VENTURA COUNTY BUSINESS

Three men have been charged with throwing a burning cross onto the driveway of an interracial couple in Shadow Hills in an attempt to frighten them into moving, authorities said Monday.

Christopher Fraley, 19, of Encino, Daniel Claxton, 21, of Glendale and Justin Berkowitz, 18, of Arleta were arraigned Monday on one felony charge each of burning a cross with the intent to terrorize, punishable by a maximum sentence of seven years in prison, LAPD Police Lt. Rick Papke said.

The men were caught after they allegedly told others about the deed, and police were tipped.

“Our investigation determined that their motivation was that they did not want black people in Shadow Hills,” Papke said.

The victims of the Nov. 18 incident are Steven and Tracy Russell. The crime prompted neighbors to rally around the popular couple, who have lived in the neighborhood for 14 years.

The suspects, who entered not guilty pleas, denied they acted on behalf of any larger hate group. Search warrants served on their homes failed to turn up racist pamphlets, memorabilia or other evidence of ties to racist organizations, Los Angeles Police Department officials said.

Detectives are investigating information that a fourth man might have instigated the incident, officials said.

“At this time, there is no indication they belong to a larger group but . . . the investigation is still continuing to address some of those issues,” said Capt. Ron Seban, commanding officer of the Foothill Division.

The suspects were arraigned at San Fernando Courthouse, where they were ordered held in lieu of $40,000 bail after a judge denied requests for release on their own recognizance, said Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office. A further bail hearing is set for later in the week.

City Councilman Joel Wachs joined Seban and several civic leaders from the Shadow Hills area at a news conference to condemn the cross burning.

“Cross burning is really a cowardly and unconscionable crime,” Wachs said. “It sends a chilling message of racism and hate. The message we want to send back to them is that we are not going to allow racism and hate to go unpunished.”

Rev. Zedar Broadous, president of the San Fernando Valley chapter of the NAACP, said he was heartened that residents of the area rallied behind the interracial couple. Neighbors added a reward of $1,000 to the total of $20,000 offered by the city and county for information leading to a conviction in the case.

The incident outraged city officials and residents of Shadow Hills, according to Bill Eick, president of the Shadow Hills Property Owners Assn.

“My phone was ringing off the hook with people who were absolutely astounded this would happen and who were committed to making sure the people who perpetrated this heinous event were brought to justice,” Eick said during the news conference in front of Shadow Hills Presbyterian Church.

Seban said the rewards were instrumental in leading to the arrests. Someone approached detectives with information that Fraley and Berkowitz had told people of their involvement.

Fraley and Berkowitz, who were arrested at their homes Friday afternoon, later implicated Claxton. He surrendered at the Foothill Station on Friday night, accompanied by an attorney, police said.

The suspects had attended the same continuation high school in the Valley, said Capt. Diljeet Singh.

Seban said the Russells were happy to hear of the arrests.

The cross burning was one of 32 hate crimes reported in the Foothill Division last year, including 12 in the Shadow Hills and Sunland-Tujunga areas, Seban said.

“I think it is a sad commentary at [their] age that people are committing crimes like that,” Seban said.