Injunction Sought Against Compton Gang

Citing recent deadly shootouts between feuding Compton gangs, officials at the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office announced Thursday that they have filed a request for an injunction to prevent members of one gang from associating with one another.

The request, filed Tuesday, seeks to prohibit two or more members of the Varrio Tortilla Flats gang from meeting in public within a roughly half-square-mile area in the heart of Compton, said Michael Yglecias, assistant head deputy of the district attorney’s hard-core gang division.

The gang, which has about 350 members, has been involved in drug dealing, carjacking and firearm trafficking, he said. It has also fought bitter gun battles with rival gangs that led to one member’s death earlier this month, Yglecias said.

“They’ve been the most active in terms of violent crimes and selling drugs in the city of Compton,” he said. “That’s why they’re the first to be targeted with an injunction.”

Prosecutors will ask for at least one more similar court order against another Compton street gang in the next five months, he said.

The injunction sought against the Varrio Tortilla Flats gang also would prevent members from harassing or obstructing residents and from carrying instruments that can be used to etch or spray graffiti. Violators will face a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

A judge will decide Oct. 1 whether to grant the preliminary injunction. If granted, it will increase the number of gang injunctions in Los Angeles County to 11, Yglecias said. County prosecutors have obtained similar injunctions against gangs in Norwalk, Pasadena, Long Beach, Lennox, Inglewood and Los Angeles.