Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times
A Los Angeles police officer on graffiti-scarred Drew Street in front of two apartments that were targeted in an early morning gang sweep in Northeast Los Angeles.'Major takedown' targets members of Glassell Park's Drew Street gang

Email Picture
Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times
A Los Angeles police officer on graffiti-scarred Drew Street in front of two apartments that were targeted in an early morning gang sweep in Northeast Los Angeles.
In an early morning raid, more than 500 local, state and federal investigators swarm the Northeast Los Angeles neighborhood to arrest dozens of reputed members of the Avenues gang clique.
By Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Andrew Blankstein and Sam Quinones, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
10:03 AM PDT, June 25, 2008
ยป Discuss Article (66 Comments)

In a sweeping crackdown on a notorious street gang, more than 500 federal, state and local investigators, including 10 SWAT teams, swarmed northeast Los Angeles before dawn this morning to arrest dozens of alleged members of the Avenues gang.

The focus, authorities said, was on the gang's Drew Street clique, which has kept tenacious control over a Glassell Park neighborhood despite a series of efforts by federal and local law enforcement agencies over the years.



Photos: Glassell Park gang sweep Map: Drew Street gang of Glassell ParkL.A.'s most dangerous gangs
Drew Street gang indictment
Video: Gang crackdown in Glassell Park
"This is a major case and a major takedown this morning," said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office.

By 8 a.m., authorities arrested 46 people, 28 of whom are named in the indictment. The others were taken into custody on other charges. Another 30 people named in the indictment already were in custody, police said.

In all, the federal racketeering indictment names more than 70 people and is scheduled to be unsealed later this morning.

"It reads like a crime novel," Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Sergio Diaz said of the indictment. "Witness intimidation, drive-by shootings, hate crimes, you name it."

This morning's sting was the culmination of a 10-month investigation.

"These thugs have been preying on this community for generations. This was designed to send a powerful message and we sent that message this morning," said LAPD Assistant Chief Earl Paysinger. Paysinger said neighbors of the Drew Street gang had "lived so long in fear they don't know what freedom means."

Senior Assistant City Atty. Bruce Riordan, who has prosecuted Mexican Mafia and 18th Street gang members, called the allegations against the Drew Street gang "the worst witness intimidation and tampering I've seen."

He said the gang's tactics had effectively silenced neighbors and kept witnesses from telling police what they knew. Some incidents date back to 2003 and include allegations that gang members tried to murder police officers.

The action this morning included abatements served on the owners of 10 houses or apartment buildings, who are now required to remove gang members from their buildings.

Two children were taken into custody by child welfare officials. Seized in the raids were 23 weapons, as well as unspecified amounts of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana and cash. Police used flash-bang devices and forced entries while serving the search warrants.

A community meeting has been scheduled for 6 tonight at the Glassell Park Community Center, 3750 N. Verdugo Road, for law enforcement officials to talk to residents about the arrests and indictment.

LAPD Deputy Chief Jim McDonnell said they called the meeting to "put them [neighbors] at ease and explain what we did."

In the neighborhood today, police officers driving golf carts announced the meeting using bullhorns. They handed out leaflets in Spanish and English.

Mercedes Martinez, 48, got a flyer while walking with her children, Paula, 13, and Javier, 14, to her car.

"In the street they have lots of problems because of the Avenues gang," she said, adding that she felt safer now after the police raid.

Standing on Drew Street, Eusebia Ortiz, 47, said she woke up this morning to the sounds of what she thought were bombs. Ortiz said she planned to go to the meeting to get more details.

"I would like to see it become calmer at least for the small children," said Ortiz, who has six grandchildren who live in area and are elementary school age.

But the raids upset others







http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me ... 6136.story