Gang fight reported near Moses Lake

Third occurrence of juveniles fighting

MOSES LAKE — The Grant County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of 20 to 25 juveniles fighting with bats and clubs at Larson base Aug. 6.

Deputies arrested six people involved with the fighting, according to Grant County Sheriff's Chief Deputy John Turley. Five were 17-year-old male juveniles arrested for felony riot. Felicia Maria Vasquez, 18, Moses Lake, was arrested for allegedly obstructing justice and rendering criminal assistance.

All are suspected to be part of three gangs, Lil' Valley Locos (LVL), Poco Locos (PL) and Marijuanos 13 (M-13).

"These are all juveniles and the parents are either defending their own kids or afraid of them … or the kids have buffaloed their parents so well they don't know what they are doing at night," said Turley.

It began when a deputy responded to a complaint of a gang fight at a residence on Vandenberg Loop in Moses Lake. The suspects fled when police arrived.

Turley said when contacting Vasquez, a deputy found she was reportedly harboring one of the combatants.

The first report of a large gang fight was Aug. 2. Turley said the same suspects are believed to fight at Larson Elementary School with bats and clubs. A deputy responded to reportedly see several suspects ran to Vasquez's residence. But there was insufficient evidence to arrest anyone for fighting, Turley added.

The Aug. 6 fight comes after another encounter with the same juveniles the night before.

"Two nights a row they were out with bats and 2x4s. They appear to be fighting with each other," said Turley.

Gang hatred of each other leads to the violence, as well as attempts to claim and hold turf, said Turley.

The sheriff's office is increasing patrols of the housing area near the base.

"We're going to boost our presence on the base. We're going to stop anything that looks like a gang member," said Turley.

Gangs are a growing problem within Grant County and they are mostly comprised of juveniles, he said. The juveniles face little punishment from the courts, Turley added. He said they only fear arrest after they turn 18 and can be tried as adults.

"They don't want a good job. They don't care and will continue to steal," said Turley. "They are feeding off of each other and the innocent."

Turley said some law enforcement agencies prefer to keep little information about gangs from becoming public. They believe news coverage can encourage gang activity or lend credibility because the group's name is mentioned.

"I can't do my job very well if I don't let the public know who to look out for," said Turley. "How can the public know who protect their loved ones from if I don't talk about them?"

The gangs are growing despite lack of information presented to the public, and Turley fears the gangs will escalate from bats and clubs to knives and guns.