Latino Group Urges Faster Action to Solve Homicides : Law enforcement: Santa Ana’s City Council is asked to bring pressure on police, who contest Los Amigos’ contention that 25 gang killings remain unsolved.

A Latino group is urging the Santa Ana City Council to press the Police Department to make arrests in unsolved gang-related homicides in the city.

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But police deny a contention by Los Amigos of Orange County that 25 killings remain unsolved, saying there have been arrests made or warrants issued in some of the cases.

Amin David, chairman of Los Amigos, on Wednesday said there is a lack of progress in bringing people to justice for the homicides.

He said he hopes the group’s appeal to the council will prompt speedier investigations and arrests that will “discourage gang incidents by sending a message to the community that you cannot get away with it.”

Additional resources “to catch the perpetrators” and provide more activities for youth are sought by the group.

David didn’t suggest that bias might be a factor in the police response to the killings, which involved mostly Latino males.

But he asserted that in the neighboring Tustin area, authorities quickly arrested suspects in the attack on 14-year-old Carl Dan Claes, who was shot in the head over a $2,500 sound system.

David said, “We just found it highly provocative that in the case of little Carl, it was a case solved in two weeks.”

Santa Ana Mayor Miguel A. Pulido Jr. said Wednesday that the council hasn’t been contacted by Los Amigos about the issue.

“This is a countywide problem,” Pulido said. “Why don’t they work on it that way?”

Police officials took exception to the group’s statement that 25 gang-related killings are unsolved.

Lt. Robert Helton said that of the 25 names on Los Amigos’ list, 19 are gang-related homicides. Of these, arrests have been made in four cases and warrants have been issued in three others, he said.

“I can’t overemphasize that we investigate each homicide case as diligently as any other, gang-related or otherwise,” Helton said. “We can hold our heads up high as far as us investigating these crimes.”

Police Chief Paul M. Walters said he had spoken with David and other members of Los Amigos on the same issue at a meeting in March. Also attending the session were Capt. Dan McCoy and Jose Vargas, the department’s Hispanic affairs officer, Walters said.

“At the meeting, we were told of their concerns and we answered all their questions,” Walters said, “And they were extremely complimentary.”

Walters claimed that Los Amigos released “misleading” information to the news media about the number of unsolved gang-related slayings.

Los Amigos has held a series of candlelight vigils throughout the county in places where violence has taken the lives of young people, including the Claes boy.

Carl Don Claes was shot May 16 and left in a Lemon Heights ditch a mile from his home. Sheriff’s deputies arrested three suspects within a week, then arrested four more the following week.

Walters said that distributing the list to the media was an opportunity to improve communication between the group, the council and police.

Times librarian Sheila Kern contributed to this report.