L.A. gang member arrested in Yuma search

January 16, 2009 - 4:32 PM
BY JAMES GILBERT, SUN STAFF WRITER

An admitted member of a Los Angeles street gang is off the streets thanks to Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents and U.S. Marshals Service deputies.

While serving a warrant at a residence Wednesday, deputies and agents encountered the gang member who was not the subject of the warrant, said Ben Vik, Yuma Sector spokesman.

A Border Patrol agent temporarily assigned to the Marshals Service determined that the man was a Mexican citizen in the United States illegally.

During a subsequent interview, the detainee admitted to being in the West Side 18th Street gang in Los Angeles.

Vik said a fingerprint check identified the man as a convicted felon with a history of criminal and illegal immigration activity.

"We found out he had three prior convictions," Vik said.

The gang member had been previously arrested and convicted for cocaine possession with intent to sell, felon in possession of a firearm, and domestic violence.

He also has been deported from the U.S. on three previous occasions, Vik said.

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James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854.

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