3 Arrested in Ventura Gang Sweep : Law enforcement: The raid follows a neighborhood shooting spree. It is the fourth such operation in two weeks.

For the fourth time in two weeks, Ventura County authorities conducted a surprise gang sweep early Tuesday, waking up suspected gang members in Ventura and searching their homes for weapons and ammunition.

The latest raid at 7 a.m. targeted Ventura Avenue residents suspected of terrorizing the area with several shooting sprees in recent weeks. More than 100 police and probation officers served 10 search warrants on the suspected gang members and prowled through their homes looking for guns used in the random shootings.

Three suspected gang members were arrested, and two guns that may have been used in the shootings were confiscated, police said.

“This neighborhood has been held hostage by these gangsters with guns,” said Sgt. Carl Handy, who heads the Ventura police gang unit. “There’s no gang war. It’s just stupid acts of violence.”

Altogether, authorities have arrested 17 suspected gang members during the four sweeps, which were conducted once in Thousand Oaks and Oxnard and twice in Ventura.

Arrested Tuesday were Jesus Magallanes, 22, and Daniel Munoz, 19, both of Ventura, who were taken to Ventura County Jail. Magallanes, who was being held in lieu of $5,000 bail, was arrested on suspicion of possessing or manufacturing a dangerous weapon. Munoz, who was being held in lieu of $250 bail, was arrested on suspicion of attacking a police officer with a club.

A 17-year-old girl, whose name was withheld, was also arrested on a weapons charge and was being held at Juvenile Hall.

The raids are part of a regional push by area police agencies that began in 1992 to quell street gangs in Ventura County.

Individual police departments or the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department organize the operations and ask for assistance from the other agencies. Representatives from the Ventura County district attorney’s office and probation officers from the county’s Corrections Services Agency also come along on the sweeps.

Many of the individuals targeted are on probation and are subject to random searches as a condition of their freedom.

Santa Paula Police Cmdr. Mark Hansen, who has been involved in several sweeps, said local police agencies like to do the raids periodically to keep gang members on their toes.

“You don’t want to let these rascals sit around,” Hansen said, adding that such operations are clearly warranted. “It’s not like we’re raiding the ladies’ bingo parlor.”

On April 21, 50 police and probation officers swept through Thousand Oaks and raided 10 houses in the aftermath of a series of gang-related street fights.

Two days later, Ventura police raided two houses in the Ventura Avenue neighborhood and arrested five people in connection with the random shootings.

On April 29, a sweep was conducted in Oxnard and gang members were served warnings that illegal gang activities could result in stiff prison sentences. One man was arrested.

Tuesday’s sweep was a follow-up investigation to the shooting sprees on Ventura Avenue, police said. Residents complained that the area last month was plagued with random late-night shootings and flooded the Police Department and City Hall with phone calls. No one has been hurt by the gunfire, but several houses and cars have been struck by bullets.

“I hope this sends a message to the gang members that we’re not going to tolerate this,” Lt. Steve Bowman said. “They’re endangering a lot of innocent people.”

Police said residents in the neighborhood and street informants have told them that local gang members are responsible for the shootings.

After one incident, police found more than 50 shell casings on the street. In another, more than 30 spent cartridges were recovered.

Police were looking Tuesday for an assault rifle they know is being used, but did not find it. They did confiscate an illegal sawed-off shotgun and a rifle.

Ventura Avenue residents on Tuesday said they were pleased to wake up and see police officers swarming their streets.

“I think they’re doing fantastic,” said Larry Bacca, a retired firefighter who moved to the Ventura Avenue area last year. “If they continue doing these raids, they’ll send a message. It’s been really quite an ordeal for the residents here.”

The residents are also meeting with city officials and police next week to discuss long-term solutions to the drug and gang problems that have long plagued the working-class neighborhood.

Handy said the meeting will help residents take control of their neighborhood. The sweeps can squelch gang activity only temporarily, he said.

“This isn’t a long-term fix,” Handy said.

FYI

Ventura Mayor Tom Buford will hold a meeting at 6 p.m. May 12 to discuss crime problems in the Ventura Avenue area. Residents are invited to suggest solutions to the drug and violence in the neighborhood. The meeting will be at Sheridan Way School, 573 Sheridan Way.