Police execute large raid on gang suspected in officers' death

BURBANK, Calif. - Nearly 1,300 federal and local law enforcement agents joined forces for a pre-dawn raid Tuesday against a notorious street gang blamed in the shooting deaths of two police officers.

The dragnet began about 3:30 a.m. in Los Angeles, Palmdale, Rosamond, Valencia, Bakersfield and Simi Valley and capped an 18 month investigation into what Los Angeles police Chief William Bratton called one of the city's oldest and most violent street gangs.

The raid netted 36 arrests, including 23 suspected members of the Vineland Boys. Police also seized 41 guns, 12 pounds of drugs and $30,000 in cash. At least 43 suspected were indicted on charges of killing a police officer, a 16-year-old witness and a host of other crimes. Eight were still at large.

Police have accused some gang members of participating in the fatal shooting of LAPD Officer James Beyea in 1988 and the 2003 shooting death of Burbank Officer Matthew Pavelka.

Many defendants were wanted for trafficking in cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana, authorities said. The organization allegedly forged a treaty with the Mexican Mafia prison gang under which it agreed to pay taxes on its drug profits, according to U.S. Attorney Debra Yang. Its drug trafficking operation allegedly stretched from Hawaii to Indiana.