Reward Offered for Information About Booby Traps Targeting Law Enforcement Officers in CA

Hemet, Calif. -- A $200,000 reward is now being offered for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for setting booby traps for members of the Hemet Gang Task Force in Riverside County, which is part of a county-wide initiative aimed at curbing gang-related violence in Riverside.

Beginning in December of 2009, there have been several attempts to claim the lives of members of the Hemet Gang Task Force. The task force's headquarters, an unmarked building, was the target of a booby trap in which the natural gas line on the roof of the structure was re-routed into the building causing a dangerous build up of natural gas which could have easily led to a deadly explosion. Disaster was narrowly averted when task force members smelled the gas upon entering the building and exited immediately before turning on any lights and potentially causing an explosion. There have been two similar incidents since that time in which other members of the Hemet Gang Task Force have been targeted and injury or death was narrowly avoided.

The Hemet Gang Task force has since moved its headquarters to an undisclosed location in an attempt to protect its law enforcement officers and extra security measures are being taken.

California Attorney General Jerry Brown is hoping that the $200,000 reward might entice someone with information to come forward leading to an arrest in the case. Contributors to the reward include members of law enforcement agencies at the local, state, and federal level, including the FBI and ATF. Due to the timing of the events as well as the targets, authorities believe that it's likely that they are related. "There's a person or people out there, a bunch of idiots that are trying to do damage to us. We mean to catch them. We mean to see them spend the rest of their life in jail. I'm hoping now, with $200,000, somebody's gonna have noticed one of them, call us, tell us who it is, and let us get something done," Hemet Police Chief Richard Dana said on CNN.

According to the Riverside County Gang Task Force, since 1997, the number of gangs in Riverside County has grown from 266 to 391. Resources from local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies have combined to create eight separate gang task force units across Riverside County, which the Hemet Gang Task Force is a part of. On Wednesday, throughout Riverside County, 31 members of the Vagos motorcycle gang were arrested during "Operation Everywhere". It is unknown if the gang is involved in the Hemet Gang Task Force incidents, but it is currently under investigation by authorities.

Sources: http://www.riversidecountygtf.org/index.asp