1,200 Officers Arrest 44 in 'Avenues' Gang Raid in Los Angeles
In the latest chapter of a law enforcement saga that has been ongoing for years, some 1,200 Los Angeles police officers and federal agents raided a city neighborhood this morning in pursuit of 54 alleged members and associates of the Avenues gang.
They arrested 44, reports the Los Angeles Times. Including another 44 suspects already in custody in connection with unrelated crimes, authorities now have 88 individuals allegedly affiliated with a gang that is believed to have about 400 members.
The gang is accused of involvement in drug dealing and unsolved murders, and many of those arrested are expected to be charged under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, the newspaper says.
The sweep today, which began at about 3 a.m., had its origin in the murder last year of Juan Abel Escalante. The 27-year-old Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy was gunned down in August 2008 early one morning as he headed to his job as a guard at the Men’s Central Jail. Authorities, who say gang members were involved in his murder, continued investigating alleged Avenues activities even after identifying four suspects in the Escalante killing.
“The roots of this gang and others like it run so deep that the idea of completely eliminating it is not a realistic goal,” LAPD Deputy Chief Charlie Beck tells the Times. “But eliminating its ability to operate as a criminal enterprise is realistic. We have taken a big step in that direction today.”
