S.F., Peninsula gun violence mars early hours of year

Ivan DeJesus Gomez, 23, who was arrested Jan. 1 and was charged with the attempted murder of two police officers in South San Francisco after a shooting incident in that city at around 3 a.m. Ivan DeJesus Gomez, 23, who was arrested Jan. 1 and was charged with the attempted murder of two police officers in South San Francisco after a shooting incident in that city at around 3 a.m. Photo: South San Francisco Police Dpt. Photo: South San Francisco Police Dpt. Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close S.F., Peninsula gun violence mars early hours of year 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Police officers in two Peninsula cities were shot at early New Year’s Day, part of an outbreak of gun violence that marred the first day of 2015.

In South San Francisco, reports of gunshots on the 600 block of First Lane at 3 a.m. brought several police officers to the scene. As two searched for the cause on foot, they were shot at by someone, who then ran off as the officers — neither of whom was injured — fired back.

After an hours-long search conducted by local police and by officers from nearby cities, Ivan DeJesus Gomez, 23, was found hiding nearby at 10:30 a.m. The South San Francisco resident, who was not injured, was charged with the attempted murder of two police officers.

The other police-related incident began at 2:15 a.m. in East Palo Alto.

After police responded to a report that gunshots had been fired in the vicinity of Oakwood Drive and Palo Verde Avenue, two officers were fired upon but escaped injury. Eight people at the house believed to be the source of the gunfire were detained, though as of Thursday afternoon there was no information as to whether charges had been brought against any of the individuals.

In San Francisco, the first New Year’s Eve-related shooting was reported at around 10:30 p.m. on Market Street near Grant Avenue, where officers heard the sound of gunfire and a victim was found shot in the foot. A suspect was chased and then taken into custody, said Officer Albie Esparza.

Two hours later, on the outskirts of Fisherman’s Wharf, one man shot at another near Taylor and North Point streets but instead hit a female bystander. The suspect was taken into custody and the victim was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The third shooting occurred at 1:32 a.m. at Santos Street and Persia Avenue, near the Sunnydale housing projects. Two men apparently approached a man in a robbery attempt and shot him in the leg, Esparza said. No suspects have been identified or arrested.

The other shooting reported New Year’s morning was in San Jose, where two men were injured by gunfire at around 12:28 a.m. near the 1000 block of McLaughlin Avenue, south of where Highway 101 and Interstate 280 meet. The victims were sent to a hospital while several people were detained. As of Thursday afternoon, there was no information on the condition of the victims or whether suspects had been charged in the shooting.

Earlier in the evening, officers on patrol in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood heard numerous rounds of gunfire at a house on the 1500 block of Jerold Avenue.

A car had pulled up outside the house, fired on it repeatedly and then drove off quickly, police said. In the attempted getaway, the driver collided with a parked car at Toland Street and Jerold Avenue, Esparza said. Five bystanders were injured as a result of the crash, and the driver was arrested.

John King is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jking@sfchronicle.com