Police Beef Up Patrols in Gang Areas

Responding to an apparent escalation of gang-related shootings, San Diego police said Friday that they are increasing patrols immediately in areas where gangs are active.

“We see this as one of the most serious threats to our community: Innocent people are being hurt,” Deputy Chief Mike Rice said at a press briefing Friday. “This violence must be stopped immediately. We’re going to pull all resources of our department together and lawfully stop these gangs. We will make life miserable for them.”

Rice said officers will use “lawful aggressive action” when they encounter gang members’ vehicles, gang colors and locations where gangs are known to hang out.

There have been 13 shootings in the city since last Saturday, five of which detectives said were gang-related. Most of the shootings have occurred in Southeast San Diego and its neighboring communities, and, according to police, 12 suspects are still at large.

In one gang-related incident Thursday night in East San Diego, police chased a vehicle several blocks before it crashed. The occupants fled and police seized two weapons--a sawed-off shotgun and an AK-47, which is a fully automatic Chinese machine gun capable of firing 400 rounds a minute. Rice said papers found in the vehicle suggested gang affiliation.

Sgt. Joe Molinski of the San Diego street gang unit said some of the shootings appear to be random, making it hard for detectives to predict where the next incident will occur and how to respond.

“Most of the gang-related shootings have involved individuals who appear to be randomly harassing others who are wearing opposing colors,” Molinski said. “We’re not even sure if some if these gang members know what the colors represent--they seem to be making challenges for unknown reasons.”

Lt. Bill Howell, head of the department’s gang detail, said: “It could be that a specific individual is out on parole and wants to re-establish leadership. Or, it could be a retaliation for something that happened years ago, where gang members wait for a certain target to come into sight. We can’t answer until we investigate.”

Rice said the suspects appear to be “thrill shooting” and said police aren’t sure whether the shootings were drug-related or turf-related.

Police estimate that there are 1,800 gang members in San Diego, an increase of 300 from last year.

Although some gang members have been affiliated with Los Angeles gangs, Rice said Los Angeles is not to blame.

“Sure, there’s some L.A. gang influence here,” Rice said. “But we’re the sixth-largest city in the United States, and we have big-city problems. These are all factors we have to deal with in a big city.”

Rice said Friday that he would alert the Sheriff’s Department and officials of the San Diego County district attorney’s office of the Police Department’s plans to bolster enforcement against gang violence.

“We are seeking community help,” Rice said. “Witnesses are afraid to come forward because of retaliation. But we need their help to catch these people--it’s their children who are being hurt.”