Truck torchings may be latest attack on Hemet police

OFF THE WIRE
Several Hemet city trucks were torched late Tuesday night, and authorities are investigating whether the incidents are connected to a string of attacks on the area's police.

Officials have put up a $200,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
The attacks have involved booby traps at the headquarters of the Hemet-San Jacinto Gang Task Force and the targeting of officers assigned to the unit, officials said.

In December, a gas utility line was redirected to fill the offices with gas; any spark could have triggered an explosion. In February, a modified handgun was hidden by the gate to the office and rigged to fire. When a gang officer opened the gate, the weapon went off, narrowly missing him. And two weeks ago, police said, a "dangerous" device was found near the unmarked car of a task-force member.
On Friday afternoon, someone called 911 saying a police car would be blown up in the next two days as revenge for a law-enforcement sweep earlier this week of a local motorcycle gang.

The gang task force, formed in 2006, is made up of local, state and federal law-enforcement agencies.

So far, there are no official suspects in the threats or potentially deadly incidents. But last week, authorities led raids on the Vagos outlaw motorcycle gang. The group has a significant presence in Hemet. Thirty people were arrested on charges that included possession of drugs and weapons.

The latest torching incident did not target police directly, but police say they are looking for links between the burned trucks and the police attacks.

Investigators were also looking at surveillance video to see if the suspect or suspects were recorded, Lt. Duane Wisehart told KTLA News.

"We are going under the assumption that it is related to the same attacks previously," Wisehart said, referring to the three booby trap incidents against Hemet police in recent months.

--Shelby Grad

Photo: Investigators at the scene where several Hemet city trucks were set ablaze late Tuesday night. Credit: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times

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