Boys, 14 and 15, held in drive-by Police: Teens shot at rival taggers

LA Daily News ^ | 11/08/2006 | SUE DOYLE

[bd476]

NORTH HILLS - In a sign that the San Fernando Valley's surge in gang violence could be drawing in younger members, police said they arrested a 15-year-old triggerman and his 14-year-old accomplice Wednesday after a drive-by shooting that seriously injured a 12-year-old and two of his teenage friends.

The two suspected gang members are accused of attacking three boys who police said belong to a graffiti, or tagging, crew. A third suspect in Tuesday's North Hills drive-by shooting remains at large.

"These are not established gang members. These are junior high and high school students who are taking out a gun to shoot another over a tag," said Michel Moore, Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief.

It was the latest in a growing number of bloody clashes on local streets sparked by roaming bands of teens carrying cans of spray paint and etching tools. Tagging crews, which can start in grade school and continue through high school, leave self-styled monikers scrawled across store fronts, freeway overpasses and street signs for notoriety.

Police estimate there are at least 150 tagging crews in the Valley.

Wars are declared among tagging crews when they cross out competitors' nicknames or paint over them - known as capping. Taggers can also find trouble with established gangs who traditionally mark their territory with their own symbols and don't want tagging on their streets.

In a new trend, taggers are arming themselves with guns and other weapons as defense against other tagging crews and gangs - leading to behavior previously associated only with gangs.

Last month, an 18-year-old North Hollywood man was shot to death by a crew of taggers on a street plastered with his nickname in black spray paint.

The man was the 37th victim of a gang-related killing this year in the San Fernando Valley. These deaths account for more than half of the homicides in the Valley so far this year and already surpass last year's total gang killings.

Moore attributed the increase in gang violence to a proliferation of young tagging crews and said more officers are being added to street patrols. Although he said the violence is nothing to dismiss, he added that it's not at a level where residents should be afraid to go outside.

Everyone "should be able to stand on the street and not fear you're going to be shot in cold blood," he said. "Gang members will target and use violence against those who merely disagree or merely paint something on a wall."

With the exception of the 12-year-old, all involved in Tuesday's shooting are Monroe High School students. But news of the drive-by in the 9400 block of Orion Avenue wasn't the topic of conversation Wednesday at the campus that sits just blocks away, students said.

"I think people have gotten used to the fact that there are gangs around," said 17-year-old Duane Rose as he walked home from school.

Rose stepped across white flare debris on the street between Plummer Street and Orion Avenue that was closed off after Tuesday's shooting. Light tagging marked the sidewalk and street light poles on Plummer, but the tree-lined Orion appeared largely untouched.

However, residents living there remained jittery after the shooting. In fact, three girls walking home ran away when a pickup truck with its windows down crept suspiciously down Orion.

William "Blinky" Rodriguez, who operates Communities in Schools, a gang-prevention and intervention nonprofit, said many are unaware of the growing number of young adults on the streets and the violence they face every day. "People need to recognize that there's nothing normal about what's going on," Rodriguez said.

If You Go

To combat youth violence, thousands of people are expected to gather at Pierce College for a four-day anti-gang event that will kick off tonight.It will begin at 7 p.m. on the Woodland Hills campus, 6201 Winnetka Ave.

[bd476]

Los Angeles Police Department Chief William Bratton has responded. He said Thursday that he

" 'can't manufacture cops' and the Valley would have to make do with those it has."

No more cops for the Valley (Secession was a good thing)

[kinoxi]

It shouldn't be allowed to get this far.

[WorkingClassFilth]

Thhere's nothing wrong with this country that a few hundred thousand executions can't straighten out.

[hnj_00]

absolutely....after all they are all illegals no matter what the article says....why should taxpayers have to pony up for this crap...if the illegal youths can't be sent home...put them down like rabid dogs....screw the libs that fight for their "rights"

[n230099]

This piece describes an entire nether world that I do not understand or have any answers for. When someone's world references are bizarro world scribblings on bridge abutments and buildings and their life is spent making sure that their message "stays on top" and they will kill to make sure, society has most certainly lost these folks.

[DumpsterDiver]

ping

[FreedomPoster]

Ping.

It may be far away from here, but yet it is far too close.

[bd476]

kinoxi wrote: "It shouldn't be allowed to get this far."

Too late for that. And if not there already, it's on its way. No neighborhood is immune.

Death linked to gangs in San Fernando Valley

[fieldmarshaldj]

Ah, remember the good old days when teens hung out in basements, smoked pot, and listened to that rock 'n roll music ?

[WorkingClassFilth]

Well, that was mostly sarcasm. Mostly.

