New Santa Ana | Category Archives: Gangs

The Tustin Police seized several guns, drugs and cash from gang suspects on Sunday

Posted on September 14, 2020 by Editor Posted in Crime, Drugs, Gangs, Guns, Public Safety, Tustin Leave a comment

The Tustin Police Department’s Gang Reduction and Directed Enforcement (GRADE Unit) stopped a vehicle on Sunday and searched a related hotel room, according to their Facebook page.

The police officers recovered a loaded AR-15 rifle, a loaded 9mm handgun, a shotgun, 5.5 pounds of methamphetamine, 23 grams of heroin, drug paraphernalia, and a large amount of cash.

Two suspects were arrested for what the Tustin Police said were “many” charges and booked into jail.

The GRADE Unit was formed on February 19, 2018. GRADE is combination of the department’s former Special Enforcement Detail (SED) and Gang Unit.

The GRADE unit’s focus is suppressing gang activity and addressing identified Crime and Traffic Analysis and Policing Strategies (CTAPS) issues with self-initiated and proactive problem solving enforcement through a combination of high visibility uniformed patrols and plainclothes surveillance.

SAPD gang detectives arrested two suspects who had drugs and a gun

Posted on September 7, 2020 by Editor Posted in Crime, Drugs, Gangs, Santa Ana, SAPD Leave a comment

SAPD Gang Detectives contacted two subjects in the area of 413 S. Susan Street today, according to their Facebook page.

Upon contacting them, one of the subjects began walking away and was quickly detained without incident. He discarded a black semi-automatic 9mm pistol near a parked vehicle.

The second male subject was in possession of narcotic paraphernalia. Both subjects were arrested for several felony charges and parole violations

New SAPD cold case video powerfully highlights the Victoria Barrios murder

Posted on August 30, 2020 by Editor Posted in Cold Case, Crime, Gangs, Santa Ana, SAPD 1 Comment

The SAPD released the first episode of their YouTube “For the Record: A Homicide Spotlight” program today, highlighting the murder of Victoria Barrios.

Barrios and two other friends, were gunned down just after midnight a year ago, 08/30/2019 in area of 500 E Pine St. Victoria in Santa Ana.

The For the Record video includes video images of the shooter and his friends in a newer four door red Chevrolet SUV, possibly a Tahoe, as they drove by and murdered Barrios.

The Barrios family was devastated by this senseless murder. Neither the victim nor her friends were gang members.

The Barrios family has erected billboards all over the city in an attempt to encourage anyone who knows who the shooter might be to step forward.

A year after the murder that shooter is still running free in our city and we still don’t know who he is.

The SAPD For the Record program will be produced monthly to draw attention to unsolved homicides and cold case investigations where the community’s help is needed to bring suspects to justice. Subscribe to the SAPD’s YouTube channel here.

Follow the Justice for Victoria Barrios Facebook page here.

The SAPD arrested two gangbangers on probation and seized a semi-auto handgun

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Editor Posted in Crime, Gangs, Guns, Santa Ana, SAPD Leave a comment

SAPD Gang Detectives attempted to contact a group of male subjects early this morning, according to their Twitter account.

Two male subjects ran holding their waist area and they attempted to hide near a stairwell.

A semi-auto handgun with a loaded extended 30 round magazine was located in a nearby planter.

Both subjects were on probation and are documented gang members. They were both arrested for several felony charges.

The SAPD did not disclose where the arrest happened and they did not identify the suspects.

The SAPD arrested a gangbanger near Madison Park and took his handgun

Posted on July 19, 2020 by Editor Posted in Crime, Gangs, Guns, Public Safety, Santa Ana, SAPD 4 Comments

SAPD MET Police Detectives stopped a vehicle the in area of 1600 S. Cedar. this morning, according to their Twitter account.

During the traffic stop, the driver admitted to possessing a firearm. A search of the vehicle revealed a loaded semi-auto handgun.

The driver was a documented gang member and he was subsequently arrested without incident.

The incident happened near the southwest corner of Madison Park.

The SAPD did not identify the suspect.

The SAPD seized a 9mm handgun from a convicted felon

Posted on July 16, 2020 by Editor Posted in Crime, Gangs, Guns, Santa Ana, SAPD Leave a comment

SAPD Gang Detectives stopped a vehicle for minor traffic violations yesterday, according to their Twitter account.

In plain view, on the front passenger seat of the vehicle was a black box containing a concealed 9mm semi-automatic pistol with a magazine containing 8 bullets.

The driver was a previously convicted felon.

California gun laws prohibit individuals from owning, possessing, or purchasing a gun if they have been convicted of certain offenses. Though California Penal Code 29800 is commonly known as the “felon with a firearm law”, the law also applies to those who have been convicted of certain misdemeanor offenses, according to the law firm Wallin & Klarich.

