Gangs

Marijuana Shop Murder Has LAPD Looking For Santiago Gutierrez

Cops today were looking for a gang member wanted for killing a man outside a Panorama City marijuana dispensary last month. Detectives say the genius who pulled the trigger got the wrong guy: The passenger in a car outside the pot shop was the target, but the driver, 25-year-old Alex Moran, was fat ... More >>

Salvadoran Hip-Hop Is On the Rise

Filmmaker Junior Gonzalez made it his goal to show his Salvadoran culture in a positive light. Or, in any light at all, really. There were no films that he could think of on the subject, save for those on the notorious MS-13 street gang. "When I say I'm Salvadoran, some people will throw up gang si ... More >>

West Los Angeles Shooting Claims Life Of One, Injures Another On Playboy Crip Turf

One person was killed and another was injured in a shooting in West Los Angeles a couple miles south of Beverly Hills today. The attack in an alley near South Garth and Cadillac avenues was reported at 12:12 p.m., LAPD Officer Sara Faden told the Weekly. Someone wearing dark clothing walked up and ... More >>

Christmas Police Pursuit Tragedy in Pasadena

Tracey Tan and Kendrick Ng might not be dead, if cops in Pasadena used LAPD's rules

Sons of Anarchy Meets Mad Men in Danny Lyon's Classic Biker Portraits

"Danny Lyon: The Bikeriders" at Duncan Miller Gallery's Bergamot Station location is one of the most engaging -- and surprising -- photography shows of the past year. Featuring 50 prints from Lyon's landmark 1968 book of the same name, "The Bikeriders" documents four years, 1963-67, during which the ... More >>

Alex Sanchez's Charges Of Leading MS Gang Crime As He Was 'Peacemaker' Could Be Nixed

Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to dismiss charges against Alex Sanchez, the controversial gang-intervention leader accused of continuing to be a murderous "shot caller" for the notorious Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) organization even as he glad-handed local leaders with a message of peace on the ... More >>

USC Students Robbed By Harpys Gang? Feds Crack Down, Allege Mexican Mafia Ties

Federal officials today cracked down on a Mexican Mafia-connected gang it says has targeted USC students for robberies and shaken down or "taxed" local businesses via threats of violence and murder. The RICO organized-crime indictment against alleged leaders and members of the "Harpys Deadend Gang" ... More >>

Patrick Caruthers, Special-Needs Teen and Summer Night Lights Volunteer, Murdered on South L.A. Park Bench

A 19-year-old city volunteer with a learning disability was shot dead yesterday afternoon in broad daylight as kids played on the grass nearby. Patrick Caruthers, also called Patrick Sears online by his friends, reportedly was sitting on a bench at Jackie Tatum/Harvard Recreation Center, where he ... More >>

Mara Salvatrucha Gang Turf Targeted in Spate of Deadly Koreatown Area Shootings

Updated at the bottom with a report stating there's a gang truce. First posted at 7:07 a.m. Monday. A spate of gang-related shootings have broken out in and around Koreatown in recent months, most happening in a neighborhood known as the epicenter of the global El Salvadoran Mara Salvatrucha gang. ... More >>

KDAY, the Gangsta Rap Oldies Station, Breaks New Ground by Playing Music From the Bad Old Days

Gunfire Erupts at Mayor's Anti-Gang Program 'Summer Night Lights' in Sun Valley; Two Shot

Amid proud statistics from the mayor's office on the effectiveness of his anti-gang program Summer Night Lights since it began five years ago, a shooting at the Sun Valley Park location has "set the bar back," a member of the neighborhood council tells the LA Daily News. Last Thursday night, a crow ... More >>

Gang Map Study Shows Crime Happens Along Borders Between Sets in L.A.

If you don't like being shot here in the city of L.A., the gang capital of the nation, the places to avoid are the boundaries between gangs (we have a map of some of the crimes after the jump). That seems to be one of the takeaways of a UCLA-led study published online this week in the journal Crimi ... More >>

Calvin Sneed, Compton 'Pimp,' Murdered by Parents of His Sex Slave, Says San Francisco DA

The parents of an 17-year-old runaway tracked down her Compton pimp and shot him dead in NorCal, says the San Francisco DA. Calvin Sneed, a 22-year-old member of the Nutty Blocc Crips (according to the LAPD), allegedly went back up north in early June to try to retrieve the girl, whom he'd been pim ... More >>

Torture in L.A. Burbs Looks Like La Eme

Jamiel Shaw Murder: Pedro Espinoza Gets Death Penalty for Killing L.A. Football Star

The convict in one of L.A.'s highest-profile gang murders was handed the death penalty today by a Superior Court jury after only two-and-a-half hours of deliberation. Pedro Espinoza, now 23 years old, was declared guilty on May 9 of first-degree murder for killing 17-year-old football star Jamiel S ... More >>

Jamiel Shaw, L.A. Football Star, Murdered Over His Spider-Man Backpack, Says D.A.; Shaw's Gang Affiliation Won't Factor Into Trial

The trial for Pedro Espinoza, illegal immigrant accused of murdering 17-year-old footballer Jamiel Shaw Jr. in March 2008, finally got underway today. It's been highly politicized thus far -- delayed by raging controversies over Espinoza's undocumented status, Shaw's own gang affiliation and whethe ... More >>

Marquis Edwards, Bloods Gangster Known as 'Baby Uzi,' Convicted of Murdering Two Innocent Latinos in South L.A.

