Top-10 Gang Member Arrested

Los Angeles: The Los Angeles Police Department announced the capture of one of the Top-10 Most Wanted gang members, 27-year-old Jonathan Christopher Blackwell

“This capture is the 5th since announcing our Top-10 Most Wanted Gang Member list back in February 2007, said Sergeant Lee Sands, LAPD Spokesperson. The arrest of Blackwell over 1,100 miles away in Oklahoma City is proof positive that there is nowhere these gang members can hide where we won’t find them.”

On July 16, 2007, shortly after 9:00 p.m., Jonathan Blackwell was arrested in Oklahoma City after being caught in a prostitution sting operation. At the time of his arrest, he provided officers with the name ‘Marco Lee’ and was transported and booked into jail under that name, but later bailed out.

On July 17, 2007, detectives received the results of a fingerprint check and learned that ‘Marco Lee’s’ true identity was in fact Jonathan Christopher Blackwell who was wanted in connection with a double homicide that occurred back in December 2006 in Los Angeles, California. Detectives returned to the area were Blackwell was arrested and passed out flyers of his photograph.

On July 18, 2007, Blackwell was seen at a motel in the 3800 block of North I44. Police were called and Blackwell was taken into custody without incident. Detectives in Los Angeles were notified and are arranging Blackwell’s transportation back to Los Angeles.

Back on December 31, 2006, around 5:00 a.m., Jonathan Blackwell and Matthew Koontz armed with a firearm, forced their way into a residence in the 700 block of Harvard Boulevard. Three individuals were inside at the time when Blackwell opened fire killing two and wounding one. Koontz was found approximately two hours later and was arrested.

The replacement on the Top-10 Most Wanted gang member list will be announced on a separate news release.