NOTEBOOK : Even a Boxer Is Wary of East Los Angeles Streets

During an Olympic Festival news conference Monday, boxer Oscar de la Hoya of East Los Angeles described the pressures he faces from gangs, recalling that he was robbed by gunmen last February.

“I was walking to my girlfriend’s house one evening, about five blocks from my house,” said De la Hoya, an 18-year-old lightweight. “A truck pulled up and about five guys jumped out and three of them put guns to my head. They told me to give them my wallet, which I did. It had $150 in it. They took my camera, too.

“They didn’t know who I was. I had some gold rings on and a nice leather jacket, but they didn’t even ask for them. They were amateurs, I guess. That was around 7 p.m. By 9, the wallet was on my front porch, the money still in it. I guess they opened it, saw my ID, then returned it. But they kept my camera.”

What did the experience teach him?

“Don’t walk at night.”

The Associated Press contributed to this notebook.