Published: September 22, 2008 10:23 pm      

Apparent prank ends with man being shot in arm

A young man was shot in the arm late Saturday off St. Clair Road after – apparently as a joke – he made animal noises while hidden in bushes to scare another man at a camping area.

The shooting victim – whose identity was not released by West Hills police - was treated at Memorial Medical Center.

The “joke” was pulled after the camping group had been told by a West Hills patrol officer that an unknown person had fled from a wrecked van on Decker Avenue, Detective Sgt. George Musulin said Monday.

Johnstown police were on the lookout for the van because of a report that it had been carjacked by a masked man near Strayer Street and Chandler Avenue. However, that report now is under investigation, city police Capt. Andy Frear said.

The shooter – whose identity was not released while the West Hills investigation continues – had a permit to carry the .45-caliber Glock handgun, Musulin said.

West Hills police Chief Andy Havas said, “We don’t think the shooting was intentional. But we need to do more interviews.

Once that is done, we’ll meet with the district attorney to check on whether any charges are to be filed.”

Meanwhile, Frear said that the van’s owner was refusing to speak with police. The owner’s identity also was not being released during the city’s on-going probe.

According to information from city and West Hills police, the scenarios unfolded as follows:

A woman, whose child reportedly witnessed the carjacking, called 911 to report that the van with three children in it had been taken by a masked man.

The wrecked van then was located by a West Hills patrol officer. The driver had fled the scene. The officer advised a group of “young guys (camping together) to keep their eyes open in case they see somebody in the woods,” Musulin said.

Shortly afterward, one of the group went to look for firewood, when he heard “animal noises. ... He’s scared and fires a warning shot. He then hears a voice in a threatening tone. He panicked and fired several rounds, and the individual is hit in the forearm,” the detective said.

Havas said the wounded man was wearing dark clothing and “a Jason mask” – described as a flat, goalie-type hockey mask.