'Rollin' 30s' LA Street Gang Targeted In 'Operation Thumbs Down'
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Dozens of suspected members and associates of a notorious South Los Angeles gang were behind bars Thursday on drug and conspiracy charges following a series of multi-agency raids.
KNX 1070's Megan Goldsby reports more than 800 law enforcement officers seized guns and drugs in "Operation Thumbs Down".
Top LA Street Gang Targeted In 'Operation Thumbs Down'
Officials with the Los Angeles Police Department, FBI, City Attorney's Office and the U.S. Attorney's Office announced federal indictments in the wake of an 18-month investigation that targeted members and associates of the Rollin' 30s Harlem Crips.
Since 2008, at least 29 homicides have been reported in the gang's territory, which incorporates the neighborhood between Jefferson Avenue, Martin Luther King Avenue, Normandie Avenue and Crenshaw Avenue.
In addition, approximately 1,100 robberies and 1,075 assaults have been reported in the gang's claimed 1.5-square-mile territory, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Part of the nearly yearlong investigation into the multi-generational gang turned up several social media postings with photos of very small children of the gang members pointing guns at the camera, Goldsby said.
City Attorney Mike Feuer said his office will continue to pursue civil actions to include property abatement, evictions and case conferences for gang-controlled locations.
"[These actions] say to the owner of a property, 'We need you to take steps to get gang members out of your properties, we need you to take steps to ensure your properties are safe," Feuer said.
If convicted, most defendants arrested in the operation face mandatory to minimum prison terms ranging from 5-10 years and maximum penalties of 20 or 30 years in federal prison.
Defendants were expected to make an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles later on Thursday.
