Sheriff’s Gang Unit makes arrests after gang-related attacks
By Nao Braverman
Six suspected Ojai Valley gang members were arrested on Oct. 17 and 18 after a month-long investigation by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Gang Unit. Investigators examined the events of three separate attacks over the past month and arrested Kyle Root, Christian Hames, Fidel Duran, Rocky Holbert, and two juveniles.
Twenty-year-old Root, 18-year-old Hames and a juvenile suspected to be an Oak View Gang member, were charged for assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly attacking a 39-year-old male and 65-year-old female on the 500 block of Santa Ana Boulevard in Oak View on Sept. 18.
Gang investigators believe the Santa Ana Blvd. location to be the residence of a rival Ojai Surenos Locos gang member and suspect the attack to be a retaliation for a separate attack committed by the rival gang.
Duran, 18, a suspected member of the OSL was arrested for conspiracy in relation to a Sept. 27 incident where Duran, along with previously arrested Gabriel Arellano and another OSL member, allegedly threw a cup filled with soda into a car occupied by two female adults and a 2-year-old toddler, on Ojai Avenue at Fox Street, striking the female passenger. Investigators believe that at least one of the passengers had ties with an OVG gang member.
Holbert, 18, was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon during the most recent Oct. 6 OVG attack where six individuals, ranging from 13 to 20 years old, were hit with a metal pipe, in front of Dahl’s Market in Oak View. Though the victims had no association with any gang, the assailants mistakenly identified them as members of the OSL gang.
The OSL, a Hispanic criminal street gang based in Ojai, has about 15 to 20 gang members and has been in the area for about 20 years said Ojai Police Capt. Bruce Norris. The OVG, a predominantly white, territorial, criminal street gang that claims the unincorporated area of Oak View, has about 10 to 15 members and has also been around for about 20 years, probably going by different names in the past, Norris said.
He added that the the conflict between the two gangs appears to be racial and territorial.
Though the police department has been working to tackle problems with the two gangs fighting over the past two years, gang-related violence in Ojai had been very low this year, up until the middle of September, said Norris.
The six person, Sheriff’s Gang Unit, created in February, was introduced to address a recent rise in gang-related crime within Ventura County, and is often called upon where a gang enhancement is included in the charge.
Residents are encouraged to call the Gang Tip Hotline at 1-88858GANGS to anonymously report criminal gang activity.
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22 comments:
Good. It's about time. They should be forced to do community service by cleaning up each other's grafitti while wearing pink shirts that say "i'm really just kind of a softy without my homeboys".
You should get your information up to date. All supposed gang members have been released and their bs charges are being dropped. Also the only gang in the valley is OSL you see that tagged on every building. Have you ever seen OVG tagged anywhere? No!
If these little clowns had any guts at all, they'd join the military and do their country some good, but they don't and they won't. They'll just wind up clogging up the court system, the jails, and the county morgue.
Anonymous,
You should be in jail for saying these clowns should disgrace our military. The point is, they don't have any guts, so they never could wear the uniform. The only uniform they should be wearing is the pink shirt that says "I'm a sucker for homeboys"
Actually, in response to the comment about OVG being tagged anywhere -- walk through virtually any part of Oak View and you'll come across any number of "OV" tags -- this is from this group.
Sadly, these charges are not BS -- young people from both groups have decided that escalating violence is a reasonable response to one another.
So far, no one has been seriously injured. I can only hope that these arrests will help convince all of these kids that this isn't a game.
The facts should be straightened out before the press is able to print. Everyone loves to place blame by association. If anyone is familiar with anything that is going on with these kids, they would know that one of them, who they tried to charge with assult with a deadly weapon, was actually in the hospital when these attacks happened, yet the the press (and the police) choose to ignore this fact and print his name relating him to these attacks. It just goes to show that you can't believe everything you read.
Raise your kids right or the world will raise them for you.
Guaranteed.
Which named suspect was in the hospital at the time the alleged crime was committed? Do members of the Gang Task Force know this? The media can only print what it is given by authorities, witnesses, victims or others with verifiable information.
Well, I guess that is why they weren't actually charged with any crime...invalid information, yet even if they haven't done anything, their names have been printed and they have been marked as criminals. It is obvious the police were a little over zealous and acted hastily in making these arrests.
They should be charged just because they are associated with them.
I try to see the positive in these groups, not bad. They are just a bunch of kids with common interest looking for a way to express themselves. Grafitti is a form of art and these youngsters are simply looking for a canvas. I think all those upscale Art Studios should volunteer to help these kids. Everyone wants to complain but no one has solutions. It makes me sick.
