Official arrested in gang probe
Gang investigators with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department have arrested a Lynwood city official on suspicion of felonies, including being an accessory to robbery and possessing a stolen handgun, a department spokesman said.
Autra Adams, special assistant to the Lynwood city manager, was arrested at her home Thursday morning, said department spokesman Steve Whitmore.
According to a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation, Adams was arrested in connection with a case targeting the East Coast Crips street gang. Several members and associates of the gang were wanted on charges including murder, attempted murder of a police officer, bank robbery and weapons violations.
When sheriff’s gang investigators served search warrants, including one on Adams’ Long Beach home, they found a loaded 9-millimeter handgun and photographs of Adams with armed gang members, the source said.
The source, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak about the raid, said Adams was wanted as an accessory to crimes in which she allegedly provided rental vehicles for use by criminal suspects.
Deputies also seized fraudulent credentials identifying Adams as a member of the Lynwood City Council.
Adams is being held in lieu of $20,000 bail. Lynwood City Manager Roger Haley did not return calls for comment.
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stuart.pfeifer@latimes.com
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