Pink beach cruiser connects alleged gang member to fatal shootings, police say

(CBS) LOS ANGELES - An alleged gang member was ordered to stand trial on two counts of murder for allegedly shooting a 22-month-old boy and the toddler's uncle while riding a pink beach cruiser in May 2011.

According to CBS Los Angeles, 19-year-old Davion McClelland opened fire on two men, one of whom is a documented member of a rival gang in South Los Angeles. Authorities say the shots fired missed their intended targets, and fatally hit Joshua Montes and his uncle, Josefat Canchola, outside their home.

During testimony in a preliminary hearing for McClelland, one of his alleged targets testified that he and his friend were walking down the street when two young black men riding bikes and wearing hooded sweatshirts passed them.

"One of (the bikes) was like a beach cruiser," Michael Smith said.

According to Smith, one of the bicyclists made a gang "call," and as he and his friend continued walking, "I turned around. The next thing I know, I'm being shot at."

Two other witnesses testified that they saw two suspects riding away from the scene of the shootings, one of them on a pink beach cruiser. Both of them had previously identified McClelland from a photo lineup as one of the suspects.

Video surveillance recovered from a nearby business also showed the beach cruiser. Police traced the bicycle to the nearby Pueblo del Rio housing project in the territory of the gang to which McClelland allegedly belongs.

LAPD Officer Brandon Barron, a gang expert, testified that the two gangs involved in the shooting have been feuding since the 1980s. He said McClelland has three tattoos identifying him as a gang member.

Judge Mary Lou Villar found sufficient evidence at the preliminary hearing to send McClelland to trial. Prosecutors have yet to decide whether to seek the death penalty.