3 Men Shot During Gang Unity Meeting

Gunfire at a Bloods and Crips unification meeting in South El Monte left three young men critically wounded Saturday, leading authorities to wonder if there are cracks developing in the fragile, three-month truce between the warring gangs.

At least 19 Los Angeles County sheriff’s units and park patrol cars responded to the shootings at El Monte’s Whittier Narrows Recreation Area, where rival gang members have been meeting for the past three weekends without incident, said Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Bailey.

However, investigators were uncertain whether the attack--an apparent drive-by shooting--involved one gang against the other, Bailey said.

“The problem down here,” Bailey said after deputies struggled to disperse the crowd of about 500 people, “is that everyone is extremely uncooperative.”

Several hours after the incident, deputies arrested an 18-year-old Covina resident, a suspected member of the Bloods gang, on suspicion of attempted murder. Meanwhile, all three victims were in surgery late Saturday, Deputy Benita Hinojos said.

The widely publicized gang truce was announced shortly after the riots in Los Angeles and has led to a sharp decline in violence among black gang members.

The weekend meetings at Whittier Narrows Recreation Area were free of disturbances until three fights broke out Saturday about 6 p.m., said Deputy Larry A. Mead.

Gunfire erupted soon afterward, and deputies summoned to the scene managed to disperse only about half the crowd before the victims could be transported to hospitals, authorities said.

“It was absolute, mass chaos,” Bailey said.

Two people were arrested for interfering with firefighters who attempted to help the victims, Bailey said. Deputies closed the park shortly before sundown.