Street Gang Crackdown Producing Mixed Results : LAPD: Only one arrestee faces violent felony charge. But police say crime has been lessened in area they swept.

By PAUL FELDMAN and EDWARD J. BOYER

April 20, 1995 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITERS

More than two weeks after the largest street gang crackdown of its kind in Los Angeles history, only one of the 63 people arrested by an 800-member law enforcement task force has been charged with a violent felony, according to records released by authorities.

And despite official claims that at least 20 of those arrested in “Operation Sunrise” were possible candidates for prison sentences under the state’s “three strikes” law, county prosecutors say they know of only one alleged gang member facing a third-strike charge that could result in a life prison sentence.

Indeed, 10 of those arrested during the raids were being sought on misdemeanor counts, mostly involving traffic violations.

“You’re talking three days in jail, five days in jail,” said city attorney’s spokesman Ted Goldstein.

Law enforcement officials insist, however, that the unprecedented search of more than 100 locations April 1 has had a significant impact on street gang activity in South Los Angeles and elsewhere.

Suspects booked on minor charges could face more serious charges later, said Cmdr. Tim McBride, a spokesman for Los Angeles Police Chief Willie L. Williams.

Conceding that he was “a little bit disappointed” that only one suspect was charged with a violent felony, McBride said the “real measure of success will be whether robberies decline. We know we’ve made an impact. Just how big? It will take some time to determine. If we save anybody from facing a gun, we will be pleased.”

Seven alleged street gang members with felony records who were picked up in the raids face jail or prison time for parole or probation violations, authorities said. Another faces a possible 15-year federal prison sentence for drug and gun violations. Police radio calls in neighborhoods bounded by 62nd Street and Vermont, Van Ness and Manchester avenues dropped by 20% in the week after the operation, LAPD officials said.

Moreover, authorities added, further federal charges are likely to be filed against several street gang members arrested as a result of the raids.

“A lot of people say, ‘Stop the violence.’ Well, this is our objective,” said Deputy Chief Mark Kroeker, head of the LAPD’s South Bureau. “When you take some of the most violent street terrorists out of commission, you’re bound to affect the crime load.”

However, a participant in the operation called it a “big dog-and-pony show.” The officer, who requested anonymity, said, “They didn’t get the right guys.”

Community reaction also remains mixed, as evidenced by a tumultuous public meeting last week where police sought to explain the purpose of the operation, which also netted more than 70 firearms, two kilograms of cocaine and 12 cloned cellular phones.

Many residents of streets long frequented by the notorious Eight-Tray Gangster Crips said the raids have provided a welcome respite, allowing them to again feel safe walking their children to school or going shopping.

But others questioned whether the LAPD and the FBI used heavy-handed tactics or too broad a brush in their multi-jurisdictional effort. Several residents complained that police barged into their homes in search of individuals who had long since vacated those premises. And even the staunchest of Operation Sunrise supporters warned that the gang menace cannot be curbed without repeated raids and seizures of weapons and drugs.

“Seventy-one firearms is not a lot--it’s the tip of the iceberg,” said Benetta Johnson, 49, a community organizer, as she prepared the refreshment table at last week’s community policing meeting. “The raids have had a superficial effect so far. The gang members figure they can wait the police out if there’s one raid a year.

“But if the police lean on them, it will have a definite impact.”

The highly publicized raids, which began before dawn April 1, have been hailed by police officials as a long-overdue effort to deal firmly with one of the city’s most fearsome street gangs.

Speaking to reporters, Chief Williams and FBI special agent Charlie J. Parsons took pains to separate Operation Sunrise from the oft-criticized Operation Hammer gang sweeps of former Police Chief Daryl F. Gates, which resulted in as many as 1,000 arrests per weekend, but few significant prosecutions. This time, officials said, the actions were based on more than two years of investigation and careful efforts to draft and secure search and arrest warrants.

“This is done to put people in jail,” Williams said at the time. “We’re not going to make arrests and disappear.”

As they conducted their searches, LAPD, FBI, California Youth Authority and state probation and parole officials were armed with about 30 arrest warrants, according to LAPD detectives.

Of 20 alleged gang members arrested for felonies, four were arrested on charges ranging from robbery to possession of narcotics.

But, according to LAPD records, of the 14 alleged street gang members actually apprehended on the warrants April 1, 10 were being sought for misdemeanor offenses--most of them for failure to appear in court on traffic ticket offenses.

