2 Deputies Transferred From ‘Volatile’ Area : Law enforcement: Officers involved in fatal Ramona Gardens shooting moved for own safety.

The two sheriff’s deputies involved in the shooting of a Ramona Gardens gang member have been transferred from the East Los Angeles station out of concern for their safety, an unusual move prompted by the “volatile” mood in the community, officials said Wednesday.

Sheriff’s Department officials declined to say which station Deputies Jason Mann and Dana Ellison had been reassigned to, but they emphasized the moves were precautionary, not punitive.

“There was just so much attention being given to this that I think they decided it was better to move these guys somewhere else,” said Lt. Lee Taylor, head of operations at the East Los Angeles station. “This Ramona Gardens thing . . . was so volatile.”

During the first turbulent days after the Aug. 3 shooting of 19-year-old Arturo Jimenez, there were reports that Ramona Gardens gang members were plotting to kill a deputy, according to sources at the Boyle Heights housing project. Threatening graffiti are still spray-painted throughout the 32-acre development.

“Hit List: Sherman Block” is scrawled on one wall, followed by the number, “187,” the penal code section for murder.

“I know how you feel,” reads another message that recently went up nearby. “Just do it.”

Officials said they also grew concerned when a Times reporter appeared at Mann’s home to request an interview one day after the confrontation that left Jimenez dead and sparked sporadic skirmishes for several hours between officers and residents of the 497-unit complex.

“That is a little frightening for us,” Taylor said. “If you guys can find us, it makes you wonder about someone who might wish us more harm.”

Sheriff’s officials declined to say whether any threats had been directed specifically at Mann or Ellison.

The two deputies are both members of the department’s Gang Enforcement Team, which has about 50 officers assigned to five different units based at stations throughout the county, officials said. Both deputies have returned to duty with another team, officials said, but neither could be immediately reached for comment.

Sheriff’s Department procedure calls for officers involved in shootings to be reassigned to desk duty for five days and consult with a psychological counselor before returning to patrol work.

“That’s just to give them a break . . . to allow a little breathing space,” said Sgt. Bob Stoneman, a department spokesman. “Obviously, it’s a traumatic experience.”

Since the shooting, however, Mann and Ellison have returned to the East Los Angeles station only to gather some belongings and say goodby to their fellow deputies, officers at the station said.

“I saw them in the parking lot . . . and said, ‘Hi, guys, how are you?’ ” Taylor said. “They were upset about all the attention the whole thing was getting. They felt it was being blown out of proportion and the facts were being misreported.”

Mann, 28, a six-year veteran, and Ellison, 35, a 10-year veteran, became involved in the confrontation after someone threw a beer bottle at their patrol car as they drove past a group of residents celebrating a birthday party, the Sheriff’s Department said.

Mann shot Jimenez three times in the chest after Jimenez attacked Ellison, said a Sheriff’s Department spokesman. Residents who witnessed the dispute contend that Jimenez never assaulted the officer and the shooting was unprovoked.

An autopsy later showed that Jimenez was under the influence of PCP at the time and had a blood-alcohol level of .20%--more than twice the legal limit for driving. A Sheriff’s Department investigation into the shooting is still ongoing.

Among those calling for cooler heads has been the slain youth’s mother, Elva Jimenez, who has urged the project’s gang members to allow the legal process to take its course. Some of the older residents said they have asked young gang members to refrain from more violence.

“Some of us older dudes talked to the youngsters, and told them we used to do it that way, and it didn’t work,” said Humberto Madrigal, who has lived at Ramona Gardens for 27 of his 30 years. “We told them, ‘Let’s don’t be animals about this, and see how the system works.’ ”