recent off-campus Poly High area shooting LBPD Public Information Officer Greg Schirmer says that shortly before 8 a.m. on Sept. 9, two juveniles were walking on 16th St. when the suspect approached them, words were exchanged...and the suspect pulled out a gun and fired at the two victims as they fled.

LBPD says the shooting victim was taken to a hospital with NON-life-threatening wounds. LBUSD says the campus lock-downs didn't disrupt teaching and classes were dismissed in the afternoon without problems.

Despite an intense search (including a bloodhound) lasting until about 4:40 p.m., the suspect avoided capture for now.

The suspect is described as a male Hispanic, 17-20 yrs old, medium build, shaved head...and was initially wearing a dark blue baseball cap with a black shirt and blue denim shorts. (LBPD believes the suspect discarded the black shirt and it's unknown what he was wearing underneath.)

LBPD hasn't determined if the shooting is gang-related but is investigating the circumstances. Anyone with information is asked to call LBPD's Gang and Violent Crime details at (562) 570-7370.