Gang warrants yield stolen goods, one arrest

PALMDALE – Stolen property and gang paraphernalia were seized Thursday morning when deputies served five search warrants across the Antelope Valley, authorities said.

“A majority of the searches today were related to juvenile gang members and their commission of an assault,” said Lt. Larry Gregg of the Antelope Valley Crime Fighting Initiatives (AVCFI). “That crime was particularly heinous as a Good Samaritan was also beaten.”

The juveniles are part of 10 to 12 males and females who attacked three people while screaming out a gang name on Jan. 17, near 25th Street East and Palmdale Boulevard, Gregg said.

“They vandalized a vehicle, stole some food and hit the victims with a bunch of cans of food,” Gregg said.

“The third victim was actually a passerby [who] saw what was occurring and tried to help the other two, and he was beaten to almost unconsciousness,” Gregg continued.

After the assault, deputies arrested some of the attackers, most of whom were juveniles. Thursday’s search warrants were conducted to locate evidence of the suspects’ gang affiliations, Gregg said.

The early morning operation was conducted by Operation Safe Streets (OSS) gang unit and other teams from the AVCFI. About 40 deputies served warrants at locations in Palmdale, Littlerock and Lake Los Angeles.

During a search in the 3100 block of Tourmaline Lane in Palmdale, deputies recovered a stolen computer, rug and lock box containing the identity of the victims.

David Holmes, 21, was arrested for receiving stolen property. Holmes is also believed to have been involved in the January assault, officials said.

During another search in the 37600 block of Harvey Street in Palmdale, evidence was found showing the suspect’s ties with a local gang. The suspect’s name was not released because the suspect is a juvenile.

At a third location, in the 37500 block of Litchfield Street in Palmdale, no evidence was recovered, but one person was cited and released for a misdemeanor warrant.

The other two locations, in Littlerock and Lake Los Angeles, did not yield any evidence.

The incident commander, Lieutenant Larry Del Mese of OSS, said the operation was successful.

“The searches led to additional evidence and stolen property being recovered,” Del Mese said. “That property can now be returned to the victims of a burglary.”

The juvenile gang members show a propensity for violence and may possibly be responsible for the recent rise of burglaries in the Palmdale area, Gregg said.

Gregg said he would not identify the gang as he did not want to glorify them or their criminal activity in any way.

Future operations conducted by AVCFI would focus on the gang and their activity, Gregg added.

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