Sweep targets white supremacist gang

In a massive sweep across Orange County that included Costa Mesa, more than 300 officers from numerous law enforcement agencies arrested 57 alleged members of a white supremacist gang early Thursday, Anaheim police said. Law enforcement agencies were responding to reports of death threats by gang members against Orange County law enforcement officials.

One stop was Thurin Avenue in Costa Mesa, where residents were alarmed by the noises of a SWAT team breaking down the door of a home in the 2100 block just before 7 a.m.

“It woke the whole neighborhood up,” said Carol Locatelli, who lives a few doors away from the house police raided. “They had SWAT teams with their guns and dogs barking.”

Charges included possession of illegal weapons and narcotics, forgery, and identity theft, said Sgt. Rick Martinez of the Anaheim Police Department, the officer in charge of public information for the sweep. He said specific information about people who were arrested was not available because the operation was so large and suspects were booked in so many locations throughout the county.

Costa Mesa police said that 20 Costa Mesa locations were involved or are involved in the investigation but said they could not release any more information because Anaheim police were the official source of public information.

The Daily Pilot on Thursday obtained an e-mail sent by the Costa Mesa Police to City Manager Allan Roeder stating that in Costa Mesa alone, 17 locations were searched and 20 people arrested Thursday morning. The e-mail also says that officers seized a handgun, a shotgun, a rifle and five replica assault rifles, and that those arrested could face various charges, among them suspicion of drug possession and possession of equipment used to make counterfeit money.

Newport Beach Police Sgt. Evan Sailor said some of his department’s gang unit officers assisted in the raids, though none of the locations were in Newport Beach.

According to a news release from Anaheim police, the investigation into the gang has gone on for about a month, and prior arrests in the investigation bring the total of alleged members arrested to 66. The Thursday-morning sweep involved 37 teams of officers from municipal, county, state and federal agencies bearing search warrants for all the locations involved.

On Thurin Avenue, some residents were surprised by the police activity.

“I’ve lived here off and on for quite a few years, and that’s the first thing like that I’ve ever seen,” Locatelli said.

Sandee Soule, who lives across the street, said the house police raided is usually quiet and has the most Christmas lights in the neighborhood.

“I’ve never seen them partying over there, and I’m home all the time,” she said.

She said police took two men and a woman out of the house. They took pictures of one of the men and appeared to be giving him and the woman sobriety tests, but Soule didn’t see police arrest them.

— Alicia Robinson contributed to this story.