Several members of a Latino gang in Los Angeles have reportedly firebombed homes in an attempt to carry out racially motivated attacks.
According to the LA Times, the gang members, who all belonging to the Big Hazard gang, are set to plead guilty to federal hate crimes charges. The three men have reportedly sought plea agreements that will give them lighter sentences in exchange for their confessions, though they each face over 30 years in prison for the firebombings.
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The three men, Jose Saucedo, 24, Edwin Felix, 26, and Jonathan Portillo, 23, admitted to being part of a group of eight gang members who firebombed the homes of Black families in 2014.
At the time, the Big Hazard game claimed the Boyle Heights housing project as part of its territory. The gang members then set out to scare Black families into leaving the area with attacks that began on Mother’s Day.
Prior to the attacks, the gang members reportedly got their orders from leader Carlos Hernandez, 31, who claimed that the Mexican Mafia had ordered the attacks. The Mexican Mafia is a prison gang that reportedly runs several of Southern California’s Hispanic gangs.
During the meeting, Hernandez reportedly told the gang members that they would be using Molotov cocktails against the 23 Black families.
The gang members reportedly met again on Mother’s Day, at which point Hernandez allegedly assigned jobs for the firebombing attacks.
As part of the plea agreement that the three men made, they will not be required to testify against Hernandez and another member of the group, both of whom have pleaded not guilty and are scheduled to face trial later on this summer.
Three other gang members have previously pleaded guilty in relation to the firebombings.