Under PC 29800, it is a felony offense to have a gun or ammunition if you:

Have any prior felony offense;
Have two or more misdemeanor brandishing a weapon convictions under California Penal Code 417; or
Are addicted to the use of any narcotic drug.

Penalties for violating California’s felon with a firearm law are severe. If you are convicted of illegal possession of a firearm under PC 29800, you face:

A maximum sentence of three years in county jail;
A fine of up to $10,000; or
Both a jail sentence and fine.

The SAPD did not identify the suspect.

The SAPD recovered an HK 9mm semi-auto pistol from a suspect today

Posted on July 14, 2020 by Editor Posted in Crime, Gangs, Guns, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Earlier today SAPD Gang Detectives attempted to contact a group 4 male subjects, according to the SAPD Twitter account.

Two male subjects ran from the police and the SAPD detectives observed one of them discard a loaded black HK 9mm semi-auto under a vehicle.

All of the subjects were detained without incident.

The SAPD did not reveal the location of the arrest nor the identities of the suspects. They also did not reveal the charges the suspects may be facing.

The SAPD recovered a gun from a juvenile suspect today

Posted on July 6, 2020 by Editor Posted in Crime, Gangs, Guns, Santa Ana, SAPD 1 Comment

While patrolling the area of 1200 blk of W. Brook today, northeast of the corner of S. Bristol and W. McFadden, SAPD MET detectives attempted to contact a male juvenile, according to the SAPD’s Twitter account.

The subject ran from officers on foot while holding his front waistband.

He was in possession of a semi-auto handgun w/ additional magazine in his pocket. The gun was recovered by the detectives.

The SAPD did not identify the suspect or detail the charges he is facing.

The SAPD is investigating an early morning fatal shooting by Our Lady of the Pillar Church

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Editor Posted in Churches and Religion, Crime, Gangs, Santa Ana, SAPD Leave a comment

On Monday, June 29, 2020, at 1:49 AM, SAPD Officers responded to a report of a shooting with a victim down on the sidewalk in the 1700 Block of West 5th Street (near Our Lady of the Pillar Church). Officers arrived within minutes and located an unresponsive adult male suffering apparent gunshot wounds. Orange County Fire Authority paramedics pronounced the victim deceased at 2:06 AM.

SAPD Homicide Section detectives responded and assumed the investigation. The identity of the decedent is being withheld pending identification by the Orange County Coroner’s Division and notification of next of kin.

The motive for the attack is unknown at this time. Detectives encourage anyone with information regarding this incident to come forward and provide a statement.

Santa Ana Police Department Homicide Section (714) 245-8390

Orange County Crime Stoppers 1 (855) TIP-OCCS / 1 (855) 847-6227
https://occrimestoppers.org/

Mexican Mafia associate from Santa Ana sentenced to 17½ years in Federal prison

Posted on June 28, 2020 by Editor Posted in Crime, Federal Government, Gangs, Santa Ana 7 Comments

LOS ANGELES – A Mexican Mafia associate who ordered murders and assaults in Orange County’s jail system on the prison gang’s behalf was sentenced today to 210 months in federal prison for his racketeering conspiracy conviction.

Ramon Alvarez, 45, of Santa Ana, was sentenced by United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner. Alvarez pleaded guilty in June 2017 to one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.

Alvarez admitted in his plea agreement that, from October 2008 until September 2013, he agreed to assist the Mexican Mafia while he was a jail inmate. Alvarez was given the power to place fellow inmates on “hard candy” or “green light” lists, which marked other inmates for murder or assault within the Orange County jail system.

In December 2011, Alvarez authorized a co-conspirator to stab and kill a jail inmate, according to court documents. In October 2012, Alvarez identified a jail inmate victim who was cooperating with law enforcement in another inmate’s murder trial, and other Mexican Mafia associates later assaulted that inmate at the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange.

The prison gang’s Orange County faction was headed by Peter Ojeda, a longtime Mexican Mafia member who controlled Latino street gangs in Orange County for at least three decades. Ojeda was found guilty in 2016 of racketeering offenses and was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, where he died in 2018 at the age of 76.

Ojeda was involved in the operation and management of the Mexican Mafia’s activities in Orange County, which included orchestrating murder schemes, extortion and narcotics trafficking. Ojeda ordered Latino street gangs in Orange County to pay “taxes” that consisted of a portion of the proceeds the gangs earned from various criminal activities, including drug trafficking. In return, gang members were permitted to exert influence over their neighborhoods and territories and seek protection or assistance from the Mexican Mafia.

