Watts Tense After 2 Killings, 3 Arrested from Grape St.
/Sept. 24, 2013
A tension not felt in years swept though Watts today in anticipation of a very troubling night as police vowed to come down hard on the Grape Street Crips in Jordan Downs while community leaders from Nickerson Gardens sought to reign in revengeful Bounty Hunters following the Monday night shooting death of rapper Kevin "Flipside" White, aka "DK".
Adding to the cauldron, was the killing of Markice Brider, 29, aka "Chiccen" who was shot in Imperial Courts at about 7:40 p.m., just 10 minutes after White was attacked. Community leaders there also faced the daunting task for holding back the projects' PJ Crips.
Three members of the Grape Street Crips were arrested within an hour of the killings and police are seeking more suspects. The case will go to the District Attorney' office Wednesday. LAPD Captain Phil Tingirides said officers would be "flooding the area" in and around the Grape Street stronghold of Jordan Downs.
"Last night was the most disgusting example of what street gangs do," said Tingirides at an emergency meeting of the Watts Gang Task Force. "I am going to put the pressure on. If you are not going to join the peace, you are gong to deal with me."
Tingirides said that four years ago this type of violence in Watts "was expected, but now it just saddens." adding he that, as forceful as he was speaking at the meeting, he was more hurt than mad.
Reached in the federal prison in Virginia where his is serving out a long sentence, Brian "Loaf" McLucas, legendary shot caller of the Lot Boys set of the Bounty Hunters who DK White once ran with said "Just say he was a life long friend."
Monday afternoon, around 2 p.m., there was a shooting inside Jordan Downs that maybe have been an so-called "in-house" shooting, Tingirides said. Within six hours, two men from Grape Street's long-time rival projects were dead.
Det. Sal LaBarbera, of the Criminal Gang Homicide Division, said it was not unheard of for gang members involved in an internal dispute to go out and shoot up other neighborhoods in an effort to deflect suspicion. "They shot a lady in the thigh, also on 114th Street (Where "DK" was killed). At the Courts there were a bunch of kids outside by the rec center and the shooters could have killed them, too. They're cowards."
At the Watts Gang Task Force Meeting, Big Donny Joubert said he was up most of the night talking to guys from Nickerson Gardens trying to keep the Bounty Hunters from retaliating. "It's been so hard. But, I'll be out there tonight, too,"
For more info, see an earlier story here. http://krikorianwrites.com/blog/2013/9/24/rapper-flipside-from-watts-killed
