Friday, Dec. 30, 2011

Sting slowed gang activity, but more homicides followed

The press conference was supposed to be the happy conclusion to the uncharacteristic rash of violence that plagued Los Banos in 2011.

Instead it was a temporary respite.

State Attorney General Kamala D. Harris headlined a press conference at City Hall June 8, announcing the arrest of 101 gang members -- including five high-ranking members of Nuestra Familia.

"This operation will bear its fruit, in terms of public safety, for the Central Valley and throughout the state of California," Harris said.

Local law enforcement agreed.

"Our intent is to drive these individuals out of town. If shootings continue to occur, our intent is to continue to conduct operations like this," Police Chief Gary Brizzee told the Enterprise.

Dozens of men were led away in handcuffs at sites in Merced and Madera counties the day before, as part of Operation Red Zone. Thirty of the arrests were made in Los Banos, which has a significant amount of Norteños (foot soldiers for Nuestra Familia).

The city had eight gang-related shootings, 10 total, in a span of two months leading up to Operation Red Zone.

With a few days left until New Year's, 2011 statistics show the city has experienced 19 shootings, 15 of them gang related.

Two months after Operation Red Zone Los Banos experienced its first and second homicides of the year. On Aug. 7 brothers Ruben Sanchez, 34, and Angel Rodriguez, 30, died after being shot in the 500 block of I Street in back of Club Azul. Police said the shootings were gang related and the brothers were part of the outlaw motorcycle gang, the Mongols.

A third Homicide victim was discovered on Thanksgiving when a man, 52-year-old Timothy James, was struck in the head and left dead on the floor of his apartment. The holiday weekend killing was not gang related, police said.

Los Banos went eight years, 1999 to 2007 without a homicide.