[mtbopfuyn]

absolutely....after all they are all illegals no matter what the article says....why should taxpayers have to pony up for this crap

I don't know the socio-economic make up of the valley but would imagine that area would have a large illegal population. Either way, all it would have taken to prevent such behaviors is a father figure in the house who wasn't afraid of using his belt once in a while.

[libstripper]

Looks like the subhumans are doing a good job of exterminating each other. I've never bought into the idea that "massive, bloody gang wars" are a bad thing. They just kill each other off making life safer for the good people.

[bd476]

"hnj_00 wrote: "absolutely....after all they are all illegals no matter what the article says...."

That is wrong, hnj_00. Gang affiliations include all.

Race/Ethnicity of Gang Members

Respondents provided information regarding the race/ethnicity of youth gang members in their jurisdiction per survey year.

• Law enforcement agencies report a greater percentage of Hispanic/Latino and African American/black gang members compared to other race/ethnicities.
• The racial/ethnic composition of gang members as reported by law enforcement is virtually unchanged in the 2001–2004 survey period compared with the 1996–1999 survey period.

The bar chart is entitled “Race/Ethnicity of Gang Members.” Displayed horizontally are the four race/ethnicity groups—African American/black, Hispanic/Latino, Caucasian/White, and Other—and displayed vertically are percentages from 0 to 50. The categories “1996-1999 Average” and “2001-2004 Average” are presented as the data points. The heading entitled “Race/Ethnicity of Gang Members” includes bullet points which describe this bar chart." Analysis for this section pertains only to those law enforcement agencies reporting gang problems.

---

Race/Ethnicity of Gang Members by Area Type

The race/ethnicity of youth gang members is compared across area types.

• Across all area types, the majority of law enforcement agencies report that African American/black and/or Hispanic/Latino youth predominate among documented gang members.
• However, additional analysis reveals an important underlying relationship between gang membership size, gang-problem onset, and race/ethnicity characteristics—agencies reporting smaller numbers of gang members or a relatively new emergence of gang problems are significantly more likely to report a greater percentage of Caucasian/white gang members. For example, larger cities with newer gang problems are over twice as likely to report greater variation in racial/ethnic composition of gang members (that is, proportionally fewer African American/black and/or Hispanic/Latino gang members) than larger cities with long-standing gang problems.

The bar chart is entitled “Race/Ethnicity of Gang Members by Area Type, 2004.” Displayed horizontally are the four area types—larger cities, suburban counties, smaller cities, and rural counties—and displayed vertically are percentages from 0 to 60. The four race/ethnicity groups—African American/black, Hispanic/Latino, Caucasian/White, and Other—are presented as the data points. The heading entitled “Race/Ethnicity of Gang Members by Area Type” includes bullet points which describe this bar chart."

Reference:

Institute for Intergovernmental Research
Law Enforcement Research and Training
National Youth Gang Survey Analysis

[johnny7]

Deport all illegals and half our social ills vanish.

[poetknowit]

The gene pool is drowning of its, or in its own accord. Darwin had it right, then, and now.

[bd476]

libstripper wrote: "Looks like the subhumans are doing a good job of exterminating each other. I've never bought into the idea that "massive, bloody gang wars" are a bad thing. They just kill each other off making life safer for the good people."

If you include innocent bystanders like kids sitting at a bus stop in front of their middle school, or if you include the man who was shot standing in front of his home when a stray bullet struck him in the back and killed him, or if you include my neighbor who was shot in our driveway because a gangbanger was going through gang initiation, if you include people like all of them into your "subhuman" category then rest assured, your desire for "massive bloody gang wars" is being fulfilled.

[BeAllYouCanBe]

This "Tagging" scene is not innocent and not productive to artistic development of our precious youths. When I lived in California the amount of money the city paid to remove the graffiti was huge -- and there were full-time juvenile officers tracking "Taggers". These poor misguide youths don't really care about the property they destroy. Almost every railroad car and every truck in the area was defaced.

These "Taggers" have Internet sites displaying their work, have printed magazines and must meet to lay-out territories. I think these youths are budding anarchists.

[bd476]

LOL!

[Wilhelm Tell]

Unless I am mistaken, I think a lot of this "tagging" has to do with gangs marking their territory. So these are gangs fighting over turf and not frustrated "artists" who suddenly became violent.

[BeAllYouCanBe]

Taggers can be part of a gang but also can just be part of the "Tagging Scene". I have talked to kids who have grown up with seeing the sprayed writing and then think that they must imitate the stupid behavior.

I must confess I don't understand the mentality but the thrill is to sneak out at night with a spray can -- deface something -- and then tell your friends about it. Taggers will try to point out parallels between them and graffiti found in ancient Rome.