It happened at the intersection of Piedmont Avenue and Pleasant Valley Avenue in Oakland.
The boy was in surgery at Children's Hospital in Oakland on Thursday night, and he is listed in critical but on stable condition. Witnesses say he was alert when and talking when he was taken to the hospital.
The incident happened at around 5:00 p.m. on Thursday afternoon when he was sitting in front of a piano taking lessons at the Harmony Road Music School on Pleasant Valley Avenue and Piedmont in Oakland.
All of the sudden, shots were fired. One bullet crossed through the wall and hit the boy in the rib area. The shot came from a gunman who had just held up a Chevron station right across the street.
Witnesses say he appeared to be firing blindly as he made his getaway. Back inside the music school, others rushed to the boy's aid.
"He was just saying that he was in pain, he was saying he wasn't able to fell his legs at the time. I started to ask to grip my hand to see if he had good pressure in his hand. Then I started to rub his legs to see if he could feel me touching his leg and he said no," said George Dewey, a witness.
Police who happened to be in the area on a unrelated traffic stop chased the suspect about a mile to 51st and Telegraph, where he crashed his Mustang into a car containing a woman and two twin children.
They were also taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Police say the Mustang that getaway car was stolen, and they finally caught the suspect after hitting him with a taser.
After a brief struggle, police say they confiscated a loaded gun, a mask and some cash that they believe was taken in the Chevron robbery.
Police are also questioning a woman who was with the suspect at the time, and police believe the suspect does have a criminal record. He was questioned at Oakland Police headquarters where he could face possible charges of assault with a deadly weapon, armed robbery and also stealing a car – but there may be other charges as this investigation goes on.
