Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - Citing the recent mass shooting in Monterey Park, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion aimed at toughening gun regulations.
Item 2, authored by Janice Hahn, would prohibit the selling of .50-caliber rounds of ammunition and accompanying firearms in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, as well as prohibit the possession of firearms on county property with some exceptions. An ordinance could also establish a 1,000-foot buffer between firearms dealers and child-sensitive areas. Amendments to the county code would also strengthen regulation of firearms and ammunition dealers in county areas. Hahn also authored Items 56-A, which would direct the county’s Chief Executive Office’s Legislative Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations branch to support state legislation SB 2 and SB 241, which would strengthen conceal-carry laws and require federally-licensed firearms dealers to complete annual training provided by the California Department of Justice. Item 8, authored by Hilda Solis, would authorize the County Chief Executive Office’s Legislative Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations branch to send a five-signature letter to U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein and the Los Angeles County Congressional delegation showing support for S.14 and S. 25, which seeks to raise the minimum age to purchase assault weapons from 18 to 21. The bills would also ban the sale, transfer, manufacture and import of military-style assault weapons, high-capacity magazines and other high-capacity ammunition feeding devices. Item 15, authored by Lindsey Horvath, would create county ordinances that would require all firearms in a residence to be securely stored in a locked container or disabled with a trigger lock. An ordinance would also mandate liability insurance for gun owners. Item 15 also requests the feasibility of implementing a county gun database. A county code would be created to require the posting of signs warning customers about the risk associated with access to firearms wherever they are sold. The series of motions were unanimously approved. “I intend to do whatever is possible to protect Los Angeles County residents, particularly following the tragedy in the First District community of Monterey Park. Gun-related violence will continue to cause mass damage, trauma, and harm if we do not take the necessary steps at all levels of government,” Solis said in a written statement. “This includes supporting key gun safety legislation like Senator Feinstein’s recent action to reinstate the assault weapons and high -capacity magazine ban. Today, living in the United States of America means being at risk of becoming a victim of a mass shooting. To that end, time is of the essence." Board Chair Hahn echoed the notion that Congress has failed to enact gun reform. “Because they have not acted — we have found actions we can take at the county level to protect lives,” Hahn said in a written statement. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES – Authorities announced 13 arrests and the seizure of 114 firearms and more than 49,000 rounds of ammunition in a five-day sweep across Los Angeles County to keep the weapons and ammo out of the hands of criminals.
Agents from the California Department of Justice Bureau of Firearms partnered with police departments from Azusa, Pasadena, Pomona, the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Probation Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Authorities targeted 51 cities and arrested individuals prohibited from possessing firearms, according to the California Department of Justice. The sweep began February 14. Firearms seized reportedly included 55 handguns, 19 rifles, 15 shotguns, 17 assault weapons, and 8 ghost guns, according to the California Department of Justice. The arrests were aided by the state DOJ’s Armed and Prohibited Persons System, in which the arrestees were identified as being prohibited from possessing firearms. “Pasadena Police Department is excited about partnering with the California Department of Justice in an effort to stop gun violence," Interim Pasadena Police Chief Cheryl Moody said. "This collaboration will certainly benefit those communities most impacted by individuals who illegally possess or use firearms.” The Armed and Prohibited Persons System was launched in California 16 years ago. California was the first to launch such a database. “California’s Armed and Prohibited Persons System is a critical tool that makes the work of cracking down on illegal gun ownership and possession possible,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “Last week, using APPS and working together with our law enforcement partners in Southern California, our teams removed 114 firearms from individuals who are no longer legally allowed to own or possess firearms or ammunition. Collaborative efforts like these increase our success in taking guns out of potentially dangerous hands, reducing gun violence, and keeping our neighborhoods safe.” Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION – Authorities continue to search for six men wanted in connection with a large-scale drug trafficking organization.
