Crime is rising even as scores of yuppies are moving into Santa Ana’s Park Santiago Neighborhood. It has been a rude awakening for those who were expecting a vibrant city, not one awash in criminal activity.
This struck particularly close to home on June 4, at 7:19 pm, when there was allegedly a drive by shooting at the 900 block of E. 19th St, according to CrimeMapping and a commenter on the Park Santiago Nextdoor website.
The Santa Ana Police Department does not post their crime logs unlike the cities of Anaheim and Irvine and the OC Sheriff’s Department so I can’t confirm this event but CrimeMapping is pretty accurate.
Needless to say the City of Santa Ana did not publicize this crime via their propaganda service, Nixle.com.
I live on 19th St. One side of the street is lined with houses. The other side is a wall. The Chevy dealership is on the other side of about half of that wall space, The other half has apartments behind it. It was around the beginning of that area. Don’t know if shots were fired parallel with the street or at the apartments, but don’t think it was toward the houses.
Part of the license plate of the grey (or silver?), newer car (possibly Honda with spoiler) was reported by a witness in the immediate vicinity. 4 or 5 shots were fired, and the car zoomed down the street and turned right onto Santiago.
Definitely too close to home. Don’t know of any injuries reported, and don’t think there were any.
Great reporting! Thanks for this insightful information. This was definitely too close to home for a lot of us!
I live on 19th street as well. In fact, it was my driveway that the suspects pulled into to shoot his fire arm. Needless to say, my family was very distraught last night. We have lived in that house for 40 years.
I’m so sorry this happened to you! May God keep your family safe!
Hi Kim,
Ahh…okay, we talked then. I walked down with my father-in-law, who was visiting at the time. Sorry again this happened literally at your home. 10 houses down is still way too close though…
This may be what’s going on…
There was a major gang sweep last year called “Operation Smokin’ Aces” which took out many crime heads in Santa Ana. This sweep resulted in mucho violence in barrio communities as those left behind jockeyed for leadership.
Now that the new heads are in place, it appears that local gangs are recruiting. It’s no secret that the initiation for new gang recruits is to perpetrate random drive by shootings. This has resulted in near weekly tragedies among Santa Ana’s general population.
What local leaders & law enforcement don’t seem to understand is that this goes beyond what can be controlled with a large & visible police presence.
Apparently the 1992 El Salvador Park gang truce (which banned drive bys) is shattered. The question to ask is why?
Were the terms specific to Chief Walters? …or other Civic Leaders… or did the agreement just time out? Who brokered the deal & where are they now?
Until a new truce is negotiated, law enforcement may be spinning wheels with little to show for their efforts. The more they tighten their grip, the more people will slip through their fingers.
The Artists Village and many largely Anglo neighborhoods have usually been avoided by these gangsters, but now it appears that even those old geographic boundaries have been violated.
Perhaps those spray painted skulls popping up throughout DTSA hold clues to what’s on the horizon?
The so called 1992 “gang truce” was not a peace truce. It was the Mexican Mafia controlling activity by local gangs to keep the police attention away from their business. The local gangs could not do a drive by without the permission of the EME. The EME then taxed all local drug transactions conducted by the local gangs. If the gangs disobeyed the EmE a green light was put on their members in the jail and prison system.
Guadalupe, You seem to have good information.
You must be close to failed mayoral candidate Alfredo Amezcua. He of course has begun pushing for a new guy in the mayors seat Roman Renya. Maybe LA EME is alive and kicking in sleeper cells.
It’s all over Santa Ana floral park residence ….don’t be alarmed seniors from floral park….