Hawthorne man allegedly shoots girlfriend

A Hawthorne man has been arrested on suspicion of shooting his girlfriend in the arm, police said today.

Ronald Wilson, 51, allegedly shot the woman Sunday afternoon at an apartment in the 13800 block of Cerise Avenue, but no one called the police and she did not seek treatment, Hawthorne police Lt. Gary Tomatani said.

Police received information about the crime Monday evening, but could not locate the woman or her boyfriend.

Officers repeatedly checked the building for a car the couple used and spotted it at 3:30 a.m. Tuesday. Police followed the car to a vocational school the woman attended. The boyfriend, who was driving, dropped her off.

Detectives followed the car and arrested Wilson.  They met with the woman at the school, where she initially denied being shot. She changed her story about what happened during questioning, Tomatani said.

Paramedics treated her and she was taken to a hospital.

Detectives later searched the apartment and recovered evidence that a shooting had occurred there, Tomatani said.

Wilson was booked at the Hawthorne jail on suspicion of domestic violence and assault with a deadly weapon.