Gangs Orange County

As gang violence increases from San Clemente to La Habra, gangs have become a growing concern throughout Orange County and a Priority for police and the district attorney's office. Gangs of all kinds operate within the county. Some are so-called "territorial" or "turf" gangs, whose members believe they control specific areas; others are considered "nomadic," operating in various places in he county with no special turf. Some are considered violent; some are not.

An appeals court Thursday overturned the assault convictions of two members of south Orange County's "Slick 50s" gang, saying a judge deprived them of a fair trial by repeatedly criticizing the defense in front of the jury. The ruling by the 4th District Court of Appeal in Santa Ana voids prison sentences handed to Jesse Grist and Joshua Carlsen for a beating and stabbing at a 1998 party in Aliso Viejo.

"OC Rules" is scratched out and painted over with "Crown Town" along the "Alley of Hell," a back street near Paseo Grande and 6th Street that bears the scars of gang rhetoric. On the alley's walls and fences, Corona's well-established Latino gangs constantly hurl spray-painted insults in a war of words with imperialistic homeboys from Orange County interested in annexing more turf.

The investigation into a bloody melee between rival motorcycle gangs at a Costa Mesa swap meet has been stymied by tight-lipped participants, Orange County Sheriff's Department officials said Saturday. Detectives were trying to determine the amount of property damage and the number of injuries resulting from the brawl, which erupted at an Orange County Fairgrounds exhibition building shortly after 8 p.m. Friday. "The problem is we've got no willing victims," Lt. Larry Abbott said.

Two young men were shot to death early Sunday in a volley of gunfire from a military-type assault weapon at El Salvador Park--a little more than a mile from police headquarters. Ernesto Sanudo Mendez and Sammy Porras, both 21, were walking in the 1800 block of Civic Center Drive about 1:45 a.m. when they were gunned down by shots fired from a passing car. Police said it was another gang-related shooting. Residents of the Civic Center area said it was another outrage.

Rick is sitting there, nerves of steel, going on about his family and gang life and all his other exploits. Though only 17, he has the distinct sound of a person for whom childhood was short-lived and long ago abandoned. For one thing, he wants you to know he had no father. But that's cool. Because, really, who needs one? Hell. He had his older brother. And that was fine. A lot of kids should be so lucky. Sure, his bro was a gangbanger, but so what?

The local headlines shock Orange County residents once accustomed to the quiet comforts of living far from the urban chaos of Los Angeles. Two Vietnamese immigrants are shot to death while kneeling at the graves of two brothers, also the victims of gang violence. A middle-aged woman driving home from the grocery store is shot by a group of teen-agers drinking beer and scrawling graffiti in a normally placid neighborhood.

Two years ago, a skinhead arrested for beating a Chinese-American teen-ager in Fullerton told police that he and his white-power friends knew where to go in Orange County to meet up with other like-minded youths. "Huntington Beach is the hotbed for skinheads," said the 17-year-old boy, who was from San Dimas in east San Gabriel Valley. Since the mid-1980s, Huntington Beach, famous for its surfing scene, has also been something of a magnet for skinheads.

It was shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday when young men started spilling into Delhi Park, jumping over the wire fence, strolling across the play lot toward the basketball court where another group of young men were playing. They were members of different gangs, but the park, usually considered Delhi Aces turf, was treated as neutral territory for a day. "The word's been around that they're trying to stop violence," said a trim, dark-haired young man who spoke for the Little Brook gang.

It is Friday in the barrio. The stage is set for this night's heat between police and Latinos when a black-and-white unit pulls up and a suspected gang member bolts into a shadowy apartment. "I'm going in there after you," a police officer calls to the youth. Neighbors cluster to watch. Soon, people are shouting in Spanish and broken English that the officer has no right to enter their homes. Minutes later, the youth emerges on his own.

The first surge in Santa Ana gang violence since the early 1990s comes at a particularly difficult time for the city, as its economy slows and officials are left with less money to fight gang crimes. After seeing a record drop in gang murders in the last decade, Santa Ana experienced a sharp rise during the first nine months of this year. From January to September, there were 10 gang murders, double the total for all of 2000.

The first surge in Santa Ana gang violence since the early 1990s comes at a particularly difficult time for the city, as its economy slows and officials are left with less money to fight gang crimes. After seeing a record drop in gang murders over the last decade, Santa Ana experienced a sharp rise during the first nine months of this year. From January to September, there were 10 gang murders--double the total for all of 2000.

The Boys & Girls Club is launching a gang-prevention initiative for teenagers who have been charged with at least one minor criminal offense. The Gang Prevention Through Targeted Outreach initiative, funded with a $25,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, will offer job training, computer classes and sports programs to 25 teens referred by high school officials. Those who enroll will also participate in existing club programs, such as "Street Smart," a gang-prevention skills program.

A gang member who pleaded guilty to firing his gun into a converted garage, killing a pregnant teen and her unborn baby, was sentenced Friday to 35 years to life in prison. Eduardo Yepez Guerrero, 20, avoided a sentence of life without the possibility of parole by pleading guilty to two counts of second-degree murder. His random gunshot struck and killed Yuridia Balbuena, 15, who was seven months' pregnant. Despite an emergency caesarean section, her baby also died.

Hoping to end mounting gang violence in Anaheim, a task force of local police and immigration officials arrested seven alleged gang members Thursday during an early-morning raid. Anaheim detectives asked the Immigration and Naturalization Service to help after determining that four of the suspects had been deported for other crimes but reentered the country illegally, police officials said.

A Santa Ana gang member was convicted Friday of attempted murder in the shooting of an Anaheim police officer, a verdict that was greeted by a hushed courtroom packed with police and well-wishers. Officer Thomas "Kasey" Geary, who has returned to patrol duties since last year's shooting, at first struggled to choke back tears as the verdict was read. Then he lifted his head, smiled at the prosecutor and winked.

A former gang leader who authored the peace treaty recently signed by rival Orange County gangs was arrested Friday by federal drug agents as part of a major ongoing investigation involving narcotics and money laundering. The DEA declined to discuss the case, but sources familiar with the investigation confirmed that Art Romo, 30, of Santa Ana was among those being held on suspicion of money laundering.

Armed with arrest warrants, more than 85 Anaheim police officers and others swept through six cities Thursday morning to crack down on members of two Anaheim gangs. The early morning raid resulted in 22 arrests, most for probation and parole violations, old arrest warrants and possession of firearms, said Anaheim Police Lt. Marc Hedgpeth. Police also seized three handguns, other weapons and gang paraphernalia, including clothing.

Westminster police Thursday arrested seven men they said are suspects in an attack that led to the death of a gang member. In an unusual twist, six men from the dead man's gang were arrested in connection with his March 13 death because police said they provoked a rival gang member to kill him. The rival gang member was identified as Sang Ho, 19, of Santa Ana. Investigators allege that he fired shots that killed Andy Do. Friends of Do who were arrested are Son H.K.

The 22-year-old man shot and killed over the weekend by La Habra police was deeply troubled and had a history of gang involvement, drug use and resisting arrest. But his family stood firm Monday in the belief he did not deserve to die. Michael Duarte of Riverside was killed Sunday after a two-block police chase in La Habra ended in gunfire.