Animal Services Director Targeted

Ratcheting up their campaign of harassment against city workers, animal rights advocates claimed to have detonated smoke grenades in the home of the general manager of the city’s Animal Services Department.

The Animal Liberation Front carried out the attack, according to a news release issued Tuesday by a second group. ALF is on the U.S. Department of Justice’s list of domestic terror organizations.

“The Animal Liberation Front has taken advice from our commander in chief to ‘smoke terrorists out of their holes.’ The target was Los Angeles’ No. 1 terrorist” Guerdon Stuckey, said the release from a group calling itself Animal Liberation.

Animal Liberation said ALF sent it the information about the attack.

“Military strength smoke grenades were detonated on the floor of this animal killer’s abode. Sleep light ... ALF,” the news release said.

Stuckey would not provide details about the attack, which took place Friday, but said he lives downtown in an upper floor high-rise on Bunker Hill and that “we had an event” that was “very close” to his residence.

Police also would not provide details Wednesday other than to confirm that an incident had occurred.

“There is an ongoing investigation,” said Sgt. John Romero of the Los Angeles Police Department.

According to the release, ALF also said it took action against another animal services employee: “Prostitutes, pizza deliverymen, taxis and gang members were directed to her residence at late hours on two recent nights.”

Stuckey confirmed that those incidents took place.

Animal activists have for several years been pushing Los Angeles to stop putting to death dogs at its six shelters and place them into homes.

Stuckey and other officials have said that they are trying to reduce the number of dogs put to death, but that some dogs are too sick or vicious to be put up for adoption. In fiscal 2004-05, the city euthanized 34,932 dogs, down from 39,086 in 2001-02, according to animal services statistics. Activists have disputed those numbers.

Activists have held regular protests at the Larchmont Village home of David Diliberto, who oversees field operations for animal services. A bomb threat in August caused police to evacuate the area outside Diliberto’s home.

A group that calls itself the Animal Defense League Los Angeles organized those protests, but the group says it doesn’t engage in illegal activity.

Pamelyn Ferdin, one of its leaders, told The Times earlier this month that the group had long wanted to hold protests at Stuckey’s home but couldn’t find his address. Her husband, Jerry Vlasak, said Wednesday that he didn’t know who was responsible for the incident last week.

Ferdin and Vlasak face a criminal trespass charge for refusing to leave Diliberto’s property during a protest.

Some City Council members questioned whether police were doing enough to protect city employees.

“No one should be harmed because of a belief they have or a service that they provide,” said Councilman Tom LaBonge. “This keeps escalating a little bit more each time and all of a sudden we’re going to have a tragedy, and I don’t want to see that.”

Stuckey said the LAPD was helping. “There is a great deal of focus on this issue by the police,” he said.

A City Council motion is expected in several weeks that would allow police to provide extra security for city employees.

Elected officials in Los Angeles, but not the heads of city agencies, are provided with alarm systems wired into the LAPD.

For much of 2003, the activists’ primary target was then-director of animal services Jerry Greenwalt. Activists held protests at his Santa Monica home, leafleted his neighborhood and spray-painted “murderer” on his car before he resigned in March 2004.

Activists dressed as skeletons and carrying photos of dead dogs also protested several times at the San Pedro home of then-Mayor James K. Hahn.

Stuckey was hired in November over protests by activists who said they had been left out of the selection process. They said Stuckey -- formerly head of community services in Rockville, Md. -- had no animal services experience.

Stuckey said he does not plan to leave his job.

“I’m absolutely staying and sticking with the job at hand,” he said. “I came here to save these animals’ lives and I am committed to that.”