LOCAL : Anti-Gang Sweep in Valley Nets 546 Arrests, Seizure of 12 Guns

Los Angeles police made 546 arrests in the San Fernando Valley during a weekend anti-gang enforcement sweep dubbed the Hammer, authorities said this morning.

A task force of about 200 officers spread across the Valley and made the arrests--ranging from curfew violations to narcotics possession to attempted murder--Friday and Saturday nights. Similar task forces in East and Central Los Angeles resulted in 546 other arrests, police said.

Lt. Ron LaRue said 210 of the suspects were identified as gang members through police files, tattoos, their own admissions and other means. He said 207 of the arrests were for felonies.

In addition to the arrests, police seized 194 grams of cocaine and 73 grams of heroin. Twelve guns were confiscated, and 69 cars were impounded during the operation. LaRue said the seizures of the guns, including 10 from gang members, was particularly significant.

“That is a very high number,” LaRue said. “The reality is we got 10 guns away from the gangs out there that do so much of our shootings. Who knows what we have stopped from happening with those guns?”

LaRue said the number of arrests and seizures were markedly higher than during the July 14-15 Hammer operation in the Valley when there were 267 arrests and one gun was seized.

He credited the high numbers this time with improvements in tactics used by the police and the addition of more officers, including several narcotics investigators, to the task force.