Full Notification

(L.A.Co. DA News Release)

A preliminary injunction was issued today to restrict the activities of two notorious criminal street gangs based on their alleged involvement in gun violence, robberies and graffiti vandalism in the San Gabriel Valley.

Deputy District Attorney Michael Fern of the Hardcore Gang Division said that the injunction targets Puente 13 and Bassett Grande, criminal street gangs that operate in the Valinda Corridor and City of La Puente.

Puente 13, a multigenerational gang comprised of more than 1,000 documented members, is believed to engage in narcotics trafficking and “tax” collection, among other illicit undertakings, the prosecutor said. Bassett Grande, with more than 300 documented members, is its primary rival.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Chalfant granted the injunction that designates an approximately 16-square-mile area a “Safety Zone.” The Safety Zone represents the largest such area obtained by the District Attorney’s Office for a single gang injunction and includes the cities of La Puente, Industry and a portion of West Covina.

Adjacent unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, including the communities of Avocado Heights, Bassett, South San Jose Hills, West Puente Valley and Valinda, also are enclosed within the Safety Zone.

With limited exceptions, the injunction orders Puente 13 and Bassett Grande gang members to not associate with one another in public or possess weapons, narcotics or graffiti tools in the Safety Zone. Gang members must also stay away from two parks in La Puente, Bassett Park in the 500 block of Vineland Avenue and La Puente Park in the 500 block of North Glendora Avenue.

The injunction further mandates members of both gangs to not intimidate any person, wear gang apparel, trespass upon property, or loiter in public places within the Safety Zone. With limited exceptions, both gangs are also required to comply with a mandatory curfew between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Supporting evidence for the injunction includes declarations from law enforcement officers with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and GPS data from a graffiti tracking system that shows the extent to which the Safety Zone is saturated by graffiti vandalism perpetrated by both gangs, the prosecutor said.

Prior to this civil action, the widest-spanning gang injunction in Los Angeles County – encompassing a 13.7-square-mile Safety Zone – was granted in 2009 against six gangs in the City of Los Angeles.

sdm

(L.A.Co. DA News Release)

Shiara Dávila-Morales
Media Relations Division
Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office
(213) 974-6724
(213) 974-3528
http://da.lacounty.gov


Forwarded by:


Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau - Newsroom
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
(323) 267-4800
[email protected]
www.lasd.org



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