The Santa Cruz Police Department has arrested two 17-year-olds in connection with the shooting that resulted in a chaotic scene on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk late Monday night.
Santa Cruz police arrested the two juveniles in the San Joaquin Valley town of Ceres, which is two hours away from the boardwalk, after collaborating with the Seaside Company and the Ceres Police Department to identify the alleged shooters.
As of Aug. 4, it's unclear which crimes the two teenagers have been preliminarily charged with, as the Santa Cruz Police Department has not yet released that information.
The shooting occurred at about 9 p.m. after police received reports that shots had been fired near the parking lot across from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, located
in the 100 Block of Riverside Avenue, according to police.
Videos across social media show confused and scared families running for safety shortly after gunshots were heard in the area.
When police arrived, they canvassed the area for any suspects and determined the boardwalk was safe from any active shooting, according to police. Officers quickly determined that no one had been injured as a result of the gunfire.
As part of the investigation, Santa Cruz Police worked with the Seaside Company, which owns the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, to determine that the alleged suspects had fled the scene, according to police.
The Santa Cruz Police Department noted that this case remains active and ongoing, and urged the police to reach out to the department if they had any insight on what led to the shooting.
Police were able to track the alleged shooters to Ceres, which is about 5 miles away from Modesto, California.
Noe Padilla is a Northern California Reporter for USA Today. Contact him at npadilla@usatodayco.com, follow him on X @1NoePadilla or on Bluesky @noepadilla.bsky.social. Sign up for the TODAY Californian newsletter or follow us on Facebook at TODAY Californian.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2 teens arrested in connection to shooting near Santa Cruz Boardwalk
