Two Men Shot by Suspected Gang Members

Two men were shot early Saturday morning in San Clemente, and two other men were arrested in San Juan Capistrano soon after. Police suspect the arrested men are gang members.

Police were called at 2:50 a.m. Saturday and responding deputies found two men shot, one with a head wound, the other shot in the ear on the 300 block of Avenida Santa Barbara, Lt. Roland Chacon said. Both men were taken to in Mission Viejo and were "conscious and alert," he said.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: There are alternate reports that the shooting acutally happened on Avenida Victoria; the actual location is unclear. Watch Patch for further reports as information becomes available.)

After witnesses told police what vehicle the gunmen were driving, police spotted the vehicle in San Juan Capistrano near Camino Capistrano and El Camino, Chacon said.

Police chased the two men into the neighborhood near La Zanja St. The two men fled police on foot, Chacon said. Police set up a perimeter and arrested two men around 5 a.m. Saturday.

One of the arrested people involved in the incident was Phillip Raymond Whitman, 24, a carpet cleaner. Whitman is being held on $100,000 bail.

Police would not say if the incident was a retalliation for .

It was unclear whether either or both men arrested in San Juan Capistrano were minors.

Police did not say what weapon was used in this attack. They did not give a description of the suspects' vehicle. They would not say what gang the suspects were involved in, but a San Juan Capistrano and a San Clemente gang have been feuding since at least the 1970s.