Think Thailand Dangerous Try A Week In La

[ray23]

From the LA Times:

Victims, Feb. 18-25 (The coroner's weekly official list)

Randy Almanza, 17

Randy Almanza, a 17-year-old Latino youth, was shot in the head at 6722 Vineland Ave. in North Hollywood, and died at 3:15 p.m. Feb. 18.

The suspects--a neighbor among them--walked up to Almanza at about 12:30 p.m. that night and shot him after what police described as a quarrel between rival tagging crews. He died later at St. Joseph's hospital. Two Latino suspects in their 20s have been arrested and the investigation continues.

Erasmo Santos, 21

Erasmo Santos, a 21-year-old Latino man, was shot in the head at 24012 Vista Montana Street in Torrance, and died at 5:53 p.m. Feb. 18.

Santos, identified by police as Erasmo Antonio Artero-Santos, 21, was in the crowded Mongol King restaurant when suspect Victor Hernandez, 20, also Latino, walked up to him and, standing "close enough to touch him," fired a small-caliber gun, Torrance Police Lt. Rod Irvine said. Hernandez, pictured below, considered Santos a rival for the affections of his 16-year-old girlfriend. Torrance police surrounded Hernandez's home in Harbor City afterward and arrested him when he walked out.

Rosa Ramos, 82

Rosa Ramos, 82, a Latina woman, was smothered to death at 6423 Topeka Drive in Reseda. Her time of death was listed as 11:02 a.m. Feb. 20. Ramos was found dead inside her home in by her daughter, who came that morning to take her to the doctor. Anyone with information is asked to call Dets. Scott Crowe or Brad Roberts at (818) 374-7721

Sidney Garrett, 17

Sidney Garrett, 17, a black youth, was shot in the back at 2546 Bronson Avenue in Southwest Los Angeles, and died at 12:10 a.m. Feb. 20. The shooting was near the 10 Freeway at Crenshaw Boulevard. Neighbors heard shots and called police, who found the wounded Garrett. He was taken to a hospital, where he died. Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at (213) 485-2417.

William Pious, 23

William Pious, a 23-year-old black man, was shot at 2117 E. 112th Street in Watts, and died at 7:54 p.m. Feb. 21. Pious was shot at about 6:16 p.m. in a drive-by shooting. He was transported to St. Francis hospital, where he died in surgery. Anyone with information is asked to call Dets. John Skaggs or Chris Barling at (213) 972-7852, or after hours, call (213) 972-7828.

Jorge Ramirez, 38

Jorge Ramirez, 38, a Latino man, was beaten in the head on Vermont Avenue at W. 68th Street and died at 2:18 p.m. Feb. 22. Ramirez was pushing a shopping cart from a nearby grocery store where he had been shopping with his girlfriend when he was attacked. The suspects hit Ramirez in the head with a car "club" security device, and fled in a blue sedan. He died later of his injuries. Below, the spot where Ramirez was attacked. Anyone with information is asked to Det. Armando Bernal at (213) 485-1385 or (877)-LAWFULL, (877)-529-3855.

Leon Huddleston, 25

Leon Huddleston, a 25-year-old white man, was beaten with a pool cue at 227 W. Pillsbury Street in Lancaster and died at 7:10 p.m. Feb. 22.

Huddleston, described by police as a local transient, was playing pool at Young's Bar and Grill when two men came in, walked straight up to him, and hit him with a pool cue. Huddleston, fell behind the bar. No argument or brawl preceded the attack. Detectives say they don't know the motive. Huddleston "didn't even have a chance to defend himself," said Sgt. Jeff Cochran of the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau.

The suspects fled, and a handful of bar patrons who witnessed the attack also left the scene. Huddleston lived for a week on life support before dying. Los Angeles County supervisors have offered a $10,000 for information in this case. Anyone with tips is asked to call detectives at (323)890-5635.

Manuel Yanez, 58

Manuel Yanez, 58, a Latino man, was shot in the chest at 10112 State Street in Lynwood and died at 5:29 p.m. Feb. 23.

Kevin <deleted>, 15

Kevin <deleted>, a 15-year-old boy of Asian descent, was stabbed in the stomach at 3012 Temple Ave. in Pomona, and died at 12:23 a.m. Feb. 24. <deleted> was with friends in a Denny's restaurant parking lot when a group of Latino suspects--older teenagers or young men--came up to the group. There was a fight, and someone pulled out a knife and stabbed Kevin. Anyone with information is asked to call Pomona detectives at (909) 620-2095.

