Man and woman, believed to be in the same gang, arrested separately for crimes in Van Nuys

A man and a woman, believed to be in the same gang, were arrested separately Thursday night in connection with various crimes including a gun, drugs and driving a stolen truck in Van Nuys, authorities said.

The offenses unfolded around 7:25 p.m. at Sherman Way and Allott Avenue when the Los Angeles Police Department’s Metropolitan Division worked extra patrol for violent crimes, said LAPD Lt. Gregory Hoyte.

When officers pulled into the area, described as a high crime area with a motel nearby, they saw several male individuals scatter, Hoyte said.

One man was carrying a bag and grabbing his waistband as he ran away, Hoyte explained, and officers dashed after him.

During the foot pursuit, officers observed him removing a handgun from his waistband and tossing it over the fence of a local business before he continued running, Hoyte noted.

After he stopped to confront the officers, Hoyte explained, they were able to detain him after he put up a “minor resistance” and find a loaded handgun.

The man also had a bag with a spare loaded magazine for the handgun, Hoyte said, and a “sizable” amount of crystal meth.

Additionally, the man was a documented gang member who was on probation for narcotics and weapons charges.

While the first unit was chasing the man, a metro unit went to the scene and saw a woman try to enter a 2007 truck with paper plates on it, the lieutenant noted.

She was trying to drive away from vicinity where the males had ran from, Hoyte said, and was detained after officers learned the truck was a stolen vehicle out of North Hollywood.

Hoyte added the woman was in a gang and had previously been convicted for a grand theft auto.

“I can’t say she was the one that stole it,” Hoyte said. “But she was trying to drive a stolen truck.”

Both the man and the woman, who are believed to be in the gang, were arrested, Hoyte said.

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