My hat is off to Santa Monica Police Chief Timothy Jackman and the law enforcement personnel involved in the Feb. 8 arrests of eight suspected West Los Angeles gang members allegedly involved in the deaths of Eddie Lopez and Miguel Martin.
These assassins may have comprised a “hit squad” that had been shooting up south Santa Monica for more than two years. Their hunting trips may include a high-profile shooting behind the Edison Elementary School playground on the afternoon of Sept. 28, 2004. Although nobody was hit, the incident initiated a series of community meetings on youth violence and demands for more police protection of schools.
Other Pico Neighborhood shootings followed. In one, a 17-year old girl was hit in the leg as she entered an apartment building, and in another, shots were fired at a couple seated in their car.
Almost a year ago to the day, Lopez, a popular 15-year-old Santa Monica High School honor student, was shot to death at a strip mall at the corner of Pico Boulevard and 26th Street. Lopez and two friends were approached by a young Hispanic man who shouted out a gang name and opened fire, hitting Lopez in the chest.
Two days after Christmas, 22-year-old Miguel Martin was gunned down while walking with friends on Pico Boulevard next to Virginia Avenue Park. A black Honda Accord pulled up and a male Hispanic began yelling gang-related comments. Martin and his friends took off. Shots were fired and Martin was struck in the back and died of his injuries.
Solving these murders was a priority for the Santa Monica Police Department. Working with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Gang Enforcement Team and the Los Angeles County District’s Attorney’s office, enough evidence was obtained to arrest eight individuals.
I won’t contribute to their notoriety by disclosing names, but an 18-year-old Hispanic male and a 15-year old Hispanic female were charged with murder. In addition, five male Hispanics and a white male, ranging in age from 15 to 22, were charged with felonies such as attempted murder, gang conspiracy, assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm.
The crimes and the ages of the alleged perpetrators are horrendous enough, but even more shocking is that some Santa Monica and West L.A. residents apparently knew about these activities and kept silent.
Statements from Chief Jackman to surf-santamonica.com indicate that his department’s success in solving this crime spree was a result of “... shaking a lot of trees.” He added that there was “a lot better coopera-tion in the community” after Martin was gunned down. “When Miguel was shot, it upset an awful lot of people and we got cooperation from people who had not cooperated before.”
Other police investigations were also hampered by a lack of cooperation and information from witnesses. For example, the murders of Hector Bonilla and Jonathan Hernandez at a private party in the Santa Monica Moose Lodge on Ocean Park Boulevard in March 2005. There, two victims were gunned down in front of an estimated 60 or 70 people who “saw nothing.” Three hard-core Los Angeles gang members were eventually arrested for the slayings.
There was also a conspiracy of silence that shielded the young man who shot Jalonie Carter in March 2003, although the SMPD eventually found and brought his killer to justice, too.
Because those with information won’t come forward, gangs keep communities in fear. Meanwhile, all the “stop the violence” meetings and vigils accomplish little when murderers and gunslingers are protected by friends and family. Even more pathetic is blaming the crimes on social repression of the poor and people of color. These shootings were simply “deer hunts” conducted by depraved psychopaths looking for humans as prey.
We all can breathe easier in Santa Monica because brave citizens came forward and provided important information to law enforcement that hopefully has ended a crime spree and solved two senseless murders.
I understand the fear of being found out, labeled a “snitch” and risking payback. But anyone can help anonymously by calling the We-Tip national hotline at 1 (800) 78- CRIME (2-7463). Cash rewards of up to $1,000 are often dispensed for good tips.
One small lead might be all police need to investigate, build a case, make an arrest and really “end the violence.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 19, 2007. Read the original PDF.