A night of fun at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk turned into a nightmare when a shooting in a parking lot across the street sent crowds running for safety. No one was injured, and two suspects are in custody. The incident occurred around 9 p.m. Monday when the sound of gunfire sparked panic among boardwalk visitors. Santa Cruz Chief of Police Bernie Escalante said the shooting stemmed from an altercation in the adjacent parking lot. “It was chaotic,” Escalante said. “Initially we thought it might be an active shooter situation, but then we learned there was an altercation in the parking lot and two groups got into a verbal argument, and then one person with a firearm shot at the other group.” Early the following morning in Ceres, near Modesto, police apprehended two 17-year-old boys in connection with the shooting. Authorities are still investigating the motive. “We do have more work to do as far as what happened and was it gang-related or something else,” Escalante said. For the families at the amusement park, the gunfire caused immediate terror. Marian Chapin of San Mateo was visiting the boardwalk with her grandson when the shots rang out. “We were running for our lives, literally running for our lives. It was pretty scary,” Chapin said. “I saw all these people running and I heard someone say, ‘Run, run, there’s a shooter.’ I picked him up like a football and was running, running, running.” Amid the chaos, Chapin said she initially ran toward the parking lot, thinking it would be safer, only to realize that was where the shooter was located. “I think that was the most frightening thing. I knew I had to get this little guy out,” she said, adding that she is just glad her grandson is safe. Video posted on social media captured the frantic scene, showing people fleeing a roller coaster line. Hannah Rodriguez of Belmont, who was also at the boardwalk when the gunfire started, summed up the fear simply: “I didn’t want to get shot.” Larry Wiedenhoeft of Fresno had left the boardwalk just before the shooting occurred but was returning to the park the next day. “It was too close for comfort and definitely concerning, but you can’t live your life in fear,” Wiedenhoeft said. A spokesperson for the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk said security routinely patrols the parking lot and that they are beefing up security presence for the rest of the week. ...read more read less