Residents of the 400 block of Exchange Street were awakened early Christmas morning by the sounds of gunfire as a city police officer tried to stop a juvenile from fleeing the scene in a gray Lincoln Navigator.

Police investigator Andres Maldonado identified the officer as patrolman Daniel Duran and described the incident as follows.

"Some north side gang members went over to the west side and broke out some car windows of some west side gang members. This was in retaliation for damage to their cars done earlier by those gang members."

"Officer Duran spotted the suspects wanted for criminal mischief at 7th and Hidalgo. When he tried to stop their vehicle they took off and he got into pursuit. He stopped the car in the 400 block of Exchange Street and they got out."

Maldonado said there was a confrontation and one of the juveniles jumped back into the car and tried to escape. There were four shots fired by the officer and at least one struck the car while one richocheted off the pavement and hit the tire which was flattened.

The driver, 16, was charged with evading arrest and criminal mischief while the passenger, also 16, was charged with criminal mischief.

Officer Duran has been placed on administrative leave until an investigation of the shooting is complete and the video taken by police has been sent to Plano, Texas for enhancement after local authorities were unable to completely make it out.

"We sent the hard drive to the company that manufactured it, so that we can view everything that is possible to see," said Maldonado. "Some of the files weren't as clear as they should have been."

A witness to the events who lives at 455 E. Exchange gave her version of the events to the newspaper. Gracie Cruz said that she saw the whole thing, along with her sons, Rumaldo, 19, Rogelio, 18, and daughter, Christi, 16.

"The car was stopped in the street. The officer was telling the kids to get down on the ground. One had his hands in the air. The other kid was on the ground. The one who had his hands up ran toward the car and got in. It was a Lincoln Navigator SUV. The officer shot at the vehicle as he was taking off. He drove about 200 feet and stopped. The bullet hit the tire," said Gracie Cruz. My husband, Roy, saw it too."

"I know what I saw. Some people were arguing about how many shots were fired, but I know what I heard, there were four shots. I don't think it was right to shoot at him," Mrs. Cruz concluded.

Mrs. Cruz identified the juveniles as Colby Adame and Lupe Fuentes.