RESEDA GUNFIGHT LEAVES 2 WOUNDED.

Byline: David R. Baker Daily News Staff Writer

Two people were recovering from gunshot wounds Saturday after police interrupted a street-corner shootout the night before.

Although initial reports indicated that one of the victims had been shot by officers trying to stop the melee, Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Eduardo Funes said Saturday that both victims appear to have been wounded by other participants in the firefight.

``At first we thought the officers' fire had hit the target, but now it appears they were both wounded before officers arrived,'' Funes said.

Five males - including the two gunshot victims - were arrested. Police did not release the suspects' identities Saturday.

Both victims were in stable condition Saturday, according to the Police Department.

The more seriously injured victim, described as a 17-year-old Reseda youth, was listed in stable condition.

The shootout, which police believe was gang-related, started around 10 p.m. Friday near the intersection of Sherman Way and Tampa Avenue. Funes said the cause of the fight was still under investigation.

Witnesses Friday said they had heard about 15 initial shots, followed by perhaps six or seven more.

Officials said that two vice officers, Eric Martinelli and Joseph Kalyn, were patrolling in the area in an unmarked car and spotted the fight.

When Martinelli identified himself as a police officer, he was fired upon, police said.

The officers shot back, and the suspects fled, officials said.

Police quickly caught two of them, including one wounded in the upper chest and abdomen, officials said.

A third man was caught by a police dog searching the area. Two other suspects, one of whom had been shot in the leg, were apprehended at a hospital where they were seeking treatment.