Feds target V-13 in gang crackdown
"Operation Villainz Ink"
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Law enforcement officers today arrested 19 people for alleged firearms and drug violations in an anti-gang sting that involved a Venice tattoo parlor run by undercover agents.
"ATF will aggressively pursue these violent gangs that occupy our communities and will continue to work with our partners to ensure that they know we are coming for them,'' Torres said.
"Operation Villainz Ink" targeted gang members in an area controlled primarily by the Venice 13, Chris Hoffman of the ATF said.
Those arrested sold illegal drugs, committed numerous firearms violations and sold a gun to an undercover ATF agent, Hoffman said.
Among those arrested were five people named in federal criminal complaints: George R. Lopez, 41, of Lawndale; Salvador Garcia, 29, of Los Angeles; Mario Vincent Lopez, 43, of Lawndale; Joey Edward Leyba, 37, of West Los Angeles; and Maribel Gordio, 35, of South Los Angeles.
A sixth person named in a federal criminal complaint—Cesar Perez Rios, 39, of Los Angeles—remains a fugitive, Hoffman said.
The four-month investigation was conducted by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Los Angeles Police Department, said John A. Torres, special agent in charge of the ATF field office in Los Angeles.
A recent uptick in crime at the beach, including a shooting and a stabbing on Ocean Front Walk, prompted Los Angeles police to make nearly 200 arrests over the weekend.
Los Angeles police say two suspects have been arrested for the murder of 5-year-old Aaron Shannon, and are being held without bail. Leonard Hall Jr., 21, was taken into custody today (Friday) about at 2:10 a.m. at an apartment in the 200 block of West. 27th Str. Marcus Denson, 18, was arrested Thursday evening by Sheriff’s deputies in the 1100 block of East 83rd Street. Law enforcement officials say both suspects are active gang members.
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - An investigation was under way today into the death of a man who police said was shot by an LAPD officer in South Los Angeles after pointing a weapon at him at the end of a foot chase.
The officer and his partner were in the 1100 block of West 53rd Street in response to an unrelated trespassing complaint when, around 10:45 p.m.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Prosecutors will seek the death penalty against the man suspected in the “Grim Sleeper” serial killings, a deputy district attorney announced today.
A jury will be asked to recommend a death sentence for 58-year-old Lonnie Franklin Jr. if he is convicted, Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman said. Franklin has been indicted on 10 counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
Franklin, a one-time city employee, has been locked up since his July 7, 2010, arrest.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Los Angeles Police Department officers will staff two sobriety/driver’s license checkpoints this weekend, beginning tonight, in an ongoing effort to combat drunken driving.
From 8 p.m. until 2 a.m. Saturday, officers will run a checkpoint at La Cienega Boulevard between Rosewood and Oakwood avenues near West Hollywood.
And from 8 p.m. Saturday to 2 a.m. Sunday, there will be a checkpoint on Manchester Avenue between Main Street and Broadway in South Los Angeles.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Eight more women may have been killed by the 'Grim Sleeper,' an alleged serial killer charged with killing 10 women in South Los Angeles as far back as the mid 1980s.
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck plans to discuss the case and release images of possible victims at a 4 p.m. news conference.
