Posted on 04/24/2006 8:33:11 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
Fifty-seven suspected gang members were arrested after a yearlong investigation into the death of a CHP officer who was shot by a 16-year-old boy outside a courthouse, authorites said Monday.
Investigators from local, state and federal agencies began arresting the suspected members of the Pomona 12th Street Sharkies gang Friday on charges ranging from conspiracy to commit murder to weapons and drug-related violations, California Attorney General Bill Lockyer said in a statement.
Authorities used wiretaps, informants, surveillance and undercover agents during the investigation to obtain evidence against alleged gang leaders. Authorities seized dozens of weapons, more than $43,000 in cash, and illegal drugs worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The probe began after Valentino Mitchell Arenas shot CHP Officer Thomas Steiner in April 2004 outside a Pomona courthouse to gain status with members of P12, one of the oldest and most notorious street gangs in the city.
Steiner, of Long Beach, was attacked after leaving the courthouse, where he had testified in five traffic citation cases.
Arenas later admitted to the killing and was sentenced in March 2005 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
"I sincerely hope the arrests resulting from this investigation bring a sense of justice to the Steiner family and relief from fear and intimidation to the citizens of Pomona," said Will Telish, director of the Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force.
Life for premeditated killing of a cop?
Old enough to plot and kill
Old enough to fry and die
Congratulations to all the investigators for their hard work and diligence in getting these bastards.
I've been under the impression that most of these gang bangers are illegal aliens? Why are they here? And Why are our borders not the heck closed?
"Fifty-seven suspected gang members were arrested "
Great
I don't know if this group is illegals. I wouldn't be surprised. I hope they all burn in hell though.
One murder...57 arrests.
Just Damn...
Call me crazy, but I think we need to take our country back.
Somehow, someway, we need to elect leaders who agree with you and will rid this nation of illegal alien criminals.
It must be done soon...time is running out!!!
While I applaud the arrests of criminals, $43k in cash works out to $750 and change per person.
This is not an unusual amount of cash to have at home, and if you chose 57 freepers at random I would be shocked and disappointed if they only had dozens of weapons among them.
It looks to me like the only real issue is the illegal drugs, which conveniently are not inventoried and are probably small amounts for personal use. They would have bragged about finding large quantities.
""Fifty-seven suspected gang members were arrested ""
"Great"
57 urban terrorists.
Thanks, I've been trying to follow this case.
Prayers for this fallen officer's family and friends.
But, this is the second time I recall California law enforcement agencies jumping into action when an officer was killed and not until then. They don't seem to be willing to commit these kinds of resources to the murder of Joe Citizen. Isn't the murder arrest rate in California something less than 50%? And if they're only arresting bad guys in half the murders, the conviction rate is probably lower than that.
Kit.
A lot of gang members are (now grown) anchor babies. Another article said this gang has ties to the Mexican Mafia and since ICE was part of the investigation maybe some of them are illegals.
Gang sweep details emerge from Pomona
Lewis said many of those arrested Friday were older adults with long-term ties to the 12th Street gang, which has been active in Pomona since the 1940s. The gang is believed to have at least 200 members and has been linked to the Mexican Mafia.
Those arrested included men in their 30s and 40s, and some in their early and late 50s, state officials said.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was part of the investigation.
snip
They should have their citizenship stripped from them and be deported. How about people without a country. They do not pledge allegiance to the U.S., and Mexico or wherever they are from only wants the money sent home not them.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.