A teenager was shot in the leg during a drive-by shooting around 2:15 p.m. near Genesee Avenue and Mount Etna Drive on Monday afternoon, starting an hours-long search for four suspects in a dark-colored sedan, the San Diego Police Department said.
Traffic was also impacted for several hours following the shooting, police said.
Paramedics took the victim to Sharp Memorial Hospital in Serra Mesa. His condition was not immediately available.
Police are searching for the suspects who fled, authorities said. No suspect description was immediately available.
NBC 7 obtained security video of the actual shooting. Police hope someone recognizes the car from the video.
Good Samaritan Nicholas Arciniega was nearby and helped the teen victim.
“I asked him if he was shot. He said yes, I said where? And he showed me his leg. I was happy it wasn’t in his chest. That’s when I started praying for him and I told him it was going to be OK,” he said.
Witnesses say the car is either a black or dark grey Nissan sedan. Inside were a total of four people. The license plate is not visible from this camera view.
“We got some witnesses that gave us some good plate info. We are working off our ALPR system to locate a vehicle in the city,” said Colin Steinbroner with SDPD.
Police say the gun was fired from a passenger seat. Most witnesses heard four rounds, but the video indicates five rounds.
Athena Melendez bore witness to the scene.
“Alarming, jarring. A little scary, it was kind of surreal to see him. He was in a lot of pain of course,” Melendez said.
Police said this is not connected to any other criminal activity in the area of late.
“We’re bouncing some ideas off witnesses who say he may have been communicating with the car while it was driving by or he may have just been standing there by himself,” Steinbroner said.
“It shook me to my core because I don’t know — it’s kind of like, where we are at the moment. I prayed for the kid. I hope he’s OK,” Arciniega said.
Authorities urged the public use alternate routes as the investigation continued for several hours following the incident, SDPD wrote in a post to X.
🚔 Traffic Advisory Update 🚔
Investigators remain on scene actively following up on leads related to this incident.
Traffic in the area will continue to be impacted for at least the next several hours.
Officers will reopen roadways and clear the scene as soon as the…
— San Diego Police Department (@SanDiegoPD) June 23, 2026