Gun Case in Santa Ana Stirs Debate : Civil Rights Panel Hits Police Assn. Offer to Defendant

The Orange County Human Relations Commission, worried about the wave of public support for so-called vigilantes, criticized the police officers’ association Friday for its decision to donate $300 to a Santa Ana man accused of firing warning shots at rowdy teen-age gang members.

“We are concerned that the action taken by the (Santa Ana) Police Benevolent Assn. gives the appearance that the police are lending their support to vigilante action,” said Rebecca Esparza, commission vice chairwoman.

Esparza said the commission doesn’t condone the actions of the youths, but that “vigilante action” is not the answer.

Commission members reacted critically after the police association’s board offered the money Thursday to Albert J. Holmon Jr.

For ‘Living Expenses’

Robert Brooks, association president, said the money was intended to help “defray Holmon’s living expenses,” not to pay any legal fees. Holmon, 49, has indicated he will not accept the money, Brooks added.

A commission staff member compared Holmon’s actions to those of Bernhard H. Goetz, who is accused of shooting four teen-agers in a New York subway after they allegedly demanded money from him.

Holmon is facing misdemeanor charges of assault with a deadly weapon, brandishing a weapon and discharging a firearm within the city.

If he is found guilty, he could receive a maximum of one year in jail and a $10,000 fine. Holmon has been released from custody. He could not be reached for comment Friday.

Two Versions of Incident

The incident occurred New Year’s Eve about 4:30 p.m. when several youths were near Holmon’s residence in the 500 block of Shelley Street. According to police, Holmon asked the youths to turn down a loud radio and when they ignored him, he went into his garage and came back with a .38-caliber handgun.

Holmon told police he fired only three shots into the ground. The youths, however, including Ron Ward, 16, claimed that Holmon also pointed the gun at them and fired into the air.

“We just banged on his fence and he told us to turn our radio down and leave his property alone. Then he went to his garage and came back with the gun and started firing,” the teen-ager said Friday.

Ward, seven other juveniles and six adults were arrested. They included the youth’s father, Alvin Ward, 63, who was arrested for assaulting a police officer after police investigated complaints that the youths had terrorized the neighborhood.

Residents of the racially mixed area, interviewed Friday, said youths recently had slashed tires, set trash fires, and used spray paint to deface cars and “every pole, every stop sign” on the block.

“This used to be such a nice neighborhood,” said one longtime resident who blamed the threats and vandalism on two Shelley Street families. “But now, there’s so much noise it’s hard to sleep at night. The police come by during the day and everything quiets down, but they’re not around at night.”

Neighbors described Holmon as a “good neighbor,” a former Marine and block captain of a Santa Ana Neighborhood Watch organization.

“The bottom line in this is that about 15 youths and young adults who are gang members have decided to shut down their street, basically terrorizing Shelley Street,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. James Hicks, the prosecutor in Holmon’s case.

“Every time the residents leave their homes, they are subjected to constant harassment. They’ve been threatened, had their tires slashed, and there’s been a nonstop, phenomenal amount of tension. In some cases, people want to move out of the neighborhood.”

Hicks said these circumstances will be taken into consideration when Holmon’s case comes to court.

Brooks said the 390-member police association wanted to help Holmon with family expenses rather than pay his legal fees.

“The association feels that there is an affiliation with police officers and members of the community policing program because we’re all trying to combat crime.

“We are not condoning acts of vigilantism. Some of our members expressed concern that our action would set a precedent, but our concerns were for Holmon’s financial difficulties,” Brooks said.

The commission recommended a joint effort between the police and the community, to address the crime problem in a constructive way, Esparza said.

Since the association took action, many telephone calls from Orange County residents supporting Holmon, some wishing to contribute to his legal defense, have been received at the association’s Santa Ana office, Brooks said.