By Lookout Staff

December 21 -- Police have arrested a local man who shot at a car driven by a woman down an alley in a crime-prone part of the Pico Neighborhood.

Gil Salazar Verastegui, a 22-year-old Hispanic with a criminal record, was arrested last Thursday for the shooting incident in the alley behind 17th Street and Delaware Avenue on December 2, police said.

Officers, who had obtained an arrest warrant, approached Salazar on the street and arrested him without incident, said Lt. Alex Padilla, the police department spokesman.

The case was presented Monday to the District Attorney’s Office. Verastegui has been charged with reckless discharge of a firearm in public and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Police gathered the necessary information to obtain a warrant after conducting an investigation, Padilla said.

According to the victim, as well as witnesses, a Hispanic man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt stopped his vehicle in the alley, approached the woman’s vehicle and started shooting, police said.

The suspect then ran back to his vehicle, which was described as a 2000 model black or green Honda, and fled the location, police said.

Anyone having information regarding this incident should contact the Robbery/Homicide Detail of the Santa Monica Police Department at 310.458.8451 or the Watch Commander’s Office at 310.458.8427.

Callers who wish to provide anonymous information may also call the We-Tip national hotline at 1.800.78.CRIME (27463). Callers with information leading to an arrest and conviction may become eligible for a reward for as much as $1,000.