6 Arrested in Crackdown on Gangs in Truce Region

Six people were arrested during a predawn crackdown on gang activity in the Oakwood and Mar Vista areas on Wednesday, including five gang members charged with parole violations, officials said.

Although a tentative cease-fire has been brokered between two warring gangs in the area, Los Angeles police officials said they will not reduce their presence until they are sure the violence has stopped. A bloody bout of shootings in connection with the gangs has left four dead and 10 injured during the last two months.

“We will not relax our stance,” said Lt. Otis Dobine of the LAPD’s Pacific Division. “We want to be sure the truce is a real truce.”

Gang outreach workers said that at least one of the men arrested Wednesday has played a pivotal role in recent negotiations between members of a mostly black gang from Oakwood and a predominantly Latino gang based in Mar Vista. Some gang workers said they feared that the sweep has derailed the delicate peace negotiations, removing key members who helped influence younger members of the gangs.

The streets of Oakwood and Mar Vista have been relatively peaceful since the last reported gang-related shooting on April 7. In the tentative cease-fire, gang members have agreed to stay out of each other’s turfs and have been planning a face-to-face meeting to sign a formal truce.