The six fugitives are among 13 others named in four separate indictments and charged with various offenses related to drugs and weapons. The crimes were carried out in the Los Angeles Police Department’s Harbor Division, according to the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. Pomona man Hector Yair Sanchez, 25, is among the six fugitives charged in Operation “Wipe Out,” initiated by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force in 2020. Four indictments were unsealed November 16. From April to July 2021, undercover officers conducted numerous operations that helped identify the 13 suspects from California and Arizona. Officers seized 250 pounds of methamphetamine, one pound of fentanyl, six handguns and one rifle, according to the FBI. Arrested were: Adrian Abasolo, 26, from San Diego Alejandro Mendoza, 45, from Los Angeles Hector Valentin, 28, from Long Beach Rodolfo Ulyses, 61, from Bullhead City, Arizona Juan Antonio Aguilar-Bravo, 45, from Calexico Gabriela Contreras, 42, from Gardena Marisela Sanchez, 43, from Wilmington Those arrested were scheduled for initial court appearances Tuesday in the nearest federal district court to where the arrests occurred. Still sought are: Hector Yair Sanchez, 25, from Pomona Christian Garcia, 29, from Long Beach Jorge Luis Perez Sandoval, 36, from Victorville Luis Fernando Verdugo, 25, from Pacoima Alexander Guerrero, 42, from Los Angeles Oscar Humberto Gallegos, 35, from San Diego Among the charges are: conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; felon in possession of firearm and ammunition; conspiracy; unlawful sale, transport, and transfer of a firearm by an unlicensed dealer; conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine; and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine, according to the FBI. If convicted as charged, the suspects face a range of statutory maximum sentences ranging from five years to life in prison, according to the FBI. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - More than 100 pounds of methamphetamine, 15 pounds of heroin and eight unregistered firearms were seized during a search warrant operation at two El Monte locations December 1. Two men were taken into custody during the operation and both were booked on suspicion of being felons in possession of loaded firearms and possessing narcotics for the purposes of sales, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The suspects are described as current gang members and ex-felons, according to Lt. David Auner of the Operation Safe Streets Bureau. Three of the eight weapons seized are described as assault rifles, Auner said in a December 3 news conference. Initially, the OSS investigation dealt with weapons offenses, but good timing allowed for the discovery of the narcotics. OSS detectives are in contact with the weapons manufacturers to trace where they were distributed to, Auner said. OSS credits the work of Sheriff’s gang detectives and community members for making the arrests and seizure of contraband possible. More arrests are anticipated.
“It was information provided by community members who have contact with our detectives. Many of those community members are crime victim families ... through those contacts, developed information about trying to reduce violent crime activity,” Auner said. Weapons include a 12-gauge shotgun, two M4 assault rifles, AK47, MAC-12, a .45-caliber 1911 semi-automatic pistol, a 9mm semi-automatic pistol and a 9mm assault pistol, Auner said. Auner declined to provide the names of both suspects, citing the ongoing investigation. The Operation Safe Streets Bureau works to investigate crimes committed by gangs in Los Angeles County, assists in gang suppression operations and works to discourage youth from engaging in gang activity. In 2020, OSS teams have arrested 461 suspects in violent crimes, have seized 305 firearms and have conducted 471 search warrant operations. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - A man accused of driving a truck through a protest in Pasadena May 31 was found with an illegally-obtained weapon, part of a cache of weapons believed to be amassed for acts of civil disorder.
Benjamin Jong Ren Hung, 28, was charged with one count of conspiracy to transport firearms across state lines and to make a false statement in acquisition of firearms. Prosecutors allege Hung, a San Marino resident, acquired a cache of four weapons purchased in Oregon and then transported across the state line into California, according to an affidavit filed with the complaint against Hung. A friend of Hung purchased one handgun in Oregon and allegedly falsely stated that he was the transferee of the weapon, rather than Hung. The weapon was transported to California and kept in Hung’s home prior to the May 31 protest, the affidavit stated. In March, Hung allegedly purchased three additional handguns himself in Oregon and transported them to California. “[Hung] also allegedly amassed other firearms and tactical equipment from suppliers throughout the United States and used his family’s vineyard in Lodi, California as a training camp to prepare to engage in civil disorders,” the affidavit stated. Hung was arrested after attempting to drive through protestors on a street in Old Town Pasadena May 31. Protesters scattered as a truck approached. No one was injured. Pasadena Police searched Hung’s truck and found a loaded semiautomatic handgun, multiple high-capacity magazines loaded with ammunition, an 18-inch machete, $3,200 in cash, a long metal pipe and a megaphone,” the affidavit stated. If convicted as charged, Hung could face a statutory maximum of five years in federal prison, authorities said. This incident was investigated by the FBI’s Los Angeles Joint Terrorism Task Force and Civil Rights squads and the Pasadena Police Department. Hung was ordered detained at an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles Wednesday. He is scheduled for bail status hearing September 28. He is scheduled to be arraigned October 15. |
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