5 Men Arrested in Alleged Gang-Initiation Attack

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies arrested five men Friday after a family was held at gunpoint in their apartment.

The incident began when the men approached a boy in front of an apartment building at 215 Ave. Q-10 about 12:30 a.m., said Lt. Bob Rifkin of the Palmdale sheriff’s station.

The men are gang members who were allegedly planning to attack the youth at gunpoint so the boy would join their gang as part of an initiation, Rifkin said.

According to Rifkin, before they could jump the teen, the youth said he had to get something in his apartment.

Two of the men allegedly followed the boy inside, searched the boy’s relatives for money and then locked family members into a bedroom, Rifkin said.

Deputies rescued family members, who climbed out of a window, and arrested three of the alleged gang members outside, but two of the men refused to come out of the apartment, deputies said.

A SWAT team and hostage negotiators were called to the apartment, and the two men surrendered about 7 a.m.

The five arrested were Cali Esquivel, 26; Marbin Morales, 20; Jose Morales, 26; and Jose Perez, 24; all of Los Angeles; and Elmer Amaya, 23, of Palmdale.

All five were booked on suspicion of burglary, false imprisonment, attempted robbery, making terrorist threats and kidnapping, Rifkin said.