Street Closed After 5 Drive-By Shootings

POMONA —  Exasperated residents of San Luis Street, scene of five drive-by shootings since September, have persuaded city officials to temporarily erect barricades at one end of the street.

It will be the first time Pomona has closed a street to stop drive-by shootings, a tactic that is being used in Los Angeles to deal with drugs and gangs.

Police said there have been no injuries in the drive-by shootings on the street. But resident Linda Bustos told City Council on Monday that bullets have come close to hitting her 15-year-old son.

“We’re very scared,” she said. “My neighbors are upset. We’re tired of it, and we want something done.”

The council voted unanimously to instruct the Public Works Department to erect barriers on San Luis Street at Orange Grove Avenue. The barriers will keep traffic from entering or leaving San Luis at Orange Grove, but traffic will still be able to enter and leave at Cadillac Drive.

Police Lt. Chuck Heilman said the neighborhood, between Orange Grove and Garey avenues, south of La Verne Avenue, is not known for gang activity, and the shootings could be motivated by a personal dispute rather than gang rivalries.

Heilman said neighbors have given police a number of tips in the case, but authorities have not identified any suspects.

Maridel Davis, who has lived on San Luis Avenue since 1952, told the council it has always been a good, quiet neighborhood. “I’ve lived here a long time,” she said. “I’ve never been frightened until the last few months.”

Davis said parents along the street say their children are not involved in gangs. “These aren’t kids out getting into trouble,” she said, “but they’re getting shot at.”

Bustos said residents have tried to get license numbers and descriptions of cars, but the shootings occur at night and the lighting in the neighborhood is too dim.

The council instructed city staff members to look into upgrading the lighting and taking other steps to make the street safer.

Robert De Loach, public works director, said the city will erect temporary barriers immediately, but the council would have to conduct hearings to make closure of the street permanent. He said it would cost $15,000 to convert San Luis into a permanent cul-de-sac.

Los Angeles Police Cmdr. William Booth said 15 drive-by shootings in three months prompted his department to temporarily close two streets in South-Central Los Angeles to through traffic in February. Booth said the closures, along with increased police patrols, have reduced crime. The streets remain blocked off, and there have been no drive-by shootings reported since then, he said.

Booth said the tactic also has been used successfully in other parts of Los Angeles to discourage drug trafficking and gang activities, including drive-by shootings.