Mark Nash...I agree with you 100% These aren't "bad kids" with no future. Most of them have jobs, they pay thier bills and they pay taxes. Just because a couple of the people that hang out in a group of kids do something wrong, that doesn't make them a gang, and the kids that aren't ivolved shouldn't be persecuted because they all grew up together. Maybe instead of condemning these kids, because that is ultimately what they still are, we should be trying to come up with a positive solution, like Mr. Nash suggested.
Positive solution for what? These so called "kids" should be behind bars! I am sick and tired of liberals like Mark Nash trying to sugercoat the real issues: Bad parenting! Maybe if these kids' parents went to high school, instead of dropping out, they wouldn't be so worthless! Make them wear the pink uniforms and we'll see if their "poor me" attitudes change. By the way, Mark, your mommy is looking for you, you liberal wuss!
Vigilante, These kids are simply acting out because of the stereotypes people people like you put on them. Instead of complaining all the time why don't you do something to effect change. You talk about "Bad Parenting," I would like to see your kids how do they communicate by grunting. By the way what's your obsession with pink. You make me sick.
Again, I agree 100%, Mark Nash. Vigilante: All parents can do is teach thier kids right from wrong and lead by example. This does not guarantee you are going to raise an angel. Even the best families have troublemakers in them. That doesn't mean they are bad people. do you live your whole life according to sterotypes? Judging people on what they look like, who they hang out with and what is said about them? If so, it must be miserable to be you, to be so much better than everyone else and have nobody to acknowlege it.
Dear Mr. Nash and Mrs. Anonymous,
what a great couple you two would make. Or should I say, Mr. Anonymous, what a great life partner you would make for the unmanly Mark Nash. But who would wear the pants in that relationship? You both have weak, sissy approaches to a tough problem. You two have no idea how tough it is to fight crime. Note the words used: tough and fight; these are foreign words to your pansy tongues.
Tough juveniles need to be corrected or they become lifelong problems. I suggest holding the parents accountable. What do you support? No responsibility for actions?
No vigilante, you said that they should be behind bars, that is far from a 'correctve' method for reforming mislead teenagers. There is nothing "correctional" about the prison or juvenille facilities in the state of california.
I agree, correction must be done, give these teenagers and children an outlet for their anger. A place to find validation and safety of their own. I think intervention instead of slaunder, insulting, and rejecting would prevent "years of criminals behind bars."
Anonymous,
They should be behind bars if they commit crimes. Last time I checked, destroying and vandalizing property were crimes. Beating up innocent people is a crime, too. Your solution would be arts and crafts time at the "dis"honor farm. Far cry from retribution.
It's funny how they were so quickly put behind bars for crimes against other people and thier property(which by the way, the charges were dropped), but the crimes against them go unpunished. One of these kids was stabbed recently and lost a kidney. Even though the attacker turned himself in, he went free and the victim was then arrested. What kind of justice system do we have here? Arresting for crimes with no evidence to support them and not arresting for admitted crimes? Go figure.
Vigilante- I am a woman, a wife and a mother. And, as I said before, what a sad existence you must have, being better than everyone else and having nobody to aknowlege it. I would love to meet your teenage kids someday so I can see what kind of kids the perfect parent creates. I'll bet they never fight, don't swear, they attend church every Sunday and eat all thier vegetables, just like little robots. One of these kids you are bashing is a relative of mine. He comes from a good family, was raised right, has a job, pays taxes and is NOT a gang member. But, if you had it your way, he would be in jail (wearing pink for some odd reason). Your attitude makes me wonder what happened to you to make you so mean and cynical.
Anonymous Mother,
The Vigilante stands for justice. The Vigilante knows the difference between right and wrong. The Vigilante knows that money has nothing to do with whether a child will be a contributing member of society or a plague that needs to be cut out like a cancer. The parents are responsible and should be held accountable just like these scumbags that should be behind bars.
none of u guys even know what u are talking about. i am one of the kids that got arrested for the assault with a deadly weapon at dahls market. one thing i didn't have a weapon, thats the funny part and i got arrested for it and did 6 months for nothing. all jail does is put you more at risk of becoming worse than what u already are. its stupid.another thing oak view ain't a bunch of skin heads were a bunch of kids who grew up together and take care and watch over the nieghbor hood and each other. none of u know what u are even talking about so shut up and worrier about your selfs........get a life
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