This story was picked up by KCAL9 News—click here to access the link to their video.
There hasn’t been much gang-related crime in Highland Park lately—but that could change, police say, as the leader of a gang arrested in Eagle Rock in August becomes eligible for bail.
Officers from multiple Los Angeles Police Department units arrested a notorious auto thief from Eagle Rock Plaza on Aug. 2, 2012. The arrest coincided with an anti-gang initiative in Highland Park that "took lots of guns off the streets,” according to Steve Aguilar, a detective in the LAPD’s Northeast Division gang detail. In all, said Aguilar, eight handguns were seized and 10 or 12 active, hardcore gang members were taken into custody.
“He’s a ‘shot caller,’” Aguilar explained, referring to a term that police officers use to describe gang members who “call the shots” within a certain gang.
Currently in jail for violating parole under the so-called "post-release community supervision program," the leader, from a gang formally known as the Highland Park Gang, will become eligible for bail on Oct. 22, Aguilar said.
The gang leader is being prosecuted for Grand Theft Auto at Eagle Rock Plaza, and that case is still continuing, Aguilar said. Meanwhile, he was sent to Los Angeles County Jail for violating parole (after being convicted of a narcotics-related crime) by allegedly indulging in auto theft, Aguilar explained. The gang leader was ineligible for bail for a maximum period of 90 days, he added.
“For the past two or three weeks, it’s been really quiet,” Aguilar said. “There are still a lot of gang members out there—there’s just no leadership—and we’re bracing for his [the gang leader’s resumption of] parole.”
Although the gang leader is not a suspect in any current crime, “we know he’s a shot caller, and when he comes out crime could increase,” Aguilar said, adding: "We'll be tracking him to make sure he doesn't start gang problems again."
The gang leader is in his mid-30s, and because he is not a suspect in any crime, his name and other details about him are not being released.
The only gang-related incident that the LAPD has been aware of lately in Highland Park involved the accidental shooting of a 39-year-old gang member this past Thursday around 6 p.m., Aguilar said.
The gang member, who lives in Highland Park, among other places, and belongs to a gang based in the Rampart area, reported to police that he was shot in the leg. But when Detective Rick Ortiz, who heads the Northeast Division’s gang detail, examined the man, it became apparent that, based on the bullet’s trajectory, the gang member could not possibly have been shot at by a rival from the street, Aguilar said.
“He admitted he shot himself,” Aguilar said, adding that the gang member was taken to hospital for treatment.
Correction: A previous version of this story mistakenly said that the gang leader would be eligible for parole by the end of October or early November. He will, in fact, he eligible for bail and will be resuming parole on Oct. 22.
Don't waste your time trying to explain yourself or how the system works to these idiots. If they really need to know have them research it themselves. I can't believe how they expect you to explain every little detail to them. As for the L.A.P.D., when they release this info it's called community policing. They don't have to do it but they do, so the "community" can be aware of what's going on in their neighborhood. Some people you just can't please.
@ Chris, one of us doesn't understand the whole point of Patch.com. I thought it was supposed to be a news source. So yes, if somebody is presenting "news" I do more or less expect them to explain everything they say. Also, who cares what the LAPD calls what they are doing? "Community policing" that means nothing, really. When they say how many guns they've taken off the street or how many dangerous gang members they've arrested.... well it's really worthless unless they quantify it with actual numbers and facts. Oh and BTW there are two Marks here. Although I more or less agree with everything the other Mark has said.
You say: "The gang leader is in his mid-30s, and because he is not a suspect in any crime, his name and other details about him are not being released." This is bulls---! He's in jail -- they cannot hold his name secret, because he is in custody and that must be revealed by law! They cannot hold someone in secret. Second, by your own story, he IS a suspect, he is charged! He doesn't have to be doing something TODAY to be a suspect! The point is, you still are being a puppet for the police for a baseless story. It is completely baseless without a name. No one can possibly accept or counter this story without a name! Without a name, all this amounts to is manipulation of public sentiment, and that makes you one of the manipulators. Be afraid, be very afraid!
He's not a reporter and this isn't a news site. It's a community discussion board and he tries to find things that affect our community to discuss. If anyone thinks they can do better and wants to step up, it only costs about $15 a month to put your money where your mouth is, so feel free.
I really don't mean to rag on him either. I do appreciate what he is doing here. However I do think he could do a little more reporting on the LAPD, rather than simply disseminating the LAPD's press reports for them. http://arcadia.patch.com/users/ajay-singh
I don't know the arrangement between Ajay and Patch, nor do I need to know, but just about every neighborhood in LA (and in other towns) has a local Patch. All it requires is someone to step up. I'm glad he did. I know I wouldn't bother with it considering all the nuttery and time involved. Also, you and anybody else can contribute whatever you think is relevant to the community. It's not a monopoly.
Still he doesn't have to do this and it's nice that he does.