Raids yield 23 captures in search for clues to hits on Hemet police
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11:16 PM PDT on Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Hemet police and FBI agents served a series of search warrants throughout Riverside County on Tuesday morning, searching for leads on the attacks on Hemet police. Police arrested or detained 23 people on suspicion of crimes related to weapons and narcotics to parole violations, Hemet police Capt. Dave Brown said. No one arrested has been directly charged with any of the attacks that threatened officers and destroyed police and city property. Police did not identify anyone arrested. Though some of the suspects had gang affiliations or ties to white supremacist organizations, no specific gang was targeted, Brown said Since Dec. 31, the Hemet-San Jacinto Valley Gang Task Force has been targeted at least three times. On New Year's Eve, a gas line at the Gang Task Force building was rerouted, rigging it to possibly explode. On Feb 23, a gun was attached to a gate at the same building and fired a single shot, missing an officer. On March 5th, an explosive device was attached to an officer's vehicle but fell off in a parking lot. Two fires are also under investigation and may be related to the attacks. Four city code enforcement vehicles were set ablaze last month just before midnight at City Hall. Last week, the Police Department's firing range was nearly destroyed in an overnight blaze. Firefighters are investigating it as suspicious.
Whoever is doing these things doesn’t sound terribly bright - or sophisticated. I’m thankful they didn’t manage to hurt anybody.