Authorities arrested a half-dozen suspects Thursday in connection with an alleged 18-month series of gang-related offenses, including murder, allegedly committed as part of a protection racket that siphoned money from businesses in Barrio Logan.
The crimes — involving demands for money backed by threats of assault, burglary and vandalism — have "caused great fear" for storefront proprietors and their employees in the 1900 to 2200 blocks of Logan Avenue, according to a statement from the San Diego Police Department.
"During the investigation, gang detectives and San Diego County District Attorney gang prosecutors learned that, in addition to the extortion to the local businesses, there were also physical assaults to (visitors to) Chicano Park, drug violations and the illegal possession of weapons," the statement asserted.
The alleged crimes, which led to 130 calls for police service, included 18 violent crimes — among them two homicides — as well as 11 burglaries with losses exceeding $100,000, and four acts of vandalism.
The arrests took place during a search-warrant sweep carried out by SDPD officers, personnel with the county sheriff's and probation departments, the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, police said.
The suspects' identities were not released.
The court orders were served at 16 locations, police Capt. Manny Del Toro told reporters during an afternoon briefing. Investigators also "reached out" for potential information from 54 jail and prison inmates, he said.
"And the reason we did this is because we believe this potentially has ties to organized crime," Del Toro told news crews outside downtown SDPD headquarters.
The suspected gang members who allegedly carried out the cash-generating scheme initially would "befriend" their targets, the police captain said.
"They would act non-threatening, welcoming them to the community," Del Toro told reporters. "But over time, the local gang members ... would start to cause problems for the businesses, such as loitering out in front of their businesses ... (leaving) trash, (committing) vandalism to these businesses."
Eventually, an "opportunistic" gang member would approach the victims and suggest that they join a "protection program" for $200 a month — thereby, supposedly, ensuring that "they would not be bothered," Del Toro said.
"However, if they didn't, the business would get vandalized, would get burglarized," the police captain told news crews.
Anyone with information about these incidents can call the SDPD Gang Unit at 619-531-2847 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
