Blog - Gangs - June 2008

We had just saved the founder of the Mexican Mafia’s life by arresting him and sending him to prison. But he wouldn’t be grateful. He would quickly eliminate anyone he suspected of making the heroin buy for the police that got him arrested until he narrowed it down to Buzz.

Each former or active Sheriff’s detective was there to pay his last respects to a neighborhood hero. No one made them come, and many of their peers would have probably ridiculed them for coming to the funeral of a “snitch.” But none of the ridiculers knew what Mad Dog had done to make Los Angeles a safer place. Not many people knew, not even his own family.

The two burly deputies wanted to book him, but I was interested in hearing his story. Hype gang members do not normally seek out the police or walk into a police station. Just for my safety I patted him down for weapons and had him remove his shirt. I saw that he was heavily tattooed with prison and gang tats. His arms proclaimed that he was “Spider” from the infamous “White Fence” gang.