Réne Enríquez fought his way to the top of one of America's most ruthless gangs, the Mexican Mafia, for 20 years. From behind bars, he was able to kill and order deaths of gang rivals on Southern California streets. But then he began to have a change of heart. Reporter Michael Montgomery stayed on the story for a year and a half and tonight he finally tells Enríquez's story from the beginnings of the Mafia......

Three separate shooting incidents since Thursday have left four dead. The most recent took place yesterday around 1:30 p.m. when a man in a car drove up to a church and shot a man in a wheelchair and the man pushing him. The vehicle used was later found abandoned. On Saturday and Thursday, two men were shot and killed on the streets. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputies cannot confirm that these were gang related or......

Mayor Villaraigosa addressed his third State of the City at the LAPD's Parker Center last night, focusing in on gangs and the city budget, but also with some other talking points that were worth noting: On public transit: "Our national leaders must rethink the balance of our spending on highways vs. subways. It's time to recognize that the only true solution to long-term to gridlock in Los Angeles or anywhere else in the country is......

It's that time of the year again for Mayor Villaraigosa to make the annual State of the City speech at the LAPD's Parker Center. His third one since taking office, tonight's address is expected to focus in on the red-lined budget and crime, specifically gangs. In a poignant LA Times editorial, they say tonight presents him with "opportunity and obligation. He must make clear that he has a firm grip on" these two issues. Furthermore,......

Photo by ArtBrom via Flickr Stealing $15 of Del Taco food for you and your buddies can land you a maximum of seven years in prison. That's what two accomplices are up against in a case where three men filmed themselves tricking Del Taco employees over the phone to give them a free meal and then posting it on YouTube. The video's "star," Robert Echeverria, who Rialto police said is a known gang member......

The LAPD did not draw weapons not once last night, but twice at the same spot in Wilmington, a neighborhood just north of San Pedro. A difference of thirty yards and three hours, details for the second shooting, which left the assailant wounded, are not out yet. The Daily Breeze has info on the first on that happened around 9 p.m. last night with a man on a bicycle: Two officers from the LAPD's South......

Jamiel Shaw, a 17-year-old boy who was shot to death by gang members on March 2, will be buried this morning at 11 a.m. The burial will follow a funeral at West Angeles Church of God in Christ. Shaw was from West Adams, and was shot just outside his home and his murder has made national headlines. A star football player, he was on track to go to college on scholarship, and at the time......

The city seems to have gone completely mad. From a 16 year-old shot in Northridge to a 70 year-old stabbed to death in Hollywood, Sunday was just another day in what is starting to feel like an out-of-control crime wave. In just the last few months, a man stabbed people in a movie theater while they watched a horror movie, a woman stabbed her own mother, and a man dressed as a skeleton terrorized......

75 killings this year equal a 27% increase from this last year, but the LAPD says they are random and unrelated, according to KFWB News 980 on air. One of those include a murder this morning. There has been a 5% decline in violent crime overall and a 25% drop in gang-related homicides. "Try telling that to the people I represent," said LA City Councilwoman Jan Perry in the Daily News report on gang violence.......

Photo by pink_fish13 via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Police are investigating the tragic shooting death of Los Angeles High School's Jamiel Shaw. The football MVP was gunned down by gang members last night. The 17-year-old's mother is on her second tour of duty in Iraq. The suspect in last week's shooting at a South LA bus stop is facing 15 felony counts and was arraigned today on the charges. The 24-year-old......

UPDATE, 8:50 A.M.: One suspect has now been arrested and the LAPD says the man who was shot and killed last night by officers was apparently holding a camera tripod according to the LA Times. This is all sounding eerily similar to last week's Glassell Park shooting. Last night before 7:00 p.m., a Van Nuys LAPD division unit stopped a car. Then things went wrong says the Daily News: Two officers from the violent crime......

An innocent victim meeting a stray bullet is not a completely unexpected occurrence in any of the regions detailed on the LAPD's gang injunction map (view the PDF). But it is not often that bullets are sprayed on an unsuspecting crowd (of mostly kids) at a bus stop at 3:15 on a sunny Wednesday afternoon, which is what occurred earlier near Vernon and Central in South LA. Three girls, ages 10, 11 and 12, and......

Good news regarding last week's LAPD shootout in Glassell Park. The fourth and last suspect, a Northridge resident who was the driver of the suspected car, was arrested Monday in Granada Hills. It wasn't that hard either: "he was in the same vehicle police believe was used in the driveby," according to a report by the Daily News. Last Thursday, a drive-by shooting occurred in the late morning, resulting in the death of a man......

This apartment complex next to the NoHo Metro Red Line was rumored to have many gang-related police calls when it opened | Photo by lavocado@sbcglobal.net via Flickr So that's why cops were all over the Valley this morning. The Daily News is reporting that around 200 cops raided 15 homes, arresting 16, in an early morning operation called "Wild Card" which is "the police department's effort to challenge a particularly active and violent clique......

Photo © Copyright 2008 by Jonathan Alcorn (Sundogg) via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr One of the gunmen involved in yesterday's Glassell Park shootout has been identified as a member of the Avenues gang. Daniel Ivan Leon was killed by police following his participation in a fatal drive-by shooting that claimed one life. Ok, so there wasn't anyone jumping onto the 110 Freeway today, but there was a police pursuit on the......

