Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer this week said he will take immediate legal action against the owner of a single-family home in Watts that is allegedly used by a street gang to sell drugs and to store weapons.
The property at 1771 E. 113th St. is reportedly known to authorities as a “notorious stronghold for gang activity,” according to a nuisance abatement lawsuit filed recently stating that 14 arrests have been made at the property since 2011. Feuer’s office said 14 firearms—including five assault weapons—have been confiscated from the house in the past four years. He wants the property owner, Tosha Jaton Armstrong, to take the necessary steps to either evict or keep the gang members away from the property, and to stop the alleged illegal activity. The home is less than 900 feet from Grape Street and Flournoy elementary schools.
“A single property, plagued by gangs and guns, can have a devastating impact on the quality of life of an entire neighborhood,” Feuer said. “My office will continue to work swiftly and aggressively to purge our neighborhoods of these headquarters of local crime.”
The city attorney’s office oversees a citywide nuisance abatement program which is responsible for curtailing narcotics, vice, and gang-related nuisance activities at properties located primarily in crime-infested neighborhoods. Priority is given to properties located near “sensitive” areas such as schools, child care centers and parks. Prosecutors will often file civil abatement actions to abate nuisance conditions, including receivership actions against properties, when other methods have failed to correct code violations.
