LA Could Become Homicide Capital By Year's End
LAPD Moves Against Surge Of Deadly Street Violence
Police: LA Could Become Homicide Capital By Year's End
LOS ANGELES -- An eruption of deadly street violence in Los Angeles led top police brass to sound the alarm Wednesday and vow to try to stop it
Gang violence is a major contributor to the surge in the city's general homicide rate, which in the past week alone has been staggering: Thirteen people were killed between Friday and Monday. Another seven were shot in less than an hour Tuesday, one fatally.
Not all those crimes were known to have involved gangs, but much of the violence has occurred in gang-plagued South Los Angeles, where top officers and community leaders met at the 77th Street police station Wednesday to publicly take a stand against it.
"The message is, the community isn't going to tolerate the violence that's going on out here and we're going to work with them," said Capt. James Miller, the area commanding officer.
There have been 583 homicides in Los Angeles so far this year, Miller said -- the most since 1996. Forty-three percent of the killings have occurred in the South Bureau, one of the city's eight police bureaus.
In the past week alone there were eight homicides in 77th's area, one of four South Bureau units. Five of the killings were on one thoroughfare, Western Avenue, and two at one intersection, 83rd and Western.
Chief William J. Bratton, who took over the Police Department last month, has called the weekend of violence "four horrific days" and warned that the city could become the homicide capital of the nation by year's end.
Bratton asked commanding officers last week to develop an ongoing strategic plan to deal with the rise in crime. The multiagency approach would involve state and federal law enforcement agencies as well as community involvement. Bratton also called for detectives to respond to more crime scenes.
Community leaders at the press conference Wednesday said they would work with police to stop the violence.
"The community is tired and we will take it to the streets to simply stop the killing," said Ed Turley, director of the Gang Intervention Group Central Recovery and Development Project.
Police said the violence stemmed from deep-seated gang rivalries.
"Most of it is over turf, which is usually drug-related, and generational hard feelings. We hate this gang because we hate them, like in Northern Ireland and the Middle East," said Capt. James Bower, the area patrol commander.
Miller emphasized police were taking action.
He said police were moving against four suspected perpetrators of Tuesday night's homicide. Two of the suspects were in custody on unrelated charges and two others were still being identified, he said. Police hoped to seek murder charges.
Two search warrants were served Wednesday related to Tuesday night's homicide and another warrant was served involving violent gangs, he said. Officers went to four locations, recovering property related to burglaries and an Uzi weapon.
"This was unrelated to anything that happened yesterday, but was part of our ongoing fight to control crime and to control the gang members, and I want to get that message out, that we are moving forward to have an impact on these gangs," he said.
