During reporters' Q & A, Chief Luna reiterated a theme he's stated elsewhere, calling for a "hard look at a lot of the criminal and social justice reforms that have occurred..." He acknowledged that a lot of the changes were "well intended and [are] doing some good things for some people. I mean we have juvenile systems where we've diverted juveniles for first time offenders. I think that's what people want to see and it's actually working out really well" but contrasted this with the circumstances in the Feb. 14 juvenile arrests for the murders/attempted murder/shootings:

"[I]f you have individuals that are gang members, on probation for committing violent acts and they're on the street again, we really need to take a hard look at maybe [pauses] No one wants to incarcerate a juvenile. Neither do I but at the end of the day I'm focused on victims, we are all focused on victims and that's where our priority is. Take care of suspects but victims is number one, and I think from that perspective, follow what happens here and see what happens to these three young individuals and see if they're going to be held accountable for basically ruining the lives of 19 different people and their families." Chief Luna stated.

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LRREPORT.com provides extended on-demand VIDEO of the press conference (including reporters' Q & A) below.

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The string of shootings impacted neighborhoods through areas north of downtown through Central LB and Cambodia Town (parts of LB's 1st, 4th and 6th Council districts.)

LBPD says the arrests were part of a simultaneous operation that included "parole and probation compliance checks at 24 locations in Long Beach, Los Angeles, Norwalk, and Paramount" and "included inmate cell searches in various state prisons and in two Los Angeles County jails." In total, 13 individuals -- ten adult suspects plus the three juveniles in connection with the LB murders/shootings -- were taken into custody on various charges. LBPD says six firearms, five handguns and one rifle, were seized, and roughly three pounds of methamphetamines, an undetermined amount of U.S. currency, and additional evidence are still being processed."

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In its release, LBPD states in pertinent part:

On Friday, February 14, 2020, the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) coordinated a complex, multi-location operation related to the investigation of two murders and at least five shooting incidents, which resulted in the arrest of three male juvenile subjects and additional suspects.

In an effort to seriously impact violent crime in the City of Long Beach, the operation included simultaneous search warrants and parole and probation compliance checks at 24 locations in Long Beach, Los Angeles, Norwalk, and Paramount. It also included inmate cell searches in various state prisons and in two Los Angeles County jails.

In support of this operation, the below agencies conducted the following:

• Los Angeles Police Department – Assisted with a search warrant at a residence in the City of Los Angeles.
• Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department – Assisted with two search warrants at residences in the City of Long Beach and one in the City of Paramount.
• Los Angeles County Probation Department – Conducted probation compliance checks at eight locations within the City of Long Beach, Norwalk, Paramount and Los Angeles.
• California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation – Conducted inmate cell searches in various state prisons and parole compliance checks at seven locations in the City of Long Beach.

The current arrest totals in this operation include 13 individuals, ten adult suspects and the three juveniles, who were taken into custody and booked on various charges. In addition, six firearms, five handguns and one rifle, were seized, approximately three pounds of methamphetamines, undetermined amount of U.S. currency, and additional evidence is still being processed.

The male juvenile subjects, all from Long Beach and members of a local Hispanic criminal street gang, were taken into custody and booked for the following:

• Juvenile #1, a 16-year-old male, was taken into custody in the 1400 block of Locust Avenue and booked for murder and attempted murder and is being held without bail

• Juvenile #2, a 17-year-old male, was taken into custody in the 1400 block of Obispo Avenue and booked for murder and attempted murder and is being held without bail

• Juvenile #3, a 17-year-old male, was taken into custody in the 1500 block of Rose Avenue and booked for attempted murder and is being held without bail

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The incidents these subjects are believed to be responsible for, which affected the lives of 19 male and female victims ranging in ages 16 to 71, occurred between November 21, 2019 and February 4, 2020 at various times and locations and are as follows:

Murder Investigations:

November 22, 2019: 1500 block of Magnolia Ave. (Click to view previous news release). An adult male victim succumbed to his injuries after sustaining gunshot wounds to his upper torso as a result of being shot at by a male suspect while standing outside of a residence with two additional victims. The additional two victims were uninjured.

December 29, 2019: 2300 block of E. 14th St. An adult male victim sustained fatal gunshot wounds to his upper torso after being approached by two male suspects while on the sidewalk in front of a residence with four additional victims. The other victims were uninjured.

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Shooting Investigations:

November 21, 2019: 1100 block of E. 10th St.: Five victims, three adult males and two adult females, sustained non-life threatening gunshot wounds to their lower torsos as a result of being shot at by a male suspect while gathered in an alley located behind a residence.

December 19, 2019: 1300 E. Anaheim St. An adult male victim sustained non-life threatening gunshot wounds to his lower torso as a result of being shot at by three male suspects.

January 5, 2020: 2100 block of Locust St. An adult female victim sustained non-life threatening gunshot wounds to her lower torso as a result of being shot at after being confronted by a group of male suspects while standing in an alley at the rear of a residence.

February 2, 2020: 900 block of Park Circle. Two victims, one adult male and one juvenile female, sustained non-life threatening gunshot wounds to their lower torsos as a result of being shot at by a group of male suspects after the suspects attempted to rob the victims while they were walking in the area.

February 4, 2020: 900 block of Maine Ave. A male juvenile victim sustained a non-life threatening gunshot wound to his upper torso as a result of being shot at by an unknown suspect while in the area.

Through substantial evidence gathered throughout this 4-month-long investigation, in addition to critical information provided by community members, detectives identified the three juveniles as those responsible for these multiple senseless acts of violence. Detectives believe these crimes were committed in furtherance and for the benefit of a gang.

Detectives anticipate presenting their case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office early next week for filing consideration.

"It is unacceptable that we have 16 and 17-year-olds from our community who are being recruited into the gang lifestyle and choosing to terrorize, injure and end the lives of others," said Long Beach Police Chief Robert G. Luna. "These arrests are a strong reminder to our community that it is our shared responsibility to identify and disrupt pathways to violence."

The LBPD will continue to work with our government, community, and law enforcement partners to protect our community and continue making it a safe city for all people. We also remind our community that if you observe threatening or concerning posts on social media, you must immediately report it.,.

We urge anyone who may have information regarding any of these incidents to immediately contact the LBPD Homicide Detail Detectives Adrian Garcia, Sean Magee or Leticia Gamboa at (562) 570-7244. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or text TIPLA plus your tip to 274637 (CRIMES), or visit www.lacrimestoppers.org.On Friday, February 14, 2020, the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) coordinated a complex, multi-location operation related to the investigation of two murders and at least five shooting incidents, which resulted in the arrest of three male juvenile subjects and additional suspects.

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