A man and woman suspected of joining a teenager in a gun assault that wounded two people in Temecula were behind bars Wednesday.
Shawna Nicole Harper, 37, of Pala and Alphonso Zavala, 36, of Vista were arrested Tuesday following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation into the alleged attack earlier this month at Temecula and Redhawk parkways.
Harper was booked into the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on suspicion of being an accessory to a felony, while Zavala was booked into the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta on suspicion of possession of an assault rifle, possession of a sawed-off shotgun and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Each is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Joe Narciso, the duo were allegedly involved in the May 5 attack near the Redhawk Towne Center.
Narciso alleged that a dispute near the intersection fronting the mall erupted shortly after 5 p.m., involving a 16-year-old Pala boy, the suspects and two other parties, whose identities weren’t disclosed.
During the confrontation, the boy — who wasn’t identified because he’s a juvenile — allegedly shot into the other car, wounding the two occupants, the sergeant said.
He said witnesses called 911, but the drivers of both vehicles fled before patrol deputies could reach the scene.
Narciso said the two people allegedly shot by the teen were treated for non-life-threatening wounds at a regional trauma center, where they fully recovered within a few days.
Detectives soon identified the alleged shooter, and he was booked into Southwest Juvenile Hall. His case is being handled in Riverside Juvenile Dependency Court and no other information was available.
After the youth’s arrest, detectives identified Harper and Zavala as alleged conspirators. Harper surrendered to deputies Tuesday, and Zavala was taken into custody that evening without incident at his apartment on East Drive in Vista.
He has a prior conviction in another jurisdiction, but jail records didn’t specify for what.
No information was available regarding Harper.