Wilshire Division Gang Officers/ Dets Crack Burglary Operation; Stolen Property Recovered

Los Angeles:  Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Wilshire Division Gang Enforcement Detail officers and robbery detectives have recovered a large amount of stolen property from gang-related robberies.  Recovered items include a collection of rare antique coins.

On Friday, March 6, 2009, at approximately 12:30 a.m., Wilshire Gang Enforcement Detail officers conducted a traffic stop on a silver Range Rover that matched the description of a vehicle suspected of being involved in burglary activity.  There were several occupants in the vehicle.  One of the occupants was a parolee and another was on probation.  During subsequent contact with the occupants, the officers recovered a plastic bag full of jewelry that was suspected of containing stolen property.

During the past several weeks, Wilshire Gang Impact Team detectives were investigating a gray Range Rover with paper plates that had been involved in residential burglaries in the mid-city area.  Detectives believed this vehicle was being used by local gang members to commit residential burglaries.

A follow-up investigation resulted in a Wilshire patrol officer advising gang officers that he had just completed a burglary investigation in the 300 block of South Mansfield Avenue. The discussion between the officers led to matching the jewelry taken from the Mansfield address to the jewelry recovered from the Range Rover.  Wilshire Gang Impact Team detectives were notified and responded to assume the investigation.

During the investigation, detectives were able to determine that Anthony Gamell, a known gang member, was involved in the burglary from the 300 block of Mansfield Avenue. Further investigation led to the recovery of additional stolen property from three other locations associated with Anthony Gamell.  The stolen property included firearms, a large amount of cash, electronics, video games and antique coins.  The property has been linked to burglaries in the Wilshire, West Los Angeles and Olympic Areas, as well as the City of Las Vegas, Nev.  Detectives are continuing to identify additional burglaries related to this operation and are requesting the public’s assistance with identifying the rightful owner of the rare coins that have been recovered.  They are described as a collection of U.S. coins dated from the 1800’s and are believed to be taken from a burglary.

Anyone with information about the burglaries is encouraged to contact Wilshire Gang Impact Team detectives at 213-473-0444.  During off-hours calls may be directed to a 24-hour,toll-free number at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (527-3247).  Callers may also text "Crimes" with a cell phone or log on to www.lapdonline.org and click on Web tips. When using a cell phone, all messages should begin with "LAPD."  Tipsters may remain anonymous.