Alvarez was one of 25 defendants named in a RICO indictment brought as part of Operation “Smokin’ Aces,” which was a multi-agency operation that targeted the Orange County wing of the Mexican Mafia and led to charges against more than 80 defendants in federal court. In total, prosecutors have secured 76 convictions in these cases.

The investigation was jointly conducted by special agents of the Santa Ana Gang Task Force, which consisted of agents and officers with the FBI; IRS Criminal Investigation; the Santa Ana Police Department; the Orange County Sheriff’s Department; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation-Special Service Unit.

These cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel H. Ahn of the Santa Ana Branch Office.

The SAPD arrested a shooting suspect and seized his drugs and his Glock 9mm

Posted on June 25, 2020 by Editor Posted in Crime, Drugs, Gangs, Guns, Santa Ana, SAPD 2 Comments

#SantaAnaPD Gang Detectives located a wanted subject suspected in 2 separate shootings. In plain view, detectives located a loaded Glock 9mm semi-auto on the passenger floorboard. A further search of his vehicle, revealed a small amount of heroin & meth inside the vehicle. pic.twitter.com/KbBFtscmfS
— SantaAnaPD (@SantaAnaPD) June 26, 2020

SAPD Gang Detectives located a wanted subject this evening who was suspected in two separate shootings, according to the SAPD’s Twitter account.

In plain view, the SAPD police detectives located a loaded Glock 9mm semi-auto on the passenger floorboard.

A further search of his vehicle revealed a small amount of heroin and meth inside the vehicle.

The suspect was not identified nor were the pending charges revealed.

The SAPD seized a 9mm gun from a gang suspect

Posted on June 25, 2020 by Editor Posted in Crime, Gangs, Guns, Santa Ana, SAPD Leave a comment

The SAPD had their hands full yesterday. We already posted about the fatal shooting at the Santa Ana Cemetery and their seizure of a large quantity of illegal fireworks as well as the Homeland Security raid that took place in Santa Ana. There was at least one other newsworthy bust by our local police.

SAPD Gang Detectives received a Crime Stoppers Tip regarding a subject in possession of firearms, according to the SAPD’s Twitter account.

SAPD police detectives completed a surveillance of the suspect’s residence and then stopped the subject as he tried to leave in a vehicle. The subject was determined to be in possession of a loaded 9mm firearm. That gun was seized by the SAPD.

The SAPD did not name the suspect or reveal if he is now facing any additional charges. If the suspect was on parole or on probation, possession of the 9mm gun could definitely lead to more prison time.

The fatal shooting at the Santa Ana Cemetery may have been gang related

Posted on June 25, 2020 by Editor Posted in Crime, Gangs, SAPD Leave a comment

On Wednesday, June 24, 2020, at 6:31 PM, SAPD Officers responded to reports of a shooting with two victims down inside the Santa Ana Cemetery, located at 1919 East Santa Clara Avenue.

Upon arrival, officers located an adult male suffering multiple gunshot wounds. Orange County Fire Authority paramedics declared him deceased at approximately 6:46 PM. Officers located a second adult male, suffering a non-life threatening gunshot wound, in a vehicle attempting to the leave the cemetery. Paramedics transported him to a local trauma center for treatment.

During the preliminary field investigation, officers determined a large group, consisting of adults and children, assembled to honor the memory of a loved one on the anniversary of his death. At approximately 6:30 PM, two unidentified male suspects approached the group and fired multiple rounds from a handgun, striking the two men.

The motive for the attack is unknown at this time; however, there is evidence to suggest a gang motivation. This case may be eligible for the SAPD Gang Homicide Reward Program.

Detectives encourage anyone who was present at the gravesite or any other victims or witnesses come forward and provide a statement.

Santa Ana Police Department Homicide Section (714) 245-8390

Orange County Crime Stoppers 1 (855) TIP-OCCS / 1 (855) 847-6227
https://occrimestoppers.org/

A man was shot dead last night near Madison Park

Posted on June 1, 2020 by Editor Posted in Crime, Gangs, Guns, Santa Ana, SAPD Leave a comment

On Sunday, May 31, 2020, at 10:57 PM, SAPD Officers responded to reports of a shooting with a subject down at 1600 South Evergreen Street, just south of Madison Park. Officers located an adult male down on the east sidewalk suffering multiple apparent gunshot wounds. Officers initiated lifesaving measures. Orange County Fire Authority paramedics responded and declared the man deceased at 11:06 PM.

Detectives suspect gang rivalry as the motive for the crime. Detectives encourage anyone with information regarding this incident to come forward and provide a statement. This case is eligible for the SAPD Homicide Reward Program.

Santa Ana Police Department Homicide Section (714) 245-8390

Orange County Crime Stoppers 1 (855) TIP-OCCS / 1 (855) 847-6227
https://occrimestoppers.org/