Police Chief Attempts to Quell Tensions in Oakwood

Angry residents of the violence-plagued Oakwood district of Venice told Police Chief Willie L. Williams on Thursday night that his officers have been unfairly harassing young black men in the neighborhood.

The chief denied that any group in Oakwood has been singled out for police attention, but he acknowledged that police relations with the community need improvement.

The two-hour dialogue between the chief and 400 residents of the ethnically diverse neighborhood followed a two-week spate of mayhem during which at three people died and several others were injured.

Police say the violence stems primarily from rivalries between street gangs, but several residents at Thursday’s meeting noted that the most recent incident involved the wounding of two handcuffed suspects when a police shotgun discharged Wednesday night.

LAPD investigators said the shotgun went off accidentally and the wounds were superficial.

The two young men were among a group arrested on outstanding warrants after the driver of the car in which they were riding was stopped for a traffic violation, police said. Investigators said that when the gun went off, fragments of pellets struck the pavement and flew upward, grazing two suspects.

Williams promised Thursday’s audience that the incident would be thoroughly investigated.