·        Shane Woodland, 28. of Porter Ranch;

·        Patricia Venegas, 26, of Porter Ranch;

·        Roberto Acosta, 29, of Canoga Park^.,

·        Donald Loya, 45, of Saugus^.,

·        Eddie Venegas, 21. of Reseda;

·        Julie Venegas. 19, of Reseda;

·        Carlos Rivas. 32, of Van Nuys;

·        Victor Mendez, 32, of Reseda;

·        Juan Soto, 22, of Reseda;

·        Ursula Jimenez, 19. of Northridge;

·        Robert Burns, 34, of Reseda;

·        Jose Cardoza, 28, of Van Nuys;

·        Gerardo Perez, 29, of Palmdale;

·        Carlos Rivas, 32. of North Hollywood;

·        Billy Mora, 29, of Northridge;

·        Brian Ekelund, 34, of Winnetka;

·        Evaristo Perez. 32, of Northridge;

·        Rogelio Vazquez, 26, of Canoga Park, for a local warrant;

·        Ismael Menez, 29, of Reseda, for a local warrant;

·        Michael Barney, 23, of Canoga Park, for a local warrant;

·        Arturo Sanchez, 31, of Canoga Park, on a federal arrest warrant;

·        Gilberto Jose Sanchez Lopez, 21, of Mission Hills, on a federal arrest warrant.

Today's Operation Swift Intruder brings the total number of arrests to 326 for the 19-month effort. Operation Silent Night, last June 21st, resulted in the arrest of 36 of 43 indicted VLB gang members, who have been charged with federal racketeering violations under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).

The following persons were named in the original indictment and remain at large. The joint task force is asking for any person with information on these suspects' whereabouts to call the US Marshal's Office, (213) 894-5505.

·           Jose De Jesus Agredano, 39, a fugitive believed to be residing in Mexico;

·           Ricardo Barba, 20, of Sun Valley;

·           Carlos Campos, 34, of Winnetka;

·           Marcelino Macias, 29, of Rosamond;

·           Alonzo Saenz Rangel, 35, of Valencia;

·           Luis Sandoval, 22, Sun Valley, who is currently in state prison and is eligible for the death penalty in relation to the murder of the witness;

·           Cleto Vasquez, 32, Sun Valley.

"The arrests today are a continuation of our pledge to put a violent street gang out of business," said LAPD Chief William Bratton. "Yes, this is a labor-intensive, expensive endeavor, but consider the cost of gang crime in loss of lives, property, and the added cost for the tax payers in public safety."

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

In the 19-months preceding Operation Swift Intruder, officers in the task force arrested 273 persons, seized 123 firearms, over 1200 pounds of narcotics, and over $1 million. Included in the number were the recent arrests of the Burbank councilmember and her long-time companion.

The Vineland Boys gang is responsible for the deaths of two police officers in a span of 15 years. The first officer killed was LAPD Officer James Beyea, June 7, 1988. Officer Beyea had been out of the Police Academy only three months when he confronted a 17-year-old VLB gang member Robert Steel in North Hollywood during a burglary investigation. During a life­-and-death struggle, Steel shot Officer Beyea, who later died at the hospital. The armed suspect then holed up for three hours in a local residence. He was shot and killed by police during the attempt to arrest him.

Fifteen years later, November 15, 2003, another young police officer, 26-year-old Burbank Officer Matthew Pavelka, stopped a pair of VLB gang members, who decided to protect their stash of methamphetamine by shooting it out with Officer Pavelka and his partner, Officer Greg Campbell. Officer Pavelka became the first Burbank officer to be shot and killed in the line of duty. Officer Campbell was critically wounded and paralyzed. He is still recovering, but has returned to duty. While one suspect was killed in the shootout, one escaped, until he was captured thirteen days later. Matthew was the son of 31-year veteran LAPD Detective Michael Pavelka.

CONTACT: Los Angeles Police Department Lt. Paul Vernon (213) 485-3586

Burbank Police Department Sergeant Jay Jette (818) 238-3238