Police Arrest 8 in Betting Crackdown
Vice investigators arrested eight people suspected of being members of a Pacoima off-track betting ring that was taking in $100,000 a month in bets, Los Angeles police said Saturday.
Police refused to disclose names of the suspects, including that of the alleged ringleader, because of a continuing investigation, Officer Joseph Penrod said. They were arrested on suspicion of bookmaking and released on $500 bail.
The vice officers made the arrests in raids on seven locations Friday evening in Pacoima, Sylmar, Lakeview Terrace and Oxnard, Penrod said. One of the areas searched was a Pacoima storefront that was masquerading as a domino-playing parlor; the others were houses, he said.
Investigators seized written records of horse-race betting transactions, Penrod said. The ring operated for at least a year, taking many small bets ranging from $2 to $20, he said. Police consider it the largest illegal race-track betting organization in the northeast San Fernando Valley, he said.
Several bettors present during the raids were not arrested, police said.
Despite a scramble to destroy betting records, police recovered all of the important papers, save for a sheet that one suspect ate, Penrod said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
