West Covina : Gang Crackdown at Malls

City Manager Jim Starbird said Wednesday that city officials will not tolerate “punks on parade” and “hoods” from distant communities who bring their rivalries to West Covina’s shopping malls.

The statements were in reaction to gang-related gunfire Monday night inside The Plaza shopping center, during which two people, including a woman shopper, were slightly injured.

“They’ve tried this in Westwood Village, in Long Beach and in other upscale shopping districts,” Starbird said of gang members. “When they set their targets on West Covina, they made a big mistake.”

Security patrols have been boosted by mall management, Starbird said. In addition, West Covina police have increased patrols at the mall and focused the attention of the department’s anti-gang Street Crime Apprehension Team there.