Local gang member in FBI’s top 10

Southern California’s street-gang problem drew national attention Wednesday when the FBI announced that a South Whittier gang member sought in a brutal attack on two sheriff’s deputies would be placed on its 10 most wanted list.

Emigdio Preciado Jr., also known as “Junior,” “Trigger,” “Spooky” and “Snyper,” will join a list that includes Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, Colombian drug lord Diego Leon Montoya Sanchez and Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger.

A member of the Southside Whittier Mexican gang, Preciado is the alleged triggerman in the Sept. 5, 2000, attack on Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputies Michael Schaap and David Timberlake in Whittier.

The deputies were on patrol in a marked car when they pulled over a 1979 Chevrolet van for having faulty headlights.

When the van stopped, Preciado, one of four occupants, appeared in an open door and fired a burst of 21 shots from an automatic weapon, according to sheriff’s detectives.

One round pierced the patrol car’s windshield, striking Schaap in the forehead, critically wounding him. The van sped off.

“The brutal assault on these deputies, or on any police officer, is an affront to every citizen who relies on law enforcement for protection,” said Steve Tidwell, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles office. “These men and women are the front line in combating street crime, and senseless attacks against them -- such as the one allegedly committed by Emigdio Preciado -- will not be tolerated.”

FBI officials agreed to put a Southern California gang member on the most wanted list after local law enforcement sought the agency’s help in battling an upsurge in gang violence.

Including Preciado on the national most wanted list is an “important step” in bringing him to justice, Sheriff Lee Baca said Wednesday.

“The conditions of justice require that this suspect, Preciado, be captured, brought back here, put into the justice system and ultimately be sent off to prison,” Baca said during a news conference at FBI headquarters in Westwood.

Detectives believe that Preciado, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, has fled California, so the FBI obtained a federal warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

The FBI showed a videotape of a smiling Preciado dancing at a holiday party in Nayarit, Mexico, just three months after the shooting, and Tidwell said there is a good chance he is in Mexico.

Schaap, who has returned to duty, attended the news conference and called Preciado a “coward” for hiding behind his gang.

“I just want my day of justice when I stand in court and Emigdio Preciado is sentenced to life behind bars,” said Schaap, who has a large scar on his forehead from the bullet wound.

The three other people who were in the van have been captured; one in Mexico and two in South Whittier.

At the time of the shooting, Preciado was wanted for violating his parole in connection with a narcotics case.

When last seen, Preciado was 5-foot-5 and 180 pounds. He had a horizontal scar on his left ear, a black mole below his right eye and tattoos of “Susana” and “Alexa” on his left chest, although he may have had plastic surgery to remove the scars and tattoos, the FBI said.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recently raised the reward offered for information leading to the capture and conviction of Preciado to $50,000. With Preciado’s placement on the 10 most wanted list, the FBI is offering an additional reward of up to $100,000 for his capture.

Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley called Preciado the “worst of the worst” and said the gang member faces 50 years to life in prison if convicted of the nine criminal charges he faces.

Preciado is the 485th person to be added to the FBI list, begun in 1950.

Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton, appearing at FBI headquarters for the announcement, said the decision shows that the federal agency was serious when its director promised last month to help Los Angeles, which officials see as the gang capital of the U.S.

Although gang violence has been higher in years past, officials were surprised when the number of incidents rose 15.7% in Los Angeles last year.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Bratton announced a city gang crackdown last month that they said would include placing a Los Angeles gang member on the FBI’s list.

Although Villaraigosa had envisioned a permanent spot on the list for a Los Angeles gang member, Tidwell said his office would likely submit other L.A.-area gang members, but that it would be up to FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., to make the selection.

Bratton said he was not disappointed that an L.A. gang member was not selected, because the gang problem is a regional one and Preciado’s inclusion draws attention to the local effort.

“This isn’t just a city initiative,” the chief said. “It’s significant to get a gang member from this region on that FBI list.”

The FBI’s list was begun exactly 57 years ago Wednesday by then-Director J. Edgar Hoover, who was impressed by the positive publicity generated when International News Service published a list of the 10 toughest fugitives sought by the federal agency.

patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com