Pasadena police kicked off Thursday, April 2, with a pre-dawn sweep that ended with eight people in cuffs and eight firearms off the street, including an AK-style rifle. Investigators hit 10 locations across Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties as part of a probe into alleged gun trafficking tied to a local street gang. The operation started around 3 a.m., and officials say the case is very much still open.
How the operation unfolded
The Pasadena Police Department’s Street Crimes Unit led the coordinated push, backed by tactical teams from Arcadia, Azusa, Baldwin Park, Burbank, El Monte, Irwindale, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Upland, and the U.S. Marshals Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force, according to Pasadena Now. Chief Gene Harris called the multi-agency effort a show of the department’s “continued commitment to disrupting gun trafficking networks and the violent criminal activity they support,” and credited tight coordination between agencies for getting all 10 warrants served without major incident.
Seizures and arrests
Officers ultimately seized seven handguns and one AK-style rifle and arrested eight people in connection with the investigation, MyNewsLA reported. Authorities have not released the names or ages of the suspects or detailed the specific charges they are likely to face, citing the ongoing nature of the alleged gun-trafficking probe.
Gang ties and community outreach
Local coverage notes the raids focused on people linked to the Pasadena Denver Lane Bloods, a group federal authorities have described as a long-running violent criminal enterprise operating in and around Pasadena and the Antelope Valley, per Pasadena Now. At the same time, the city is trying to keep a foot on the prevention side of the street: Pasadena’s GOVIS gang-intervention program logged 1,512 hours in the first quarter and 1,665 hours in the second quarter of 2024, more than 3,100 hours in the first half of the year, and made hundreds of referrals to job training and other services, according to the City of Pasadena’s weekly newsletter.
What comes next
The Pasadena Police Department says the investigation is active and that more details, including formal charges, will be released when they can. The department’s Criminal Investigations Division describes the Street Crimes Unit, which led the operation, as a team focused on suppressing street-level crimes, gang activity, and quality-of-life problems, according to the Pasadena Police Department. Anyone with information about the suspected gun-trafficking network is urged to call the Pasadena Police tip line at 626-744-4241 or submit anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers, MyNewsLA reported.
