by Bettianne Levine

About the author: Bettianne Levine is a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times.

Four 15- and 16-year-olds were arrested in September 1995 in Lake Tahoe for what police call the “thrill shooting” of a 59-year-old man who was on a morning stroll when the youths, “looking for someone to scare,” pumped four bullets into him.

A 14-year-old checked into a Costa Mesa motel in August 1995 with his girlfriend, also 14, after the boy allegedly murdered a 63-year-old retiree so he could steal his 1987 Dodge.

A 12-year-old and two other youths are charged with kidnapping a 57-yearold Pomona man and shooting him to death in August 1995, after taking a joy ride in his Toyota while he pleaded for his life.

Two girls, ages 13 and 15, are charged with beating a 32-year-old woman...