Violent crime in Anaheim, home of Disneyland and the Angels baseball team, jumped 10 percent last year and the number of murders nearly doubled, according to FBI crime statistics.
A man sits in handcuffs while being detained as federal and local law enforcement agencies search a home in Anaheim, Calif. on Friday, Aug. 10, 2012.
Dozens of people were arrested during a series of raids in Anaheim, Calif., in an effort to cut down on street gangs.
Some of the raids concentrated on a poor, mainly Latino neighborhood known as Anna Drive, where there has been a recent rise in gang activity, authorities said. Police said 33 people were arrested and another 20 to 25 were already in custody in connection to a yearlong investigation of the East Side Anaheim gang, said police Sgt. Bob Dunn. Others are still being sought.
The raids come as the community is reeling from a series of violent protests following two police-related fatal shootings last month. The protests began after police shot and killed Manuel Díaz, a reputed gang member who was unarmed, on July 21.
The next night, police shot and killed suspected gang member Joel Acevedo after he reportedly shot at an officer.
The killings prompted four days of violent demonstrations and a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit by Díaz’s family.
Mug shots of some reputed suspects were displayed at the news conference Friday. One was named Manuel Díaz but police declined to say whether he was the same Díaz who was shot.
The raids were not related to the shootings and authorities even considered delaying them to avoid that appearance, police Chief John Welter said.
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