The Bishops Bloods gang is known for running the 52nd Street corridor on the Eastside of South L.A. Most of the set's beefs seem to involve other African American gangs that dwell in the LAPD's rough Newton Division, but for some reason a Blood named Baby Uzi opened fire on at least two Latinos who ... More >>

An Assassination in Silver Lake

Did a middle-class tagger murder a working-class El Chavo busboy?

Witmer Street's Rockwood Gang Busted by LAPD: City Attorney Wants to Evict Members From Three Apartment Buildings

Google MapsWitmer Street.​If you've ever heard of Witmer Street, you know it's just as notorious for its gang crime as for its proximity to the power-lunch eatery Pacific Dining Car. There have been numerous shootings on the Westlake street, and immigrant food vendors are routinely shaken dow ... More >>

David Morales: Sawtelle Shooting Takes Life, Injures Another in West L.A.

Updated at the bottom with the victim's name and more details. First posted at 11:46 p.m. Tuesday. A normally sedate corner of the Westside known for its college-student-friendly apartments and street-dwelling undocumented immigrants looking for work was rocked by a homicide tonight. Gunfire erupt ... More >>

Know Your L.A. Hip-Hop Dances: Who, Exactly, Is Allowed To Crip Walk?

[Editor's Note: Writer Jessica A. Koslow is a USC master's student writing her thesis on krumping. Know Your L.A. Hip-Hop Dances explores some of the most popular street dances in our city.] Crip Walk "I'm C-Walkin' on the mutherfuckin' concrete," raps Ice Cube on "Go To Church." Other Crip Walker ... More >>

Gang Rivalries Figured Out by UCLA Computer Algorithm That's Almost as Good as Street Knowledge

This 18th Streeter has a high probability of not liking M.S.​Researchers at UCLA say they might have found a magic bullet when it comes to solving gang crime: A computer algorhithm. A study destined for a future edition of the mathematical journal Inverse Problems analyzed 1,000 gang crimes t ... More >>

Ice Cube's Death Certificate Turns 20: The True Story Behind "My Summer Vacation"

​This week Ice Cube's Death Certificate celebrates its 20th anniversary. The album -- which we ranked number seven on our list of the top 20 greatest L.A. rap albums of all time -- is politically bombastic in a way hip-hop albums no longer are. Taking specific aim at the police, the government ... More >>

California Parents Can Be Forced to Attend Anti-Gang Classes if Kid Is Caught With Booze, Weed, Fake ID, No Bus Pass

picasaur.usTomorrow's gangsters.​California State Assemblyman Tony Mendoza is tackling L.A.'s gang problem one uninvolved parent at a time: In a bill that breezed through Legislature yesterday -- virtually unreported, except by our sister paper OC Weekly (so proud!) -- Mendoza gives the state ... More >>

Compton Rapper Game Returns to an Industry That's Gone Soft

Will his old tricks still work?

Darsy Noriega, L.A. Homicide No. 29: Anti-Gang Teen Found Shot Dead in South L.A. Alley

Google MapsThe alley where Darsy Noriega was killed​By Ryan Deto An 18-year-old Latina woman, Darsy Noriega, was shot multiple times near East Avalon Boulevard and South 111th Street late night on February 2. LAPD officers discovered Noriega lying in an alley after responding to a 911 call. ... More >>

Michael Randolph, L.A. Homicide No. 27: Man Found Fatally Shot Inside Crashed Car in South L.A.

Los Angeles TimesMichael Randolph​By Ryan Deto On the evening of January 31, Michael Randolph was found shot multiple times inside a car that crashed into a liquor store in the 200 block of West Imperial Highway. After the store owner notified the police, paramedics arrived and took the midd ... More >>

Jose Vera-Eugenio, L.A. Homicide No. 16: 21-Year-Old Man Murdered in South L.A. While Sitting in Car

Google MapsThe street where Jose Vera-Eugenio was killed​By Ryan Deto A Latino man shot dead on January 17 was later identified as 21-year-old Jose Vera-Eugenio. Coroner's records show the victim sustained multiple gunshots to the head and torso. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the cri ... More >>

Republicans Launch Fresh Attack On Janice Hahn Over Gang Workers

​Remember the booty-shaking attack video on Janice Hahn? The one that was declared the most offensive campaign ad of all time?Republicans immediately distanced themselves from it. But that doesn't meant they've given up on making an issue out of Hahn's support for gang-intervention programs. Quite ... More >>

Venice 13 Gang Busted for Drugs, Guns by Sting Operation Posing as 'Villainz Ink' Tattoo Parlor

Villainz Ink: Come for a tat, leave with criminal charges!​Ever make a trip to Villainz Ink in Venice? If so, as revealed this morning by the L.A. office of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, you had the honor of standing in a federal booby trap. Thanks to the sting ... More >>

Cleaning Out Dodger Stadium

Can the clock be turned back on drunken, violent crowds and 'bad" fans?

