Sycamore Drive is a mile-long hall situated north of Hwy. 4 in Antioch. The areas close to the drive, together with Mahogany Approach, Peppertree Approach and L Avenue, have been plagued with almost a dozen taking pictures sprees, which started with the killing of 21-year-old Elijah Scales on Sept. 3 close to Sycamore.
An 18-year-old is in important situation after being shot on Sept. 20 within the space of Cavallo Street and Sundown Drive, which is 2 miles east of Sycamore. Antioch police consider the shootings are associated, as eight occurred in a five-day span in the identical space.
Officers have elevated patrols within the space, however Hernandez-Thorpe mentioned that’s not sufficient to discourage the violence. In a Saturday video posted on the mayor’s Instagram web page, Hernandez-Thorpe referred to as the shootings “retaliatory in nature” and mentioned the occasions are being investigated by the police as gang rivalries.
He has requested the Contra Costa County District Lawyer’s Workplace to help the Antioch Police Division by establishing a Protected Streets Process Drive, which is a partnership between federal, state and native regulation enforcement to deal with road gang and particular violent crime issues. “These gangs have no regard for human life, they have no regard for law enforcement, they have no regard for you or me,” Hernandez-Thorpe mentioned within the video.
“No residents should live in fear, absolutely no one, especially in the city of Antioch,” Hernandez-Thorpe mentioned within the video.
Hernandez-Thorpe mentioned if violence doesn’t subside, he’ll proceed to push for “tougher actions and measures” together with proscribing entry to the Sycamore hall and Cavallo Street, enacting a curfew and calling on the governor to ship the Nationwide Guard.
Within the meantime, Antioch police are patrolling the hall, in response to a Sept. 17 press launch from the division.
“This spate of violence will not be tolerated,” mentioned Interim Chief of Police Brian Addington. “We have rearranged staffing and assigned two officers to patrol the Sycamore corridor for at least the next seven days. This effort aims to reduce gun violence and provide a sense of safety to the community and local businesses.”
Initially Revealed: September 22, 2024 at 3:00 p.m.