Local and federal officers served about 90 arrest warrants involving one of Los Angeles' most notorious gangs.
Federal agents worked with L.A. police this morning, arresting about 90 suspected members of the notorious Avenues gang.
They’re accused of terrorizing a northeast L.A. neighborhood for years, shooting at police, and killing sheriff’s deputy Juan Escalante last year.
The gang’s also accused of dealing drugs and killing rivals; they were processed at a mobile booking facility in a parking lot at Dodger Stadium.
LAPD Detective Charlie Beck said the gang faces a federal indictment.
“A federal indictment means you go to prison in Minnesota or some other place that’s not as conducive to your lifestyle as some of our penal institutions in California," he said. "This is a big deal and federal time is real time. It has a tremendous chilling affect of gang members to know they’re facing federal time. There is no safety net in the federal system.”
The multi-agency task force served warrants in the Glassell Park area of Los Angeles and in three other counties.
Authorities served warrants at 47 locations and arrested 49 people -- 44 who were named in the warrants, and five who were taken into custody for parole and drug violations, said Officer April Harding of the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations office.
Agencies involved in the crackdown along with the LAPD included the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; the Los Angeles High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force; and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, according to police.
At a command post in Glassell Park, LAPD Deputy Chief Sergio Diaz told KTLA5 that most of those named in the warrants had been arrested, and that the operation targeted locations in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Kern and Merced counties.
"Our goal is to occupy this community, move these people out ... and support the law-abiding people that deserve to live in dignity here," Diaz said.
Authorities scheduled a morning news conference at the Los Angeles Police Academy to discuss the arrests. A community meeting was scheduled for 6 p.m. at Washington Irving Middle School, 3010 Estara Ave., Diaz said.