Carlos Ibanez, L.A. Homicide No. 4: Young Partygoer Gunned Down in Valley Glen Drive-By on New Year's Day

Google Maps​A Latino man who died January 4 after suffering multiple gunshot wounds at a New Year's Day house party in Valley Glen has been identified as 28-year-old Carlos Ibanez. According to the Los Angeles Times, Ibanez had no gang affiliation; however, LAPD detectives think the shooters ... More >>

Jeremy Marks' Home Searched

Camera-wielding student's mother demands probe of LAPD raid

Darsy Noriega, Los Angeles Teen With Possible History of Anti-Gang Activism, Shot to Death in South L.A. Back Alley

Google MapsThe South L.A. alley where Noriega was killed​A devastating facet of 18-year-old Darsy Noriega's untimely death: She may have been trying to start a movement against anti-gang violence just months before she was shot. Police found Darsy Noriega, a Latina woman from Los Angeles, sho ... More >>

LAPD Gang Cops Leaving Posts Rather Than Disclosing Personal Finances Under New Department Rule

Steve LyonCops are going "code 3" to exit gang units.​Potholes are devouring tires, the city budget is once again a mess, and now there's more bad news this week for the concerned citizens of L.A: Experienced gang cops are abandoning ship. (See the L.A. police union's response, after the jump) ... More >>

Aaron Shannon Jr., L.A. Homicide No. 214: Five-Year-Old Boy In Spiderman Costume Shot In South L.A. Backyard On Halloween

Associated PressFive-year-old Aaron Shannon, Jr.​Update: Two suspects have been arrested for the murder. Known gang members Marcus Denson, 18, and Leonard Hall Jr., 21, are each being held in lieu of $1 million bail. A Black boy fatally shot at about 2 p.m. on Halloween day has been identifie ... More >>

Deputy Abel Escalante's Sorrowful Revenge

Carlos Velasquez can't recall the deputy's name. Now he faces murder charges

LOYOLAN AND TRUE

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's Gang Intervention Program: Secrecy, Plagued By Bureaucratic Bungling, Lacking Accountability

​Witness LA and Spot.US deliver part two of a series on the city's, and more specifcially, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's $26 million anti-gang efforts, and it's not encouraging. Reporter Matthew Fleischer indicates the city has put a lot of its hopes -- and nearly all of its intervention doll ... More >>

L.A. County Board Asks State To Stop Letting Gang Members Out Of Prison Early

Don Knabe.​The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors wants the state to stop releasing gang members from California prisons early. The board voted unanimously this week to ask the state legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to "amend the criteria for the non-revocable parole program so ... More >>

A Critical Look At Mayor Villaraigosa's Gang-Reduction Program

​The Los Angeles crime-and-justice website WitnessLA on Monday published the first of a two-part series looking at Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's $26-million-a-year gang-reduction program and whether it's worth your money. It finds that some of the youths most in need of prevention and intervent ... More >>

Raymond Bailey, L.A. Homicide No. 156: Teenager Killed in Drive By Shooting Identified

​Los Angeles Police Department detectives recently released the name of a 16-year-old male who was killed in a drive by shooting on July 10. Raymond Bailey was shot on June 23 around 3 p.m. as he was standing in the area of 60th Street and San Pedro in South Los Angeles. He died from his injur ... More >>

Teen Girl Fatally Shot At 4th Of July Celebration Near Downtown Los Angeles

​A 14-year-old girl was fatally shot as she celebrated the 4th of July near downtown Los Angeles Sunday night, police said. She was hit as gang members fired on rivals about 10:30 p.m. in the 1300 block of South Toberman St. in the Pico-Union neighborhood, according to authorities. "The girl ... More >>

Christopher Galloway, L.A. Homicide No. 129: Man Fatally Shot at House Party in South Los Angeles

A 21-year-old man who was fatally shot at a house party in South Los Angeles May 31 has been identified as Christopher Galloway. The shooting occurred around 12:30 a.m. in the 1800 block of West 74th Street. Galloway was standing with friends in the front yard when two gang members approached and ... More >>

The Assassination of Deputy Abel Escalante

A young father had nothing to do with LAPD’s killing of Danny Leon. But he was slain for it

The Town the Law Forgot

An L.A. ’burb is mired in gangs, cartels and south-of-the-border-style politics

Avenues Gang Members Meet the End of the Road

But is Highland Park safe for blacks?

Can't We All Calm Down?

Ignorance simmers over the Venice High shooting

Tookie’s Mistaken Identity

On the trail of the real founder of the Crips

Monster Rap

An ex-gangbanger’s take on stemming the violence