Two 18-year-old men and a 17-year-old girl were shot shortly before 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in front of an apartment complex at Merritt Drive and Scranton Street in El Cajon, Sgt. Fenton Sue said.

Medics took the teens to Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, where one of the males was in critical but stable condition and the other two were treated for minor wounds, Sue said.

Witnesses told police the gunmen fled into an apartment in the 800 block of Scranton Street. Officers surrounded the residence and ordered the suspects to come outside and surrender, and the pair eventually complied.

Juan Jose Barba-Hinojosa, 31, and Joshua Gabriel Cordova-Sander, 26, were taken to El Cajon police headquarters for questioning and later arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

The motive for the shooting was unclear, according to Sue. Investigators believe the suspects are gang members and are trying to determine if the victims have similar associations, the sergeant said.