Paintball gun attack leaves 3 hurt in Palo Alto

A person armed with a paintball gun shot and injured three pedestrians during a spree of attacks in Palo Alto, police said Wednesday.

The victims suffered minor injuries during the incidents Tuesday night, but police said the wounds could have been far worse.

The first attack was reported at 8:31 p.m. when someone fired 12 to 14 green paintballs at a couple in their 70s as they walked near Newell Road and Dana Avenue. The man was struck in his hip.

Three minutes later, two people reported they were shot on the 700 block of Melville Avenue. A woman walking her dog was hit in her hand, arm and chest by several green paintballs fired by someone in a car.

Another woman walking with her husband was hit by a green paintball on her hand.

“Both of these victims felt pain and will likely be bruised from the impacts,” said Palo Alto police Lt. Zach Perron.

The car was described by some victims as gold with a rounded body type that could be 15 years old, authorities said. The shooter was likely a passenger, and the victims reported hearing a male voice “yelling in a cheerful manner from the vehicle as it passed by,” Perron said.

Those who fire paintball guns usually do so while wearing protective masks in designated fields or arenas. Paintball shootings on city streets are relatively rare but not unheard of. A similar spree in Oakland injured 7 people.

Anyone with information about the Palo Alto incidents is asked to call police at (650) 329-2413.

Henry K. Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: hlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @henryklee