Results of Westside gang sweep please cops

Deepa Bharath

Police said they are pleased with a multi-agency gang sweep on the

Westside on Wednesday morning that netted three handguns and what

officers say they believe could be evidence in the recent spurt of

gang-related crimes.

At about 7 a.m. Wednesday, Costa Mesa Police officers -- along

with officials from several other agencies, including the county

Probation Department and Newport Beach, Irvine, La Palma and Santa

Ana police departments -- conducted a massive sweep of several homes

on Center, Maple, Mission and Wilson streets and El Camino and

Shalimar drives.

Costa Mesa Police initiated the sweep to track down suspects in

two shootings, a stabbing and several graffiti incidents that

happened over the last three months, Costa Mesa Gang Detail Sgt. Tim

Schennum said. Police suspect all were gang-related.

The stabbing occurred April 15. A 15-year-old boy was reportedly

attacked by two men while walking in the 1900 block of Wallace

Avenue.

The second incident, a shooting, came less than a month later on

May 9. Men with guns attacked two men standing in a parking lot of an

apartment complex in the 1900 block of Maple Street.

The latest incident left a 20-year-old with a bullet in his back.

A man reportedly shot the victim when he was waiting with a friend in

an alley behind the 800 block of Center Street. None of the injuries

were fatal.

But Schennum said the incidents only go to prove that gang

violence is like a dormant volcano that can erupt any time.

“It goes up and down,” he said, “like a roller coaster.”

The violence and graffiti seem to be the work of three Costa Mesa

gangs, Schennum said.

Graffiti and violence usually go hand-in-hand as far as gangs are

concerned, he said. The gang unit noticed a “decrease in graffiti and

other activity” just before the sweep on Wednesday and after, he

said.

“It goes to show that our enforcement has had some effect,” he

said. “It also helped us because, although we didn’t arrest any

suspects, it was very productive because we collected weapons and

evidence that may or may not be related to the recent incidents.”

No suspects in the gang-related incidents were arrested, but four

people were arrested on suspicion of unrelated offenses.

Police would not discuss the details of the evidence collected.

Schennum said Costa Mesa’s gang detail, consisting of four

officers and himself, will continue to vigorously patrol the streets

seven days a week.

“We’ll be conducting routine probation checks,” he said. “We’ll

continue to maintain our presence in the community as we always do.”

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at deepa.bharath@latimes.com.