LOS ANGELES (KNX) — A North Hollywood apartment complex where a local gang allegedly roams freely is the subject of the latest nuisance abatement suit filed by Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer’s office.
Feuer urged Angelenos Thursday to report unsafe and violent conditions in their neighborhood as the city takes on the owners of the complex in the 13100 and 13200 block of Vanowen Street, where Feuer said nine gang-related shootings have occurred over the past 15 months.
The Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit targets Group IX BP Properties Inc., its president and CEO, Swaranjit S. (Mike) Nijjar, and the building’s two management companies — Golden Management Services Inc. and Pama Management Inc., according to City News Service.
The complex is a 116-unit structure made up of 12 two-story buildings, which the suit says is part of Nijjar’s “billion-dollar real estate empire,” according to CNS. The property has been under Nijjar’s control since 2001.
Feuer said there have been at least five shootings since December due to a gang turf war between the North Hollywood Locos and MS-13.
He also alleged gang members consistently pressure students from James Madison Middle School, which is within 450 feet from the complex, to join their gang as they walk to and from school.
The building also is adjacent to St. Paul Assryian Chaldean Catholic Church, which Feuer said is impacted by the gang violence. On Oct. 15, about 60 children were playing in the parking lot when a bullet was shot and flew by the head of an adult chaperone, CNS reported.
Feuer also said that a person at the property flashed a gun to a group of people at a women's group meeting at the church, and in May 2020, a stray bullet hit the mirror in the pastor's dressing room.
The shootings have prompted the church to put a metal barrier along its border to prevent bullets from going into the church, but it didn’t stop a bullet from hitting a television on the church patio on Feb. 2, according to Feuer.
Councilman Paul Krekorian said the property has been a problem since he came into office, and it is particularly personal to him because his children have attended Saturday school at the church, according to CNS.
“We have been to that church personally as a family many times because it also serves the Armenian community as well as the Assyrian community. My kids have been in that very room that the city attorney described, where there have been bullets entering that room, my kids have sat in those chairs, learning Armenian on Saturdays,” Krekorian said.
The suit contains several color photos of graffiti at the property and alleged gang members loitering, as well as an aerial view of the property.
“While they and their affiliates have left a trail of disreputability wherever they operate in the state, the defendants' gross mismanagement and neglect of this property, specifically, has allowed it to become a stronghold of (a North Hollywood) criminal street gang,” the suit stated.
The nuisance abatement lawsuit seeks to have Nijjar and Kler live onsite until physical and managerial improvements are made, including secure, electronic fencing and gating; and an internet-connected video monitoring system that the LAPD can access; improved screening of
tenants, and the hiring of security guards, according to CNS. Civil penalties are also sought against the defendants.
People can report properties that are causing problems like this for tenants or the surrounding community by calling (213) 978-8340 or visiting here.
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