Mauro Otero, 33

Mauro Otero, 33, a Latino man, was shot in the mouth at 6841 Atlantic Ave. in Long Beach and died at 2:22 a.m. Feb. 24. Otero and his friends got into a fight with another group of Latino men in the parking lot of a liquor store. One member of the opposing group pulled a gun and shot him.

Marcellus Wright, 25

Marcellus Wright, a 25-year-old black man, was shot by police officers at the intersection of Broadway Place and 36th Place after a foot chase, and died at 7:58 p.m. Feb. 24. The shooting took place just south of the Santa Monica Freeway and east of the Harbor Freeway.

Officers from LAPD's Newton Division pulled over a car with three occupants for a traffic stop at the intersection at about 7:37 p.m., police said. They said Wright fled from the car, running westbound on West 36th Place. He pulled a gun, and one or more officers shot him. Wright died at the scene. Police said they recovered the gun he was carrying: a semi-automatic pistol.

Spurgeon McClendon, 19

Spurgeon McClendon, 19, a black man, was shot in the 1400 block of W. 28th Street, and died at 3:32 a.m. Feb.25. McClendon was a passenger in a car traveling near USC when strangers in another car began following them.

After trailing McClendon's car a short distance, the suspects began firing. McClendon was hit. He was taken to California Hospital, where he died. Police said his assailants may have thought he was someone else. Anyone with information is asked to call LAPD Southwest Division at (213) 485-6571.

____________________________________________

Other Homicides, Recent Days

(These cases have not yet been reported by the coroner. Information is from law enforcement, and details remain sketchy.)

El Monte: Ray Moss, 41, a white man, was found dead at 8:38 p.m. Monday, Feb. 26, in the 4500 block of Arden Drive, and police said the case is being investigated as a homicide. Deputies responding to a report of gunshots found him with head wounds.

Paramount: Frank Melendez, 47, a Latino man, was shot and killed near the intersection of Olanda Street and Century Boulevard in Paramount about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27. Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies responding to a shots-fired call found Melendez lying dead on the street. They said he apparently had been riding his bicycle when he was attacked. Anyone with information is asked to call (323) 890-5500.

Van Nuys: Mario Garcia Chirinos, 20, was shot while talking outside with friends in the 14400 block of Kittridge Street in Van Nuys about 11:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 25. Police said several Latino men approached the group, asked where Chirinos was from, then started firing. Chirinos' friends drove him to a nearby hospital, where he died. Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at (818) 374-0040.

[britmaveric]

No doubt about it - there are places in the world I wouldnt walk around during the day much less the night. What happens in Thailand is amateurish in regards to crime.

[ColPyat]

No doubt about it - there are places in the world I wouldnt walk around during the day much less the night. What happens in Thailand is amateurish in regards to crime.

Yeah?

I would suggest you spend some time here then in the two main morgues, the one in the police hospital, and the one at Thammasat Rangsit.

Statistics speak a clear picture as well, and so do the different Thai newspapers.

[britmaveric]

No doubt about it - there are places in the world I wouldnt walk around during the day much less the night. What happens in Thailand is amateurish in regards to crime.

Yeah?

I would suggest you spend some time here then in the two main morgues, the one in the police hospital, and the one at Thammasat Rangsit.

Statistics speak a clear picture as well, and so do the different Thai newspapers.

[jumnien]

Born and bred in Los Angeles area, I appreciate the reminder of what my former home town is like. I love life here in Thailand, especially my experience that if you don't go looking for trouble here it probably won't find you. Living in Los Angeles was like living in a war zone. I remember inviting friends over to sit on our roof on weekends to listen to the gunshots, sirens, and watch the action from above. Never a dull moment, but no place to raise a family either.

[pap]

Not to bad a number considering there are 18 million people there. Not to good a number if your name is on the list.

Put enough rats in any cage and they will eat each other alive.....even the innocent rats.

People can be meaner than rats.

[Head Snake]

I do feel freeer and less threatened in Thailand vs. many portions of american cities. But, there are great places in the States too.

I am currently in Singapore and have no fears really. I even leave my front door unlocked 98% of the times. The other 2%, I lock it if I hear ghost noises or if I have friends visiting.

Can you leave your door unlocked in Thailand?

[ColPyat]

Can you leave your door unlocked in Thailand?

No way, in Bangkok.

You can't even leave your house unattended for a brief holiday. If you rent a house it is more than advisable to have dogs as security.

[jumnien]

Where we live our door is unlocked most of the time. At our condo in Bangkok you could leave the door unlocked for years and I really don't think anything would happen. This safety is the result of security structures not because there is no possibility of theft in Thailand if things are left unattended.

