Early on, detectives wondered whether the shooting was related to Escalante's job at the jail, where he guarded inmates that included members of the Mexican Mafia. They also examined his personal life for possible clues.
Then investigators considered a new scenario: that Escalante was killed by local gang members, perhaps by gunmen who did not know he was a law officer. The investigators were particularly interested in the feud between the Avenues gang and the rival Cypress Park gang.
Bratton said investigators obtained a series of search and arrest warrants on Thursday and made the arrests the following day. Bratton asked for patience and said officials would be able to divulge more information after the case is filed with the Los Angeles County district attorney's office this week.
The Cypress Park neighborhood where Escalante grew up had experienced a lull in gang violence in recent years until rival groups began violently feuding in January. In February, a shooting outside an elementary school a few blocks from the Escalante family home sparked a fierce gun battle between gang members and police in neighboring Glassell Park.
The Avenues gang took root in the 1950s and derives its name from the avenues that cross Figueroa Street. It is among the most powerful gangs in the city and retains strong ties to the Mexican Mafia gang, known as the Eme, which is a dominant force in California prisons.
The violence led to a raid mostly targeting the Avenues gang in late June by police and federal agents, who stormed an area around Drew Street, about a mile north of where Escalante was killed.
In November, police announced a $95,000 reward for anyone with information leading to a prosecution in the deputy's killing. He and his family had been living with his parents while waiting to move into a new Pomona home. Late last month, Celeste Escalante pleaded for witnesses to come forward.
"I know somebody saw. I know somebody heard it," said Celeste Escalante, the deputy's childhood sweetheart. "Please call and let them know what you know. Let the kids and I and my in-laws have closure . . . so we can know whoever did this is brought to justice."
Baca, Bratton, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other city officials said the arrests provided some closure to the shooting but would not end the investigation. Councilman Ed Reyes announced that at least $75,000 in reward money is still available.
Villaraigosa told how Escalante had worked at a local market as a young man, made his way through high school and "rejected the conventional wisdom and defied the odds."
Escalante was the eldest son of immigrant parents from the Mexican state of Yucatan; his mother worked at a candy store and his father was a construction laborer.
"With today's arrest of gang members for the murder of Sheriff's Deputy Juan Abel Escalante, two accused killers are one step closer to justice," said a statement released by Paul M. Weber, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League. "We also hope these arrests bring a bit of peace to Deputy Escalante's family and colleagues."
Police urged anyone with information about the shooting to call 1-877-LAPD-24-7.
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richard.winton@latimes.com
ari.bloomekatz@latimes.com
