A Killing That Cuts Across Cultural Lines

An early report described them as four teen-age girls who hailed from the “tony” reaches south of Ventura Boulevard, but got their thrills hanging out with the gangbangers from the ‘hood. Allison, meet Ace Capone.

Truth is, because they are all juveniles, the names of the girls have not been made public; whether any Allisons are involved is pure speculation. But the alleged gunman, 19-year-old Tommy Williams, is indeed nicknamed Ace Capone, and his alleged accomplice, Elliott Singletary, also 19, goes by Chocolate. Police say they are Van Nuys residents who run with the gang that calls itself EWF--or Every Woman’s Fantasy.

What happened last Friday night outside the Fallbrook Mall Cineplex in West Hills was every parent’s nightmare. Ramtin Shaolian, a 16-year-old Taft High student out to the movies with four friends, was shot dead for reasons that boggle the mind. It was also a nightmare for the parents of the four girls riding with Williams and Singletary. One of the girls, police say, was driving the Ford Escort as it cruised past, lights off, when Williams opened fire. The car also provided the getaway.

“They were all very scared and very upset over the murder,” Los Angeles Police Lt. George Rock later said of the girls. They have also been, Rock says, “very cooperative.”

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The girls, however, did not call police the first chance they got, explaining later that they were still fearful of their companions. One of Shaolian’s friends recognized one of the girls in the Escort. Rock says this girl, like the victim, is a member of the San Fernando Valley’s large yet close-knit Iranian, or Persian, immigrant community. The boy knew her face and her first name. More than six hours after the shooting, police arrested this 16-year-old girl at home. About 1 1/2 hours later, they arrested a second girl, whom Rock described as a 16-year-old Caucasian.

Within the next two hours, the other girls turned themselves in. The first was described as age 16 and black, the second as 17 and Caucasian. This last girl has been identified as the car’s owner and driver.

“We believe they heard that we had arrested the first two,” Rock said.

Several hours later, at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, police arrested Williams, along with a 17-year-old boy suspected of offering him refuge. Singletary surrendered at a police station at 7:30 a.m. Sunday. Williams and Singletary, both of whom are black, were arraigned Tuesday on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and four counts of attempted murder.

Rock did not volunteer the racial and ethnic descriptions of the six suspects. I asked him. The relevance of such details is often a judgment call--but the relevance may not be apparent unless the questions are asked.

Who are these girls? “South of the Boulevard” is Valley-speak for an affluent residential turf. There are middle-class people, but many are upper-middle, and some quite rich. The ‘hood it isn’t. Was this a story of wealthy, white debutante-types who played with fire and got burned?

Well, no and yes. Given the confidentiality accorded juvenile suspects, details were hard to come by, but obviously this was a multicultural drive-by; indeed, one of the girls whom Rock described as Caucasian is a member of another immigrant community, the Israelis. But judging by the impressive size and location of their homes, Detective Bob Howe says that at least three of the girls come from very affluent families.

Two attend a private school in Sherman Oaks, and Howe says he understands that a couple of the girls are “A” students. Then again, one girl attends a continuation school.

Their parents were shocked, Howe says. Authorities now say it’s unlikely that three of the girls will face charges. They’ll be witnesses. The driver, however, may have a harder time.

What is ultimately most interesting about the racial and ethnic aspects of this case is its lack of significance. The Persian connection made for quick arrests. But the larger point is how the appeal of gangs, romanticized in movies and music, attracts young people across cultural and economic lines.

Howe mused that when he was growing up, young people had a different counterculture. The hippies were all about smoking dope and having sex. Today’s counterculture, he says, “is to act like convicts.”

Shaolian offended this culture’s code with an offhand remark. Police say that when Singletary asked Shaolian for his gang affiliation, the boy scoffed: “Do we look like gangbangers?” Moments later, the Escort circled back with Williams offering a reply: “Not gangbangers, huh? Well, you’re gangbangers now!” Then, police say, he fired eight to 10 shots.

This was, Howe suggests, how the men from Every Woman’s Fantasy thought they could impress the girls.