Ventura Car Thieves

Four men involved with an Oxnard street gang were in court Tuesday in Ventura, CA to face charges of grand theft auto, possession of stolen property and committing a crime for the benefit of a criminal street gang.
Two of the men are already under a court sentence for other reasons against specific gang members filed by the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.Police arrested 19-year-old Manuel Martinez, 19-year-old Manuel Edwards, 22-year-old Victor Montejano and 18-year-old Ruben Correa Sunday morning in Camarillo after a search with a sheriff's helicopter and K-9 unit. It all began when officers discovered a blue Chevy Suburban the four were riding in had been stolen the night before in Port Hueneme.

Reflection: I have recently driven through this area and it seemed like a nice enough place and I definitely felt safe parking our car outside but hearing this story makes me wonder about whether or not I should take more precautions.

Questions:
Is this gang known for other serious crimes or is this surprising?
How big is the gang?

Link: http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story section=news/local/ventura_county&id=7267520

Drug Lord taken into custody

A wanted fugitive who was the subject of a nationwide manhunt by the FBI since July of 2005 was brought back from Mexico and taken into custody late Tuesday afternoon at O’Hare Airport. Valentino Sanchez, 33,was arrested in a secure area in a lower-level terminal area at O’Hare, the police on-scene said. The government offered a 10,000 dollar reward for Sanchez's arrest. Sanchez is accused of overseeing the distribution of wholesale quantities of cocaine in the city and suburbs of Chicago.

Reflection: This article was very interesting because the man was caught in Guadalajara Mexico and he was taken into custody in an O'Hare airport terminal. And it amazes me that he has been wanted for 5 years.

Questions:
How high up on the wanted list was he?
What was he doing when he was taken into custody?

Link: http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/2039932,gangster-arrested-ohare0210.article

Chicago Body Snatchers

A violent gang of the Four Corner Hustlers street gang took a heavy blow in 2008 when the FBI busted supposed leader Shawn “Shakey” Betts and 74 other members. But the FBI and Chicago Police continued to investigate and announced charges against eight more members Wednesday. Dominique Finley, 34, was the highest-ranking member in the group of 8 with the respected title “5-Star Universal Elite.” Eric Ollison, 26, who goes by the nickname “Murder,” was his second-in-command, officials say. Both of which are now behind bars.

Reflection: I remember going to Chicago with my family when I was younger and not thinking at all about what goes on behind closed doors there. I never realized how scary of a place it could really be but now I'm more aware.

Evidence: “They didn’t get the moniker ‘Body Snatchers’ for no reason,” said Chicago Police Deputy Chief Nick Roti of the Organized Crime Section.

Questions:
How large is this gang because it was still active after losing so many members in 2008.
What area of Chicago is this in?

Link: http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/2041493,body-snatchers-chicago-gang-021010.article

Salinas Murder

Julian Escobar, 24, was arrested Saturday as he drove away from his house and will be in court on Tuesday to face murder, attempted murder, gang, and gun charges.

Escobar and another, still unknown man went to the Apple Hill neighborhood the afternoon of March 21,confronted a group of young men playing basketball on public court and asked what gang they claimed. Angel Escobedo, 19, and his friends told them they weren't involved in a gang. Escobar proceeded to pull a handgun out of his jacket and the basketball players fled but Escobedo was shot several times and died at the scene.

Reflection: This is such a scary and terrible thing because it was a young boy visiting his family from college over spring break. Which is the same situation my brother is in and we always play sports outside and I usually think of my community park as a very safe place.

Evidence: "This young man was an innocent victim of the terrible, terrible gang crimes we see," District Attorney Bob Lee said.

Questions:
What did Escobedo's friends do after running?
How many people were at the park to witness this?

Works Cited: http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_14311444?nclick_check=1

Long Beach shooting

An 18-year-old man killed when he and another teen were shot at in an apparent gang shooting in Long Beach. The shooting happened around 11:30 p.m. near 15th Street and Stanley Avenue, said Dina Zapalski of the Long Beach Police Department. The boy who died was name Jonathon Cordova.

Jonathon Cordova was suffering major injuries to his upper body, and died at the scene, Zapalski said. The other victim was taken to a hospital for treatment of his wounds, and police said he was expected to survive.

