LOS ANGELES – Three Chicago men with reputed gang ties in that area were in custody Friday and awaiting extradition to Los Angeles to face multiple murder charges stemming from an “ambush-style” shooting in the Beverly Crest area that left three women dead.
One of the suspects is also believed to be connected to the December killing of a man — also from Chicago — in North Hollywood, police said. Both shootings are believed to be tied to gang activity originating in Chicago, with all of the suspects and the targeted victims from that city, according to investigators.
Daries Stanford, 28, Dontae Williams, 22, and Dejean Thompkins, 28, were all arrested over the past month, police said. Thompkins and Williams are both in custody in Chicago, while Stanford is in custody in New York.
A representative from the District Attorney’s Office said the three suspects have all been charged with multiple counts of murder. In a rare move under District Attorney George Gascón, the office has also filed special circumstance allegations in the case, which could lead to sentences of life in prison without parole.
According to the D.A.’s Office, Stanford and Williams were both charged with three counts of murder, six counts of attempted murder and six counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. Thompkins was charged with four counts of murder, six counts of attempted murder and six counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
Police said Thompkins is connected to the December killing in North Hollywood, but it’s unclear if the other two had any involvement in that slaying.
Iyana Hutton, 33, of Chicago; Nenah Davis, 29, of Boilingbrook, Illinois; and Destiny Sims, 26, of Buckeye, Arizona, were fatally shot in a parked car in the 2700 block of North Ellison Drive, according to the LAPD.
Police say the suspects are also connected to a December killing in North Hollywood.
In March, Los Angeles police detectives “served a search warrant at an apartment building in the 8600 block of Wilshire (Boulevard) in the city of Beverly Hills,” an LAPD statement said.
“As the homicide investigation continued, detectives compiled and disseminated a Crime Alert with information they received from both witnesses and nearby surveillance video,” the statement continued. “Detectives discovered that the suspects responsible for the triple homicide were last seen driving a blue 4-door Tesla with damage to the right front fender and no license plates.”
Tips from people who saw a vehicle matching that description in the West Los Angeles and Beverly Hills areas led investigators to the apartment building Wednesday morning, police said.
“A warrant was obtained to search the apartment,” police said. “Detectives discovered that the apartment was empty and are in the process of obtaining any forensic evidence that may have been left behind.”
The shooting was reported on Jan. 28 at about 2:30 a.m. in the 2700 block of North Ellison Drive, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Story is still developing.
City News Service contributed to this report.
