| (May 12, 2021, 9:25 a.m.) -- Residents of the neighborhood just south of PCH and west of LB Blvd. (CD 1/Zendejas) saw/heard the aftermath of another "no person hit" shooting yesterday. It's within the area where LBPD deployed "walking cops" from late February to April 30 as part of a "violence prevention" strategy in which City Council members failed to restore any of the 48 officers they defunded in Sept. 2020 (on top of 180 officers not restored, including LBPD's field anti-gang unit, erased in Council budgets 2009-2015.)
LBPD Public Information Officer Allison Gallagher says (preliminary information) that about 7:29 p.m., officers were sent to the 1700 block of Locust Avenue regarding a shots call. "Upon arrival, officers located casings as well as a building and two parked unoccupied vehicles that had been struck by gunfire," Suspects fled prior to officers' arrival; no persons were reported injured; there's no immediate suspect information and the motive is unknown with LBPD's investigation ongoing. On May 10, officers responded to the 2000 block of Chestnut Avenue (2 blocks north of PCH, the border of the "walking cops" area) after the heard shots, canvassed the area, and observed a male adult suspect running in the street holding a firearm, who allegedly fired shots at unknown victim(s). Officers arrested the suspect, a 29 year old LB man. On May 9, a man was shot/wounded in the area of PCH/Pacific Ave (border CD 1/Zendejas-Cd 6 Saro). On May 4, a man was shot/wounded in the 2000 block of Pacific Ave. (CD 6/Saro) about two blocks north of PCH. Since Jan. 1. Councilwoman Suely Saro's 6th district has had more shootings (fatal + wounding + casings/strike marks found) than any other LB Council district. Councilwoman Zendejas' CD 1 is second. The voted actions of current and past Councils have left LB taxpayers with a significantly thinner police level than Los Angeles, Signal Hill or Santa Monica. [Scroll down for further.] |
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