Reflection: The article written on this really caught my eye because I was in the mindset that Long Beach is a very safe place, when I guess it still has these things happen.

Evidence: "When officers arrived they found that a suspect had shot two males, both 18 years old," Zapalski said.

"The investigation is ongoing," Zapalski said, adding that the shooting may have been gang-related.

Questions:
Where the men under the influence of anything at the time?
Is that a lower class area of Long Beach?

Works Cited: http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_14309881

Visalia Gang Sweep

Fifteen Visalia residents were arrested Friday and Saturday during two Visalia Police Department gang sweeps.

The sweep was conducted by officers with the gang, narcotics, violent crimes, also found three handguns from the suspected gang members.

The sweep represented the second police operation in as many weeks aimed at cracking down on gang activity in Visalia. A series of sweeps between Jan. 22 and 25 resulted in the arrest of 21 suspects, including two young boys ages 15 and 16.

Reflection: This is very easy to connect to for me because the two young boys are my age, and I couldn't ever imagine being in a gang. Especially at this age. It makes you wonder about how tough their life might be.

Questions:
Did the young boys receive a lot of peer pressure to do this?
How involved were the boys?

Works Cited: http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/article/20100202/NEWS01/2020325/1002/news01/15-arrested-in-Visalia-police-gang-sweeps

Gang communication through facebook

After a gang member was released from jail quickly after his arrest for selling methamphetamine, friends and fellow gang members quickly assumed he had cut a deal with authorities and become a police informant.

They sent him a message to drop a hint on twitter that said: "We have a snitch in our midst"

Unknown to them, that everything they were saying was being closely followed by investigators, who had been tracking the gang for months. Officials sat back and watched as others joined the conversation and left behind incriminating information. That was just feeding authorities very detailed information.

Reflection: This makes me a little surprised just because I have found that gangs are so common in California hen I thought they were mostly on the east coast and in other areas.

Evidence:
"You find out about people you never would have known about before," said Dean Johnston with the California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, which helps police investigate gangs.

"You build this little tree of people."

Questions:
Why are gangs so popular in California?
Will police start using this as a more common resource?

Works Cited: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/02/AR2010020200499.html

California Juggalo

In Fresno a burglary suspect claims to be a Juggalo. Nineteen-year-old James Bucheger of Oakhurst, is in jail after being accused of breaking into two cabins near Bass Lake.

"Juggalos" claim just to be very big fans of the band "Insane Clown Posse" but most police forces that are informed about them know that they are more of a legitimate street gang.

Police found the man covered in blood at a third home where a party was taking place. The two burglarized homes had smashed windows and blood splattered throughout them.

Reflection: This article is very interesting to me because I know a few people who claim to be Juggalos. I'm pretty sure they have not committed any crimes like this but it is still a good thing to be more aware.

Questions:

Why do people join this group?
Are all fans of the band considered Juggalos?
What is the main age range of people in the group?

Works Cited: http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=7251605

Jersey City Shooting

Two Jersey City men were both shot in the head yesterday morning at the corner of Woodlawn Avenue and Corcoran Street in what the police have identified as a gang related shooting. One of the men possibly was robbed of money from his wallet after being shot and killed. At around 4 a.m., cops found Lester "Bleek" Thompson and Mileak Richardson sprawled on the sidewalk face down.

Reflection: This article is not only eye-opening, but also scary just at the fact that I can't imagine losing a loved one in such a brutal and sudden way.

Evidence: "The precise motive for this clearly pre-meditated attack is not known. Money may have been taken from at least one of the victims," DeFazio said.

"This was not necessary. He was not a bad kid to the point where he deserved to be killed," Lacrisha Richardson said about her brother. Mileak lived with his mother and sister and has a 3-year-old daughter, his mother said.

Questions:
What can people do to help?
Where are the main gangs sprouting from?
How many deaths are considered repercussions of gang violence every year?

What are gangs and why do people join them?

A gang is a group of people who come together and form a group made up of mostly guys, that consider each other family outside of blood. Most gangs are known for committing illegal acts, and causing trouble. Every gang has a certain color they wear, and a motto they live by. Most people join for protection, because they know if they join the gang that they will have people who will protect them. Gangs mostly come out of lower class areas as a way to control the people around them.