READING, Pa. – One man is in custody and another is being sought for allegedly exchanging gunfire on a street in north Reading.
RPD officers said they responded around 12:45 p.m. Wednesday to the 1000 block of Marion Street for the report of multiple men shooting at each other.
The police said they determined that one of the men got out of the passenger side of a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee and fired shots at the other man, later identified as Angel Ariel Ortega.
The 18-year-old Ortega, they said, was also armed and returned fire as the unidentified man got back into the SUV and fled the area.
Officers later found Ortega hiding behind a home in the 1100 block of Mulberry Street. They said he was in possession of a stolen Glock 19 handgun and suspected marijuana.
Ortega, who was recently released from the supervision of the Berks County juvenile probation office, has a history of gang affiliation and involvement in prior shootings/shots-fired incidents in Reading, the police said.
Ortega was committed to the Berks County Jail on charges of firearms not to be carried without a license, trespassing, receiving stolen property, and possession of a controlled substance. A judge set his bail at $20,000.
A surveillance image released by Reading police shows what they said is an unidentified man shooting at another man in the 1000 block of Marion Street on Feb. 24.
As for the other man involved in the exchange of gunfire, the police are still trying to determine his identity. Anyone with information about him or the vehicle he was riding in is asked to contact the Reading police by calling 610-655-6116.
Information can also be passed along to Crime Alert Berks County by texting a tip to 847411, starting the message with keyword alertberks, or by calling 877-373-9913.
This shooting comes amid an uptick in gun violence in Reading, much of which has involved teenagers and people in their 20s, according to the police.
Law enforcement agencies said they are taking a number of steps to curb the crime, including targeted enforcement of gang activity in Berks County. Reading Mayor Eddie Moran said he is also planning to launch a gun buyback program.