PALO ALTO – Two men were injured in an accidental shooting early Thursday in Palo Alto, police said.

At 12:17 a.m., Stanford Health Care contacted the city’s 24-hour dispatch center to report two men had just arrived with gunshot wounds, according to the Palo Alto Police Department.

Police said the men claimed they had been the victims of an armed robbery half an hour earlier in the parking lot of the Stanford Shopping Center at 180 El Camino Real.

An investigation, however, revealed there had been no robbery. Instead, the men had been sitting inside their white 1999 Toyota Tacoma smoking marijuana together when one of them accidentally discharged a handgun he was handling, according to police. The round passed through his hand and struck the other man’s leg.

Police said the men then drove to the hospital, where they were treated for injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

A bloody, loaded handgun was found under the driver’s seat of the truck, according to police. The firearm did not have a serial number.

Neither man was arrested, but police said the case will be sent to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office for review for charges, including false report of a crime, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a self-assembled firearm and negligent discharge of a firearm.

Anyone with information related to the incident can contact police at 650-329-2413. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call or text 650-383-8984 or email paloalto@tipnow.org.

Source: www.mercurynews.com