Considering overcrowded jail conditions in Los Angeles County, penalties for any of the 13 total misdemeanor arrests during the raids would result in no more than a few days or weeks behind bars.

“Availability of bed space at the jail alone would turn many of these people right out the back door,” Goldstein said. “The outstanding (misdemeanor) warrant log runs in the hundreds of thousands and the bulk of that is for vehicular violations. I’m reminded of the Claude Rains line in ‘Casablanca,’ where he turns and says, ‘Round up the usual suspects.’ ”

Seven other alleged Eight-Trays were arrested for parole and probation violations and could face state prison sentences. Among them are men who have previously served time for robbery, drug trafficking, theft, burglary or assault with a deadly weapon.

Two other felony arrestees, Lamar Taylor, 24, of Watts and Derrick Dwayne Smith, 31, of Van Nuys, were charged by county prosecutors with possession of firearms by convicted felons. Smith, who was ordered this week to stand trial, faces possible third-strike sanctions because of previous robbery charges, said district attorney’s spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons.

Gibbons said that Smith is the only arrestee she is aware of who falls in the third-strike category. On the day of the raids, Parsons, who heads the Los Angeles FBI office, told reporters that at least 20 arrestees were possible candidates for prison sentences under the state’s three-strikes law.

McBride said some suspects were not caught because information was leaked, tipping them off.

The only violent-felony arrestee, Kamuel Mance Presley, stands accused of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. He faces a May preliminary hearing.

The 43-year-old South-Central Los Angeles resident, who has previous assault, arson and theft convictions, is charged with shooting at a man he had accused of prowling outside an apartment building he managed, according to LAPD detectives. The shooting incident occurred three days before the Operation Sunrise raids.

Six other alleged Eight-Trays, several with past drug or burglary convictions, have been charged by the district attorney’s office with various weapons, drug and telephone fraud offenses.

One other county case was dismissed last week after the U.S. attorney’s office decided to file stiffer charges against alleged gang member Curtis James Jackson.

Jackson, 38, is accused of possession with intent to sell 16.8 grams of cocaine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Jackson, who has two prior felony drug convictions, faces 15 years in federal prison if found guilty.

The U.S. attorney’s office also filed charges Wednesday against David Banks, 27, for possession of a gun by an ex-convict. Banks, who faces at least five years in federal prison, has previous convictions for attempted robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.

The charges against Banks, who was not arrested April 1, were based on evidence discovered in a search warrant carried out at his residence that day, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Joy Krystofiak.

“Within the next two weeks we’ll probably file on three to five more cases,” Krystofiak said. “We’re still considering racketeering charges.

“There isn’t always an immediate effect as far as these raids go. Some of the effect is long-term because some are part of pending investigations that have gone on for a couple of years.”

At the county level, one Operation Sunrise case has already been settled. Paul Lonell Williams, 22, of Gardena, agreed last Friday to plead no contest to a cellular phone fraud charge in exchange for a 90-day jail sentence and three years probation. He is scheduled to be sentenced April 28.

Prosecutors refused to file charges on one other arrest for drug possession because of insufficient evidence, Gibbons said.

LAPD officials have yet to release the names of 13 of the 63 people they said were arrested. But none of the 13 apparently was charged by county or federal prosecutors. Seventeen others, they added, were juveniles, whose names, by law, cannot be made public and who, because of their age, face time in California Youth Authority facilities but cannot be sentenced to prison.

The raids drew praise from many of the 75 South Los Angeles residents in attendance at the community meeting at St. John the Evangelist Church. Several, fearing reprisal, spoke anonymously.

“The police did a beautiful job,” said one woman who said she lives in a gang-infested block. “If they were a little heavy-handed, maybe it was necessary.”

Deputy Chief Kroeker, who chaired the two-hour session, said efforts to thwart gang violence had begun paying off even before the massive raids. In the targeted neighborhood, 24 murders were committed during the first three months of 1994, and only one during the same period this year, Kroeker said.

Some in the audience were angry that Williams, billed as guest speaker, did not show up. Police officials explained that Williams had a prior engagement on the Westside and said he would attend a future meeting but gave no specific date.

And within minutes after police officials began their presentation, they were interrupted by several residents complaining that the raids cast too broad a net over African American youths.

“You don’t know our community; we do. And to call our kids all gang members (is wrong),” said Theresa Allison, president of Mothers Reclaiming Our Children. “I’m not saying everyone is innocent, but it’s unfair. If (police) want to get a promotion, they come get our kids.”