Mesa police nab 85 gang suspects

Police arrested 85 suspected gang members and 30 others last week as they completed a three-week crackdown on gang activity in west Mesa.

“Operation Black Autumn” helped police solve eight open investigations and could bring more than 100 criminal charges against the people arrested, police Chief George Gascón said Thursday during a news conference.

Possible charges include 44 felonies and 41 misdemeanors.

Police believe they solved four robberies, two thefts and a burglary during the operation.

“We targeted one of the most active gangs in west Mesa,” Gascón said. He said officers honed in on the worst 10 percent of gang activity.

Though gang members are present citywide, law enforcement focused much of their time on the area from Southern Avenue to Broadway Road and between Country Club Drive and Horne, said Sgt. Tony Abalos, supervisor of the gang enforcement unit.

Police seized 31 grams of marijuana, 3.5 grams of cocaine and four firearms during the push.

They also recovered stolen property, including a Sony PlayStation, a tactical police vest and cell phones, Gascón said.

Abalos said gang activity in Mesa is not “out of whack.”

“But a lot of the crimes are becoming more violent,” which justified the crackdown Abalos said.

Nine of those arrested were foreign-born nationals, said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Agent-in-charge Jason Kidd.

Gascón said most of those arrested were U.S. citizens.

ICE agents and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents assisted the city’s personnel — 10 gang unit detectives and more than 20 undercover and patrol officers, Abalos said.

Police said 57 of the gang members were adults and 28 were minors. Abalos reported an unusual combination among them: a mother and her three children.

Gascón also addressed the cost of the operation — officers were temporarily reallocated and paid overtime — but said that an unquantifiable amount is saved when potential crimes such as robberies and homicides are prevented.

Operation Black Autumn

Arrests:

85 gang members

• 57 adults

• 28 juveniles

• 9 immigration-related

Charges: 136 criminal charges filed:

• 44 felonies

• 41 misdemeanors

• 6 weapons misconduct charges

• 26 drug sales/possession charges

• 5 auto theft charges

• 24 warrant arrests

• 75 miscellaneous charges, such as liquor violations, false information and suspended driver’s licenses

Seized:

• 4 firearms (3 handguns and

1 assault rifle)

• 31.1 grams of marijuana

• 3.5 grams of cocaine

Open investigations solved:

• 4 robberies

• 2 thefts

• 1 burglary

• Felony flight