Family, Friends of Man Shot in Back by Deputy Protest
College Kids Calling Compton Home For The Summer
Obama ’08 Campaign Headquarters Opens On Compton Boulevard
New Boxing Club to Host First Match
Heat Alert: County Cooling Centers Available
Joseph
Phillips:
Who Would Jesus Vote For?
Money, Ads Give Health Care Top Political Billing in 2008 Election
18
Arrested in Gang Sweep
State, local
law enforcement team in undercover operation targeting a violent Compton-based
street gang
By
Allison Jean Eaton
Bulletin Staff Writer
COMPTON – More
than 400 law enforcement officials converged upon Compton in the early
morning hours of July 8 to conduct what they are calling an “extremely
successful” gang raid.
Last Tuesday’s operation, which netted 18 arrests, was the culmination
of a more than six-month probe, dubbed “Operation Killen Court,” into
the activities of a longstanding local Blood clique, Mob Piru.
“This gang has terrorized the community for quite some time now,” said
Chief Cecil Rhambo of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department,
who formerly headed Compton Sheriff’s Station. “This is
one of our target gangs.”
Current Capt. William Ryan agrees, saying the gang is one of the city’s
most violent. Mob Piru boasts roughly 200 members, and those arrested
last week comprised the gang’s most violent faction.
The investigation was sparked last year after an innocent woman, Kyutza
Joan Herrera, 20, was caught in the crossfire of rival gang gunfire
outside a Lynwood liquor store.
Herrera, who was not affiliated with gangs, was sitting in a car with
her boyfriend Aug. 4, 2007 in front of Ace Liquor on Long Beach Boulevard
when two carloads of Mob Piru members drove past and opened fire on
rival Crip members inside the store. She was hit once in the neck with
a high-powered assault rifle and bleed to death, officials said.
The entire incident was recorded on one of the liquor store’s
surveillance cameras, Ryan said.
The investigation was launched in December, after Ryan contacted the
Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task
Force (LA IMPACT) and state authorities, contacts he carried with him
from his days heading the department’s Narcotics Bureau before
taking Compton Station’s helm.
“I contacted the head of LA IMPACT, and we had discussions about
bringing their gang team to Compton,” Ryan said.
The multi-agency task force was comprised of LA IMPACT officers; Compton
Station deputies; deputies from the Sheriff’s Department’s
Operation Safe Streets, Community Oriented Policing Services and Narcotics
bureaus; and state Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement agents in addition
to a host of other agencies. The state Department of Justice pulled
agents from throughout the state to participate in the sweep, Ryan
said.
A total of 23 search warrants, 10 arrest warrants and 20 probation
and parole searches were executed July 8 in Compton, Lynwood and other
parts of Los Angeles County during the early morning raid, netting
the 18 arrests and the recovery of 13 handguns, rifles and shotguns
in addition to a minimal amount of marijuana.
Charges against those arrested, said Ryan, include murder, conspiracy
to commit assault with a deadly weapon, assault with a deadly weapon,
conspiracy to commit robbery, conspiracy to commit sales of marijuana
and various weapons charges.
He added that additional arrests were made and 11 other firearms recovered
prior to last Tuesday’s sweep as a direct result of the investigation.
What struck investigators was the fact that many of the targeted gang
members had full-time jobs.
Among those arrested was Warren Phillipus, 28, a mail carrier who was
allegedly plotting to rob an area post office and was suspected in
an earlier post office robbery. He was charged with robbery, attempted
robbery and other offenses.
Alex Graves, 23, also a U.S. Postal Service worker, was arrested May
7 as a result of the probe. He was one of four people wanted in connection
with Herrera's death, the attorney general's office said, and was charged
with murder.
“These gang members had regular day jobs, but their gang affiliation
was so strong that they continued to roam the streets, terrorizing
the community,” said state Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown in a statement. “It
is shocking that gang identity is so powerful that even good paying
jobs are not enough to turn these suspects from their criminal activity.”
Brown, who labeled the gang members “urban terrorists,” was
on hand last Tuesday for a press conference held at the Compton Youth
Activities League on North Alameda Street. He is rumored to be contemplating
a run for the gubernatorial seat and dodged questions from reporters
inquiring whether his presence was a publicity stunt.
Officials said that during the undercover investigation, state agents
were able to stop an attempted gang-related murder outside of an Orange
County nightclub and foiled Phillipus’ planned post office robbery.
The gang members were discovered to have a particular fancy for gunrunning,
officials said. During the investigation, the gang was allegedly planning
to import more than 20 firearms from Georgia to sell to other gang
members.
“All they seemed to talk about was moving guns around,” said
Special Agent Scott Barker of the state Department of Justice.
Blood-affiliated Piru gangs first established themselves in Compton
in the early 1970s to fight rival Crip gangs. The gang is named after
Piru Street. Mob Piru controls much of the area east of Long Beach
Boulevard, Barker said.
The raid comes on the coattails of the city’s efforts to instate
its first gang injunction, which also targets Mob Piru.
Ryan said the multi-agency task force will remain in Compton because
it is still conducting a similar, separate investigation.
“I have two messages today,” said Ryan during the press
conference. “One
is to the residents of Compton: This lengthy investigation and today’s
operation is just one example of the Sheriff’s Department’s
commitment to reduce gang-related crime and to increase the quality
of life in this city. This is another example of the importance of
partnering with other law enforcement agencies.
“The second message is to the gang members who commit crimes
in the city of Compton and surrounding areas: If you are a gang member
committing
crimes, we will be relentless in our efforts to arrest you and bring
you to justice.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
ADVERTISE | CLASSIFIEDS | ABOUT US | CONTACT US | SUBSCRIBE | HOME
This site and its contents ©2008 thecomptonbulletin.com