Southern California brothers remain in ICU after gunman opens fire on busy street

Two brothers remained hospitalized in the ICU after a shooter opened fire on a busy street in Riverside County.

The incident happened on Aug. 14 as Ivan Pineda and Luis Pineda were walking on the 1000 block of West Florida Avenue in Hemet.

Around 3:30 p.m., the brothers and the suspect appeared to have an angry exchange of words. The suspect, who was riding a bicycle, makes a U-turn and pulls up alongside the brothers.

The suspect reaches into his pants pocket, pulls out a gun and fires two shots at one of the brothers. The second brother runs over and tackles the gunman as another three shots are fired out. 

The two men get into a fistfight in the middle of the street, blocking the roadway for oncoming drivers. Eventually, the gunman wrestles free from the victim’s grip and runs away from the scene.

Police arrived shortly after and transported the victims to a local hospital. Both brothers are hospitalized in the ICU where Ivan remains in critical condition and Luis remains in stable condition. 

The victims’ sister, Lucia Pineda, said her brothers were on their way to work when the violence unfolded. 

Upon their release from the hospital, Lucia said both men will be required to stay at an assisted living facility for physical therapy until they fully recover.

“We’re a very close family so when something like this happens, it’s very hard on all of us,” Lucia said. “They’re just normal, regular people who were just trying to make some money.”

Lucia said she is heartbroken that her brothers were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

A GoFundMe page to help the Pineda family with hospital bills and treatment costs can be found here.

The suspect remains at large as police work to track down his identity.

Anyone with information on the case can call the Hemet Police Department at 951-765-2400.