Anti-Gang Effort Bolstered After Shooting

The shooting of a woman who was trying to stop suspected gang members from tagging a home was “the last straw” that led authorities to announce Wednesday they are bolstering the Police Department’s gang unit.

Four officers will be added to the six-member unit that monitors gangs, Police Lt. Ed Tunstall said.

He said the department has been thinking for awhile about beefing up the unit to curb “increased activities” between two local gangs, and Monday’s shooting--which police say didn’t involve either gang--was “the last straw.”

Meanwhile, 10 investigators have been assigned to find at least three suspected gunmen in the attempted murder that left a 40-year-old Anaheim woman hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the abdomen.

The woman, who is a bus driver and part-time accountant, was on her way to visit a friend Monday evening when she encountered at least two youths spray-painting a gang insignia on a garage door in Orange.

She stepped on the brakes and honked her horn, hoping the vandals would leave. One of the youths came up and scribbled graffiti on her van, prompting the woman to gun her engine in fear, police said.

As she drove away, another group of youths approached in a turquoise car, one of whom shot the woman, investigators said. The victim, whose name has been withheld for her protection, was released from the hospital Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Orange detectives received several tips on the whereabouts of the turquoise car and a dark-colored Honda Accord also seen in the area. Investigators are collaborating with Santa Ana police to follow “several good leads,” but so far, no arrests have been made, Tunstall said.

“We’re talking to witnesses and others, and of course, trying to locate the cars,” Tunstall said. “We still have a lot of work left before we arrest anybody.”

The shooting shocked a quiet neighborhood and happened about the same time that the district attorney’s office released a report saying gang-related violence, particularly murder, has declined.

However, police in Orange have seen increased gang activity in recent weeks, prompting authorities to put more manpower on the gang unit, Tunstall said.

Neighbors who live in the area where the shooting occurred hailed the department’s decision, saying it will help control gang activities throughout the city.

Virginia Walker, 75, said she usually feels “pretty safe” in her home, but Monday’s attack made her anxious.

“I think it’s a good thing to put more officers out here,” she said. “The more officers available, the less likely that people will cause a disturbance.”

Another resident who lives in the area said, “I highly compliment them for their action.”

The 66-year-old woman, who asked not to be identified, said Monday’s attack hit home for her. She too has encountered youths tagging homes near her neighborhood in the past and called police.

The woman said she has gone through some soul searching after the shooting and decided that if she sees another gang member spray-painting graffiti, she will “definitely call the police again.”

“I have to,” she said. “It’s my community.”