The man was walking southbound on Adams Street, about a block south of East Colorado Street, in a group of about eight other people when the rear-seat passenger in a green Toyota Camry pointed a hand gun at the group and fired, Balian said. Police believe the four teens arrested were in the Camry when the shooting happened.
The Camry had begun to turn west onto Elk Avenue but stopped just before the shooting occurred, he said.
The bullet struck the Glendale man in the knee. He then limped east across Adams Street, where he collapsed after realizing he was shot, Balian said.
The Glendale man was transported to Glendale Memorial Hospital on Monday and was released on Tuesday, Balian said.
Minutes before the shooting, which took place at approximately 3 p.m., the Camry drove past the group, Balian said. Witnesses said one of the men in the car fired a shot into the air, but it did not strike anyone, he said.
"There was some sort of verbal altercation between the guys in the car and the group," Balian said.
Police still do not know what the motive for the shooting was and do not know if the man shot was specifically targeted, Balian said.
Police are unsure if it is gang-related, he said.
"We just don't know right now, but the investigation is ongoing," he said. "Until we put the puzzle back together, we won't really know."
Forensics investigators removed a bullet from a wall behind the area of the shooting on Monday, and police have since recovered the weapon used in the shooting, but Balian would not divulge where the weapon was found.
Residents, meanwhile, bemoaned the neighborhood's situation.
"It's getting really crappy around here," said Carmelo Lombardo, who lives across the street from where the shooting occurred. "I've been here since 1958 and it's gotten really bad."
Lombardo did not see Monday's shooting but arrived home in time to see the area surrounding his home cornered off by police tape.
"It's a shame this town is not safe anymore," he said. "There are a lot of problems, from people stealing flowers to shootings all the time to fighting all the time?. People are not friendly anymore."
The four teens are being held at Eastlake Central Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles without bond.
