11 Arrested in Sunrise Raids on Gang Hangouts
The Sheriff’s Department, prompted by a sharp increase in gang activity, staged a series of sunrise raids on alleged gang hangouts today, arresting 11 suspects and confiscating a half-dozen weapons, officials said.
About 130 deputies staged the raids beginning at 6:15 a.m. at 14 locations in the Lennox and Vermont districts in search of weapons, drugs and evidence of recent robberies and murders.
Deputy Richard Dinsmoor said warrants ranged from murder to narcotics violations, but information was not immediately available on whether any of the 11 arrested were murder suspects.
Weapons seized included three shotguns, a semiautomatic pistol, a rifle and three handguns, he said. A pound of marijuana also was confiscated and deputies were searching for more drugs.
The operation was triggered “due to a sharp increase in gang activities” in the area, Dinsmoor said.
The raiders included deputies from the Operation Safe Streets anti-gang unit, narcotics investigators and deputies from the Special Enforcement bureau, he said.
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