Santa Ana police see spike in homicides, target illegal gambling operations

In a troubling milestone, Santa Ana police announced the city has seen eight homicides so far in 2021, a substantial uptick from last year, with just one in the first three months.

Four of those homicides were gang-related and three others were linked to illegal gambling operations, hubs of criminal activity that police say they are cracking down on. The eighth was a domestic violence incident.

“Various types of crimes in and around illegal gambling dens have drastically impacted the quality of life in both our neighborhoods and also business districts,” Santa Ana police Chief David Valentin said during a Thursday news conference.

To quell the violence, in recent weeks police have started sending special units, including the gang unit, to target problem areas.

With the help of code enforcement authorities, police identified 41 active gambling sites and have closed 36 of them, Valentin said. Police are seeing these gambling operations are in houses in residential areas and commercial storefronts.

Though the chief did not attribute one reason for the increase in homicides, mostly shootings, he said those related to illegal gambling are possibly connected.

“What we’ve determined … is that there is a tie to Asian organized crime that oversees a large part of this industry. It’s not exclusive but it’s a large part,” Valentin said.

“Unfortunately what they’re doing is hiring gang members to provide security, armed gang members in and around these facilities.”

Last month, a man was fatally shot outside a gambling operation on Harbor Boulevard. In January, four people were shot and wounded when suspects entered a gambling den and started firing. The victims in that case survived.

The operation has also led to more than 300 arrests by going to gambling areas and neighborhoods that have seen an increase in gang activity and violent crimes, authorities said. Once there police serve search warrants, make arrests and fine property and business owners who are sometimes complicit, Valentin said. Often properties are condemned, boarded up and had utilities disconnected, police said.

They’ve also seized more than 70 firearms, 170 gambling machines, and more than tens of thousands of dollars in cash, as well as drugs.

Many times, groups take hold of properties and open gambling dens — equipped with electronic game machines — and function until they’re raided.

“If they’re open for a week or a month, they’ll make quite a bit of money,” Valentin said. He urged residents to keep reporting the nefarious activity when they see it. Often that’s how investigators find out about functioning operations.

“They set up shop and we get reports……that’s the reason I continue to encourage the community to call us.”

Though the chief acknowledged the gambling operations pop up almost as fast as others are shut down, it won’t deter officers from going after those responsible.

“This is the first step,” he said. “Zero tolerance is here and we’ll continue to address the issue.”

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