Judge approves gang injunction in La Puente area

A judge granted a preliminary injunction Tuesday that restricts the activities of gang members in 16 square miles of the San Gabriel Valley.

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office sought the civil injunction against members of Puente 13 and Bassett Grande, which are behind violence, drug sales and protection rackets in the Valinda Corridor and the city of La Puente, officials said.

Puente 13, a multi-generational gang formed more 60 years ago, is made up of more than 1,000 members believed to engage in narcotics trafficking and "tax" collection from other drug dealers, said Deputy Dist. Atty.  Michael Fern. The gang includes at least 14 subsets or "cliques."

Puente 13 is aligned with the Mexican Mafia, represented by "13" in the gang name, referencing the 13th letter in the alphabet -- M.

Bassett Grande, with more than 300 known members, is Puente 13's primary rival.

A chunk of its hierarchy was indicted by federal prosecutors last year for racketeering in connection with methamphetamine trafficking.

The indictment stated that the gang is controlled by Mexican Mafia member Rafael Munoz Gonzalez.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Chalfant granted the civil injunction, which designates the approximately 16-square-mile area a "safety zone."

The injunction covers the communities of Avocado Heights, Bassett, South San Jose Hills and Valinda. According to Fern, it is largest geographic area for which the district attorney's office has obtained such an injunction.

The injunction orders Puente 13 and Bassett Grande gang members not to associate with one another in public or possess weapons, narcotics or graffiti tools within the injunction area.

They also are barred from two parks in La Puente -- Bassett Park in the 500 block of Vineland Avenue and La Puente Park in the 500 block of North Glendora Avenue.

It prohibits members of those gangs from wearing gang apparel, trespassing on property and loitering in public places. It also imposes a 10 p.m.-to-5 a.m. curfew for the gang members.

A violation of the injunction can result in a six-month jail term.

To win approval, the district attorney's office produced Sheriff's Department tracking data showing how much gang graffiti there was in the injunction area.

ALSO:

Crime alerts for Hollywood Hills West, Pico-Union and nine other L.A. neighborhoods

-- Richard Winton

Images: Violent and property crime statistics for La Puente in the past six months. Credit: Crime L.A. database

Comments

[Cesar D.]

Hope this serves as a gameplan for the rest of Los Angeles

[Bob]

RApe and violent assault seem to be the same color on the pie chart

[Jim]

I want to thank who ever did this, Is there an email anywhere?

This needs to be imposed in more cities!

[DMAC]

I have an idea. Allow law abiding people the option to carry concealed. Don't they have the right to defend themselves from these savage, subhuman criminals called "gang members?" Gang members/thugs/rapists/violent criminals are going to carry an illegal firearm regardless of what the law states.

Shouldn't good, law abiding citizens who work hard and pay taxes (taxes to support felons in our prison/jail system) have the right to defend themselves from sum bags?

O-yeah, but this is liberal California. That won't happen.

[Eddie]

He seriously issued an *injunction* barring a criminal organization from participating in criminal activity? Naturally, Puente 13 will comply and stop wearing colors and associating with each other.

Next up: Bloods file lawsuit against Crips, claiming intellectual property theft and that the Crip Walk was really their idea. Crips settle out of court for undisclosed amount.

[Coriolana]

Yeah, injunction work great. *eyeroll*

[Andrew]

Finally! A step in the right direction for the city of La Puente. I grew up and lived there for about 25 years and over time noticed the deterioration in what was once a peaceful neighborhood. Mainly the reason why my happy ass decided to move. I know many are skeptical about the injunction, but it's a very useful tool for the residents/sheriffs of the city.