City to Fight Gangs by Seeking Injunction
Inglewood plans to seek its first preliminary injunction against a gang in hopes of curtailing crime in the southeast section of the city known as the Bottoms, near Hollywood Park.
The lawsuit will be the latest step in the city’s war against the Crenshaw Mafia Blood Gang.
After a nine-month investigation, the Inglewood Police Department spent three days last week arresting 14 alleged gang members.
One of them was Kenneth Riley, 34, who police believe is the gang’s leader. Riley was arrested Thursday for possession of a controlled substance, said Inglewood Lt. Hampton Cantrell.
Officers said they found Riley with 511 grams of powdered cocaine, 188 grams of marijuana and $5,300 cash. He was released on $100,000 bail.
The crackdown and investigation were funded by a $784,000 grant from the U.S. Justice Department.
Police officials said the city has 14 active gangs. This is the first time the Police Department has decided to file a civil injunction against any of them.
It is following in the steps of such cities such as Redondo Beach, Long Beach, Lennox and Pasadena, which have gotten preliminary injunctions that prohibit gang members from loitering, possessing dangerous weapons and carrying pagers.
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