[kmart]

A lot of Latino involvement in that crime report. The US has a real problem with illegal immigration from the South, and very porous borders. The cheap illegal labour directly benefits a lot of the powerful people in the US, and seems to be a very contentious issue there; and in most other Western countries too.

[taxexile]

firearm crime statistics ...... league table

this seems to show that the murder by firearm rate in thailand is greater than in the usa.

in fact thailand make it to the podium and take bronze , whilst the usa are mere also rans.

[kmart]

firearm crime statistics ...... league table

this seems to show that the murder by firearm rate in thailand is greater than in the usa.

in fact thailand make it to the podium and take bronze , whilst the usa are mere also rans.

The hub of small arms murder. Hurrah!

[ThaiGoon]

firearm crime statistics ...... league table

this seems to show that the murder by firearm rate in thailand is greater than in the usa.

in fact thailand make it to the podium and take bronze , whilst the usa are mere also rans.

But the US of A is the only developed country in the top ten.

[taxexile]

developed

depends how you define developed.

[ThaiGoon]

developed

depends how you define developed.

"first world" then.

[marcortez]

A lot of Latino involvement in that crime report. The US has a real problem with illegal immigration from the South, and very porous borders. The cheap illegal labour directly benefits a lot of the powerful people in the US, and seems to be a very contentious issue there; and in most other Western countries too.

What you say is true kmart. However most of the murders/homicides in Los Angeles are gang on gang and criminal on criminal.

Sorry for any innocent life lost but if some punk home boy wants to off his rival punk home boy......go for it!!!

If some x-con wants to off his x prison cell mate.....go for it!!!!!

If the "barrio" and "ghetto" home boys want to stab and shoot each other..........go for it!!!!!!

If some junkie wants to off his supplier.......go for it!!!

Drug deal gone sour??......I really don't give a flaming rats ass if both parties involved get tags put on their toes.

Unfortunate that all to often, innocents get in the way of flying bullets and for them, I am sorry.

But for the home boys and ghetto rats who act like mobsters......enjoy your toe tags dudes!!!!!

Keeps the LA County coroner in businss!!!!!

[alexth]

No doubt about it - there are places in the world I wouldnt walk around during the day much less the night. What happens in Thailand is amateurish in regards to crime.

Yeah, but it seems they want to keep up with the others...who knows, msybe in a few years they will become a hub for this too

[ThaiGoon]

firearm crime statistics ...... league table

this seems to show that the murder by firearm rate in thailand is greater than in the usa.

in fact thailand make it to the podium and take bronze , whilst the usa are mere also rans.

Anothing interesting note is that the Philippines is not even listed in the top 32!!! It must be pretty safe over there.

[ThaiGoon]

No doubt about it - there are places in the world I wouldnt walk around during the day much less the night. What happens in Thailand is amateurish in regards to crime.

Yeah, but it seems they want to keep up with the others...who knows, msybe in a few years they will become a hub for this too

Maybe if more Thais who can read English start lurking on here more and see what some farangs are saying about Thailand and the people, we might just become the hub like you said.

[kmart]

No doubt about it - there are places in the world I wouldnt walk around during the day much less the night. What happens in Thailand is amateurish in regards to crime.

Yeah, but it seems they want to keep up with the others...who knows, msybe in a few years they will become a hub for this too

Maybe if more Thais who can read English start lurking on here more and see what some farangs are saying about Thailand and the people, we might just become the hub like you said.

Doubt it. Unless tv starts posting nudie pics and free ringtones for your mobile on here...

[sceadugenga]

Torture numbers, and they'll confess to anything. ~Gregg Easterbrook

98% of all statistics are made up. ~Author Unknown

Statistics are like women; mirrors of purest virtue and truth, or like whores to use as one pleases. ~Theodor Billroth

He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lampposts - for support rather than for illumination. ~Andrew Lang

Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are more pliable. ~Author Unknown

There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.

Benjamin Disraeli

[jayjayjayjay]

No doubt about it - there are places in the world I wouldnt walk around during the day much less the night. What happens in Thailand is amateurish in regards to crime.

Personally I felt Taksin shutting of service stations at 10pm and the crackdown on entertainment places posed the greatest risk to our safety in many years. In his wisdom, it took people off the street and inadvertently provided greater danger at night. I have always felt safe 24/7 due to the constant movement of people. A large majority of western cities close down after 10 or 11pm, exposing you to isolation during the early hours if you choose to wander out. If it's you and a 'crim' one-on-one, what chance do you have. Large groups tend to smoother influences like this... Hope the 24 hour spirit never leaves this country, but I do sense it dying over time!!

