CRUISERS LOSERS AS AUTHORITIES SPRING BIG TRAP.

Byline: Matt Hufman Staff Writer

MISSION HILLS - Clamping down after a spate of gang violence, Los Angeles police sent a clear message along one of the San Fernando Valley's last fabled cruise boulevards.

``We're trying to let everyone know not to come down Sepulveda Boulevard,'' said Detective Carlos Sanchez.

More than 80 officers from several agencies shut down Sepulveda Boulevard between Rinaldi Street and San Fernando Mission Boulevard for nearly three hours Sunday night. The sting netted 156 citations, 12 arrests, 13 vehicles impounded and one gun confiscated.

While the Valley has earned fame for its cruising culture, Foothill area police said gang violence has exploded among cruisers.

Last week, two people were injured in a gang shootout across the boulevard. This year, two people have been killed and police have documented 32 aggravated assaults.

The area has the most active gangs in the Valley, investigators say, and Sanchez said ``numerous gangs across the city'' have also come to cruise.

``With our gangs, a lot of the activity starts on the street,'' he said. ``Then it goes back into the neighborhoods. ...

``It could be as easy as someone cutting someone off on the boulevard.''

Cops have chased cruisers in decades past for bottling up traffic but those days are ``long gone,'' said Capt. Kris Pitcher of the Foothill Division.

``That's replaced with the drive-by shootings and the gang activity,'' he said. ``It's transcended (cruising). ... The cars aren't a part of it anymore.''

Police picked Sunday night because it's the biggest night for cruisers, and officers made a show of force to chill the coming summer cruising season. Police shut down Sepulveda Boulevard right before 9 p.m., making it a six-lane parking lot of cracked pavement and a median. About 600 cars were trapped before officers let almost half - that didn't appear to be cruising - go after about 15 minutes.

The task force brought in about 70 LAPD officers, including several gang officers, with a dozen California Highway Patrol officers. With investigators from the Bureau of Automotive repairs, a county stolen car task force and parole and probation agents, officers went car to car.

To drive home the point, officers ticketed any illegal modifications to cars, down to the lack of a front license plate or illegally colored headlights. Alterations can come with costly tickets and repair bills.

``It's terrible,'' said a 23-year-old named Anthony, driving a finely polished blue-and-white Chevy Blazer. He was let go early.

``I come out here every now and then, just seeing nice cars and nice looking ladies. I live in Santa Clarita, I work. It's just a break in the Monday-to-Friday grind.''

The majority of the cars were recently washed off-the-showroom-floor types.

``Last time I looked, this is America,'' said 22-year-old Daniel Houk of San Fernando, who was ticketed for illegal exhaust and modifications to his sleek, silver 1996 Trans Am. ``I'm just going down the boulevard. I'm sure someone, somewhere's getting robbed.''

``People have nowhere else to go. It's like a big block party. Sometimes there's trouble. Where does that not happen?''

That's the refrain among most of the cruisers who are just doing what their parents did before them.

Irene, a 20-year-old Granada Hills resident, said she and her friends cruise ``just to meet people, pump the music and have some fun.''

Gene Romero and his group of twentysomething friends - all occasional cruisers - watched from the corner of Rinaldi and Sepulveda.

``How many gang members do you see out here?'' asked Romero, 27, of Pacoima. ``(It's) just guys looking for girls.''

Car enthusiasts feel singled out and see their good time ruined by a few, said Dick DeLoach, senior technical editor of the Lowrider Publishing Group.

``(Police have) shut down every cruising spot,'' said DeLoach. ``The gang guys will find each other.''

Tracy Murphy, manager of the Mission Hills Bowl on Sepulveda Boulevard, said ``more power to'' the police effort. On some Sunday nights, the bowling facility has had to close down early because the parking lot is packed with a ``large number of cars, and it's very intimidating.''

The Valley is home to some of the original lowriders and cruisers and the Foothill area is the last of the open stretches.

``It's like Van Nuys Boulevard used to be or Whittier Boulevard used to be, it's a traditional spot,'' said Ron Walker, a senior lead police officer in the Foothill Division.

Much of the problem has been congestion, and the city cracked down with an ordinance on the books and roadblocks set up on weekends on streets such as Laurel Canyon Boulevard to limit the activity.

The idea behind the police task force did little to make the cruisers happy.

``Is this really necessary?'' asked Houk as he pocketed his tickets and looked back at a line of parked LAPD cruisers.

Police think so.

``There's a lot of kids in this area down here,'' noted CHP Capt. Brian Kilmer of the Newhall office. ``Should they have a reasonable expectation of being safe? Sure. They all should.''

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Photo:

Law enforcement officials trap about 300 motorists along Sepulveda Boulevard between Rinaldi Street and San Fernando Mission Boulevard during a sweep targeting cruisers Sunday night.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News