Desert Hot Springs is pretty active for a desert area

Suspected members of two Desert Hot Springs gangs face possible injunctions next month aimed at stifling their presence in key parts of the west Coachella Valley city, which has been plagued by gang-related crime for decades.



Riverside County Superior Court Judge Harold W. Hopp on Wednesday set a May 15 hearing date to consider injunctions against suspected members of the West Drive Locos and True Crime Boys sought by the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.

The measures aim to prevent suspected members from gathering, trespassing, intimidating residents, carrying firearms, showing gang signs, as well as other restrictions in designated “safety zones.”

The injunction against True Crime Boys also would prohibit wearing gang apparel.

Wednesday's action at the Larson Justice Center in Indio follows Friday's massive Operation Falling Sun crime sweep through Desert Hot Springs, which netted the arrest of more than 120 suspected gang members, felons and other criminals.

Nearly 700 federal, state, county and local law enforcement agents participated in Falling Sun. Authorities called it the largest operation of its kind in Riverside County history.

Many of those arrested Friday received letters informing them of Wednesday's preliminary hearing, according to Deputy District Attorney Kirsten Seebart.

The D.A.'s office now aims to serve notice to 40 alleged members of the two gangs, including 30 suspected West Drive Locos members and 10 suspected True Crime Boys members, Seebart said after Hopp's decision.

About half of them are in custody, Seebart added.

The D.A.'s office believes members of West Drive Locos are responsible for at least five homicides since 1994, plus multiple attempted homicides and armed assaults, Seebart said.

“They've shot at a lot of people,” she said.

That includes five attempts to kill law enforcement officers in a 10-day period last summer, including two separate “point-blank” shootings at California Highway Patrol officers as they attempted to pull over cars with West Drive Locos members, Seebart said.

True Crime Boys aren't responsible for any homicides as far as the D.A.'s office is aware, but the gang is responsible for “numerous” shootings, Seebart said. It formed in 2004 to defend members from the West Drive Locos and later evolved to commit crimes having nothing to do with their original self-defense purpose, Seebart said.

She estimated between 250 and 350 gang members live in Desert Hot Springs, in about six different gangs. Their membership is “fluid,” she said.

niners wrote:
West Drive Locos:
That includes five attempts to kill law enforcement officers in a 10-day period last summer, including two separate “point-blank” shootings at California Highway Patrol officers as they attempted to pull over cars with West Drive Locos members, Seebart said.

Damn, all this in a 10 day period...crazy fuckers. They was a mission to kill cops. For a SMALL ass city, seems like there are a lot of gang members out there. If anybody has ever been out there, it's easy to understand why some kids would want to join up with the gangs since there's absolutely NOTHING to do in Desert Hot Springs. I think someone posted an article a couple months back where they damn near caught like 80 gangmembers during a raid.

Dam they estimate that 250-350 gangmembers live in the city but the thing is that cops are not even close from having count of gangmembers so im guessing there might even be up to 500 thats a high number for a small desert city

Desert Hot Springs is pretty fucked up and beat down. Big time meth head area which means LOTS of crime and trouble. Its all really low income and thats where all the shit happens in the area.
My girlfriends ex lives out there now and I know she dont like it when their kid has to go out there to visit, he has to go to grandmas house out in Mecca instead hah.
Just knowing the area Id bet those counts are probably right, I bet most of the town is involved in some shit on one side or another.