[ray23]

Very Interesting response now let me tell you what caught my eye about this. First homicides are down in L.A. County used to be about three a day.

Some of them were in the Valley area, not the "getto"

I'm very gratfeul to live in Issan where the number of thefts and homicides are lower then the major cities in Thailand.

By the way what was posted was no statistics, it was the coroners report for the week.

By the way that area does not encompass all of Southern California.

I do watch Thai news and there is a very violent side to Thailand, unfortunatley theres seems to be more of it these days then just a few years ago.

The other thing that bothers me is the age of the offenders.

There are definelty areas of Thailand that I would not want to live in and I don't.

But I'm grateful for my little piece of Thailand.

I think the bottom line is the world can be a very violent place, no matter what country you live in.

[richard10365]

I use to be an army recruiter in Los Angeles and can attest to the dangers in that city. We didn't even get hazard pay for working there.

One of our station commanders was murdered in his own home by someone in the middle of the night. Someone rang his door bell and when he opened the door he was shot. The suspect fled the scene.

We had kids joining to get out of LA even though they knew they might go to Iraq. They just wanted to escape the city before they got caught up in the trash that goes on there.

There are so many bad people in Los Angeles it makes Thailand look like a monastery.

[sceadugenga]

I use to be an army recruiter in Los Angeles and can attest to the dangers in that city. We didn't even get hazard pay for working there.

One of our station commanders was murdered in his own home by someone in the middle of the night. Someone rang his door bell and when he opened the door he was shot. The suspect fled the scene.

We had kids joining to get out of LA even though they knew they might go to Iraq. They just wanted to escape the city before they got caught up in the trash that goes on there.

There are so many bad people in Los Angeles it makes Thailand look like a monastery.

Nice post for the big 1000 Rich, congrats.

[qwertz]

This week in Germany. Pervert kidnaps child going home from school on tram. Sexual abuse, murder. News same same every week. Is this sort of thing less prevalent in LOS or is the bad news quashed? I have the feeling that Thais in general have a better name than we do.

[ray23]

It's funny I started out with LAPD three years later I moved to the Palm Springs area where there was bit more sanity. When I retired I went back to LA to do high end security work, the pay was four times higher then anything I could get in the Desert. I had forgotten just how crazy it could get.

Congradulations on the one thousand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm very happy in Udon

Edited March 3, 2007 by ray23

[kayo]

interesting read.

The "mara's" or gangs that have grown out of the central american populace in the U.S, mostly Hondurans, Salvadoreans, Guatemalans, as well as some other c-american nations are massive, numbering in the 10's of 1000's per gang, if not more.

L.A. is of course, renowned as one of the hotbeds.

When I was over in Guatemala, it never ceased to amaze me how much senseless violence there was. I emphasise the word senseless, for that truly is what it is. All these gangster wannabe's, comparing illegal guns, size of their pick-ups, etc etc... And they'd pull a gun out on faster than I could pour a pint (and I've had that happen to me as I ran a bar over there) if the pint was being poured fast enough.

I noted a tremendous amount of impatience inducing cocaine consumption in some, and others who were just nervous/paranoid all the time. Anytime somebody so much as said "hello!" they'd freak out.

Funny part is we had this one guy, half guatemalan, half american, who came down to guatemala escaping something or other in LA. Real mofo this guy was. Had to physically throw this tough sob out my bar when he'd broken the camels back, and for a while half the village would make sure he wasn't coming up behind me anywhere. Anyway, in an earlier conversation we had had, he told me the only people none of the latino gangs ever messed with in LA were the asians, and he specified the koreans and the Thais. said that those guys were the trickiest of all LA. All smiles one second and all machetes and you with your arms chopped off the next.

That's how he described it.

Still they're all in LA, though.

[taxexile]

And they'd pull a gun out on faster than I could pour a pint (and I've had that happen to me as I ran a bar over there) if the pint wasnt being poured fast enough.

thats just cause kayo , any man would do the same.

[meemiathai]

No doubt about it - there are places in the world I wouldnt walk around during the day much less the night. What happens in Thailand is amateurish in regards to crime.

Yeah, but it seems they want to keep up with the others...who knows, msybe in a few years they will become a hub for this too

Maybe if more Thais who can read English start lurking on here more and see what some farangs are saying about Thailand and the people, we might just become the hub like you said.

This is not funny. I seriously believe what you said to be true.