The Daily News has more details on those marijuana vending machines. Besides, you know, the fact that they are TOTALLY AWESOME! A rash of gang violence in Watts since the weekend has led to two shooting deaths and the injury of at least 13 others. Yahoo is not doing so well: a major drop in fourth quarter profits is going to mean layoffs somewhere in the neighborhood of of 7% of the workforce. Four......

Two incidents that took place yesterday in parts of Orange County turned deadly and claimed two lives and injured others. The first incident took place Friday afternoon in Garden Grove, when a man described as "an Asian male in his early 20s, was found lying in a pool of blood in the middle of the street," an apparent victim of a stabbing reports CBS2.com. Officials found the body at Cork Street and Hazard Avenue, and......

The community of Watts seems to be undergoing a shift in atmosphere, reports the Daily News, as the area's gang violence has been decreasing, thanks in part to the Watts Gang Task Force. In terms of statistics, homicides were halved last year from the year before--11 in 2007 as compared to the 24 in 2006, and 2007 saw "a three-month stretch without a single slaying. Gang homicides for the approximately 1-square-mile home to an estimated......

It seems the Valley isn't the place to be if you're a gang-affiliated criminal. One year ago, Mayor Villaraigosa held a press conference in North Hills at the LAPD's Mission Division, mapping out their plan for a crackdown on gangs. This past Thursday he returned, along with Police Chief William Bratton, to the same spot to announce that the plan had been successful. The Daily News reports on Mayor Tony's proud assertion, and 2007 statistics:......

In El Salvador there are two prisons that are purely devoted to two gangs that originated in Los Angeles. How did this transnational network come about? Deportation for one. When a gang member serves a sentence in California and then deported to their home country, the gang business moves with them. Bruce Riordan, director of anti-gang operations in the LA city attorney's office told the New York Times that, "these gangs are the new......

I certainly can't speak for anyone else, but There Will Be Blood is my most anticipated film of the year, and it finally starts today at the Arclight. Part of me doesn't want to even mention this since it will only spur more people to crowd the theater tonight. The better half, though, thinks it's worth announcing since Blood is sure to go down as one of the best films in what has already......

Our city attorney is never a bore. Adding to the very long laundry list of questionable moves, such as not paying utility bills, for Rocky Delgadillo, the LA Times uncovers the story behind his legal battles that those very moves caused him. Times writer David Zahniser finds that Delgadillo has three defense funds, which he best describes as "when politicians run into legal trouble, it's not unusual to see them open a defense fund, a......

Last night, 20 year old Ricardo Hernandez was killed by gunfire in a gang-related shooting in Pacoima. The incident took place in the 11800 block of Laurel Canyon Boulevard. The Daily News is reporting the arrest of 30 year old Pablo Serrano who is "veteran documented gang member possibly trying to make a name for himself." The incident and subsequent arrest occured when during a routing air patrol the police "began following a speeding car......

A body was found yesterday afternoon in the Angeles National Forest, off Highway 2 near Big Pines. The identity of the person has not been revealed. Now you can get all the penis-biting snake action you want on the web: the next "Jackass" sequel is set to premiere on the web through Blockbuster's new online movie service. In New Jersey, the state assembly has voted to outlaw the death penalty, "poising the state to......

The man responsible for killing a woman and her two young children in a street-racing accident last month has been tracked down and arrested in Mexico; Martin Marones is expected to be charged with three counts of murder. So many questions! Has "Heroes: Origins" been shelved? Or just "postponed" due to the writers strikes? Will we ever find out who's been offing the group of twelve? And what's up with this ADAM guy??? Two......

Astro Family Restaurant is a venerable Los Angeles institution located a hop, skip, and a jump from the beautiful shores of Silver Lake. Astro has graced the glamorous corner Glendale Blvd. and Fletcher Dr. since 1974. Silver Lake has been through many changes over the last thirty years. It went from a neighborhood known for being dingy and overrun with gangs to a neighborhood that is trendy and is overrun with hipsters. Through all......

Jazz 102, Lakers 81 - This game looked bad on the scoreboard but it was even worse on the court. Los Angeles was 3-of-19 in the first quarter, and Kobe missed his first eight shots overall. They were down 21 at halftime. By the final buzzer, three different Utah players reached double-digits in rebounds. Fortunately, it's just the preseason ... A bad omen of things to come, Lamar Odom is out for a little longer......

Welcome to October! Metroblogging wants to know how you and your neighborhood will celebrate the run up to All Hallow's Eve. Kobe "I can't live with you, I can't live without you" Bryant was in a jolly mood today as the Lakers greeted the media at its El Segundo practice facility. Construction on a proposed child-care facility, once touted as the centerpiece to Panorama City redevelopment, is hampered by political and building delays. I......

The IRS investigation at the All Saints Episcopal Church over a 2004 "anti-war sermon" has been dropped, the church announced today at a press conference. The church is now asking for an apology and some clarification. Remember all those pot-house busts in the Inland Empire? It appears that all these drug homes in high-end areas are funded and employed by gangs from China. Aren't hospitals always in trouble? "Nearly two dozen private hospitals in......

About the Above Photo: "Every Sunday from sunrise to sunset since February 15th 2004, a temporary memorial is erected in the sand just north of the pier at Santa Monica Beach in Los Angeles and at Sterns Wharf in Santa Barbara, California and other locations around the country by local chapters of Veterans For Peace (VFP) and volunteers. This memorial is known as Arlington West... By the end of July 2007, using the U.S.......