SAN DIEGO -- A father and his teenage son were each shot in their arms by a suspected gang member while walking in the Mountain View area, police said Tuesday.

The 37-year-old man and his 17-year-old son were walking near 36th Street and Imperial Avenue around 8:45 p.m. Monday when they came upon a man spray-painting graffiti in the area, San Diego police Sgt. Bob Dare said.

The two tried to keep walking but were confronted by the tagger, who issued a gang challenge, according to Dare.

The tagger was soon joined by other suspected gang members and one of them fired a gun, striking both the father and son in their arms, the sergeant said.

The suspected gang members, all wearing white T-shirts, fled in a maroon sport utility vehicle, possibly a Ford Expedition, Dare said.

Neither the father nor the son suffered life-threatening injuries, according to Dare, who said San Diego police gang detectives were handling the investigation.