Monrovia Gang Member Found Guilty of Shooting, Paralyzing Teen

One of the last remaining prosecutions from a rash of gang violence that struck the city in 2008 culminated in the conviction Thursday of a gang member who paralyzed a teenager in a drive-by shooting.

Jimmy Santana, 23, was found guilty of attempted murder for shooting a teenager while he rode his bicycle in the 2500 block of Peck Road in unincorporated Monrovia on Jan. 29, 2008, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. The shooting came during an eruption of gang violence that .

Santana, a member of the Monrovia Nuevo Varrio (MNV) street gang, yelled out a "gang-related statement" before opening fire, prosecutors said. He was also convicted of shooting a firearm from a moving vehicle, assault with a firearm, and intentionally discharging a firearm to cause great bodily injury.

"A gang allegation – that the defendant committed the offenses for the benefit of, at the direction of or in association with a criminal street gang with the specific intent to assist, further or promote criminal conduct by gang members – also was found true," a news release from the district attorney's office states.

Along with the Duroc Crips, MNV is one of two street gangs in Monrovia that city officials obtained a gang injunction against. The two gangs engaged in back-and-forth shootings in Monrovia in late 2007 and early 2008 that claimed four lives.

Santana is due back in court for sentencing on Mar. 15.