Gang sweep nets 20 suspects

In a sweeping series of raids Thursday morning, law enforcement agents arrested 20 people they allege are members of one of Los Angeles’ most violent gangs.

The operation, which targeted the Toonerville gang, involved officers from the Los Angeles Police Department, L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, Glendale Police Department and other agencies. Four of those arrested are murder suspects, four others were wanted in attempted murder cases and a dozen more were arrested on suspicion of drug or weapons violations, police said.
 
The arrests culminated a seven-month investigation that was launched after a 2008 murder in Glendale. Surveillance and wire taps used during that investigation tied members of the gang to other shootings and other crimes, said LAPD Cmdr. Patrick Gannon.

Since the 1950s, the Toonerville gang’s mostly Latino members have claimed a largely middle-class area of northeast Los Angeles that includes business warehouses and homes north of Los Feliz Boulevard, between San Fernando Road and the Los Angeles River.

Last year, Los Angeles and Glendale won an injunction against the 450-member gang.
Along with Thursday’s arrests, 20 other alleged members of the gang had been arrested in recent days. On Thursday, police seized 58 weapons, nearly all of them found in one location, police said.

LAPD Chief William J. Bratton touted the crackdown as a significant step forward in the department’s effort to hit at the core of the city’s most violent gangs. Last year, LAPD gang officers launched a similar raid in the Glassell Park neighborhood, rooting out leaders of the Drew Street clique, a part of the Avenues gang.

-- Joel Rubin

Comments

[Erik Self]

I just can't get over the "fact" that we california taxpayers give any kind of welfare to people who are illegal for their children, this is an attraction to the state we cannot afford and never could...how stupid are we?

[jayteereal]

Great Job!! LAPD, LASD and all the other police agencies that was involved in the crack down - let's keeps cleaning out those scum bucket low lifes, so decent hard working people could once again have peace in their neighborhoods. Stories like this makes me so happy. Please support your local police, because their out there trying to make our lives a little better without those evil low lives.

[Ed]

Don't you think it is about time to take your cities back from the gangs of illegals. It is only going to get worse. They are taking your freedoms away, costing you money, making you live in fear, making it unsafe for your children. These gangs are organizations, just like the mafia. I am sure they have rules or a code for their members to follow. Every member of the gang should be arrested as a conspirator when one member of the gang follows the code or rule to murder or commit a crime. It's the only way you can legally stop them. You can not stop them by taking a few down, they have replacements. Declare the gangs organized crime and take them all down.

[Mixtli]

If you want to comment you should inform yourselves, first the reason for these youth's organization is because they are left with no recourse after being scrutinized by the community and law enforcement. They are a consequence of their environment, gangs and mafia have been around since before any of the real immigrants arrived (europeans and all other non native americans) also known as tribes. It is something that will never disappear, learn to live with it and man up. The more you send to jail the more come out more violent and angry. Be prepared they have nowhere else to go and they have been around since th 30's.

[elleneyegreen]

First of all, I would like to thank and congratulate the Los Angeles Police Department, L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, Glendale Police Department and other agencies for a job well done.
Gang members should be hunted down and exterminated. What purpose do they serve other than to thieve, extort, rape, procure firearms for the Mexican drug cartels, sell drugs, and murder, murder, and more murder? Oh, and procreate exponentially, producing even more scum. Those already in prison should simply be sterilized. They are un-rehabilitatable and will simply continue once out of jail. And why should we have to pay to maintain this scum in jail. There is no end to our victimization when it comes to these worms. Ever heard of an innocent or educated gang member?

[Richard Cadena]

All I see on the part of non-hispanics is absolute confusion as to who hispanics/latinos/chicanos/texmex/nuyoricans, etc. are. This confusion lies in the inability to identify which hispanics are American born and those who are immigrants from Mexico or any other part of Spanish-speaking Latin America. My impression of this very lamentable gang phenomenon among hispanics in Los Angeles is that it usually involves those who are either American born or arrived to the US at a very young age, and speak English as a first language, and varying levels of Spanish as a second language. Their Spanish is usually quite deficient and often mixed with English, aka "Spanglish". Latino gangs used to be confined to East Los Angeles, but now they have spread to other parts of the city. Their appearance and manner of dress is something you do not normally see down here in Mexico City where I, a native born Angelino & Mexican-American, have lived for 43 1/2 years. Sorry, but these gang members are a very American phenomenon.

[hello]

About time this happened! This is a nice neighborhood and people demand to live in peace. If you want to fight and make war go to IRAQ.

A lot of young people are pressured and forced to join these gangs. Let's break the cycle! This is the US we have opportunities and let's stop the violence and crime!

[brutalmind]

well let me just start off by sayuing that i am so sick and tired of this no senase, of these hate n murder all around , it sad to say but theses kids and young adults and even older adults, all they know is to kill ,steal, and get high off weed and now mostly meth , and crack , imagine if you felt like you had no love no hope no purpose jsut gettign hgih watching tiem fly, with out sleep just goign days on for days and days of drug usage m,digging you self deeper and deeper , gojng with out seleep and eating for weesk or months , i think sumthing needs to be done, harder actiosn need to be taken more cops, and am tired of these little punks morderign innocent young people ,am tired of seeing nothign but negative news alll aorund me , why is this happening to my people my raza , if you look at mexico city n guatemale there are no street gang like herei n cali, wtf , the is suppose to be the us.a i think wee need more parks for our kids to play more freee resources where they can hang out , more sports! well i just hope this world one day gets better and people get wiser , iwish i could see my daughetr grow up in wrold wit h less hate n crime