Once Upon A Time in Compton
Page 24
The SUV Orlando Anderson in during the shootout at Rob’s Car Wash and the memorial stone at his gravesite.
The following Monday, Tim attended the autopsies of Michael Stone, Jerry Stone, and Orlando Anderson. The next day, he filed three counts of murder with the D.A. against Michael Dorrough. Over the course of the next several months, he and Bob would do further investigation in preparation for Dorrough’s trial.
***
“RIP BABY LANE” graffiti appeared in the South Side Crip neighborhood, along with “WORLDWIDE South Side,” in recognition of the international notoriety Orlando Anderson had brought to South Side Crips because of the belief that he had murdered Tupac.
***
During their investigation, informants told Tim and Bob the reason for the shootout at the car wash was not a gang-related one. At least, not in the traditional sense. The beef had been over an outstanding debt from a narcotics deal. Money was owed to Orlando Anderson’s drug-dealing associate, Deandre Smith. The man who was the subject of the dispute and owed the debt, Daniel Smith, had escaped the car wash unharmed. He was in the black SUV with Jerry that had fled the scene before the police arrived.
Daniel Smith was now in hiding. In the eyes of many, he’d been the catalyst for the deaths of three people. Members of both the Carver Park Crips and the South Side Crips had vowed to kill him. In the months after the murders of Anderson and Michael and Jerry Stone, there were several drive-by shootings between the two gangs.
Michael Dorrough’s special circumstances murder trial began. California Penal Code Section 190.2 - “Special Circumstances” murder - was another name for capital murder, punishable by either the death penalty or life without the possibility of parole, and there was a list of things[41] which qualified it to come into play. Things such as the murder of a police officer, murder involving torture, the murder of a witness, the murder of a prosecutor, judge, government official, or juror in retaliation or to prevent them from performing their official duties. Murder while being an active participant in a criminal street gang to further the activities of that gang, and intentional murder perpetrated by discharging a gun from a motor vehicle at someone(s) outside that vehicle with the intent to kill both also fell into this category. The latter meant a drive-by.
Tim and Bob didn’t track down Daniel Smith until after the trial had started. An informant gave them a tip about Smith hiding out in a trailer park in West Covina, a city in the San Gabriel Valley about twenty miles east of Los Angeles. When they found him, Smith told them an astonishing account of the shootout at the car wash that completely upended the way they thought things had gone down.
Daniel Smith during interview with Tim and Bob.
The kicker was that, according to Smith, it hadn’t been Michael Dorrough who'd fired the first shot, as Tim and Bob believed. The first shot had allegedly been fired by Orlando Anderson, the man people the world over believed killed Tupac. Tim and Bob’s minds were blown by this explosive detail.
They interviewed and videotaped Smith. That same day, they brought Smith, their smoking gun, to court to testify.
***
It was well-known to gang and narcotics officers alike that Orlando Anderson, his uncle Duane Keith “Keefe D” Davis, Deandre Smith, and Michael Dorrough made up the core of the Burris Street Crew of the South Side Crips. It was also well-known that they were involved with the sale of large quantities of narcotics.
Daniel Smith told Tim and Bob that he and been in the drug business with the South Side Crips. He’d bought cocaine from Deandre Smith, aka “Big Dre,” and owed him $3500.
Two weeks prior to the shootout at Rob’s Car Wash, Smith was at Spank’s Car Wash in Compton. Tim and Bob were familiar with the location because they had driven into it months earlier after recognizing local drug dealers. They ended up confiscating several kilos of marijuana and cocaine, guns, and $15,000 in cash. This same car wash would be the scene of a quadruple murder just a few months after Dorrough’s trial.
While he was at Spank’s, Daniel Smith was approached by Orlando Anderson and Deandre Smith. Anderson posted up as if he had a weapon as an argument erupted about the money Smith owed. Deandre’s father intervened and was able to calm things, with Daniel Smith promising to pay the debt in a week.
A week came and went.
Deandre called up Smith. Orlando Anderson was with Deandre and could be heard in the background.
“Now you owe me seven grand,” Deandre said. “And if you don’t pay it…it’s on.”
“Yeah!” Smith heard Orlando Anderson saying. “Tell that nigga it’s on! This is South Side, nigga! It’s on!”
Though Daniel Smith was an OG Corner Poccet Crip and had a great deal of influence, he didn’t take the threat lightly. He was worried. Orlando Anderson and Deandre Smith were known for some big-time murders and shootings, including, allegedly, Tupac Shakur and Suge Knight. They had major reputations in Compton. Daniel Smith began avoiding any streets and locations where he thought he might run into South Side Crips.
On May 29, 1998, Orlando Anderson and Michael Dorrough drove to Mom’s Burger in Compton at Alondra near Oleander. Mom’s was owned by Lee McLauren, aka “Cigar Lee,” an Acacia Blocc Crip who’d been selling large quantities of marijuana for years and had been arrested many times by Tim and Bob.
Orlando Anderson and Dorrough had been drinking. Earlier that same day, Anderson’s beloved grandmother, Utah Williams, had passed away.
Michael Stone and Jerry Stone had asked Daniel Smith to go to the mall with them. Smith was down to ride. He would drive his new Ford Explorer. First, Jerry needed Smith to take him to pick up his car at Rob’s Car Wash, located across the street from Mom’s Burger. Smith was a bit apprehensive, but he agreed. He had Michael Stone for backup if anything went down. At 6’8,” Michael Stone was, like his nickname indicated, a big dude. He was also well respected by the streets.
Michael “Big” Stone showing off his back and gang tattoos.
Daniel Smith drove into Rob’s Car Wash and Jerry Stone got out and went over to his car. Anderson and Dorrough swooped up in a black Blazer and pulled up side-by-side with Smith’s Explorer. Jerry, recognizing Dorrough, went inside his car, pretending to be putting his gun away. Michael Stone had gotten out of Smith’s Explorer. Jerry started walking toward them with nothing in his hand.
Orlando Anderson, seeing Jerry empty-handed, allegedly seized the moment, brought up his 9mm, and began firing at Jerry, hitting him at least twice. Jerry dropped to the ground, then got up holding his 9mm. He allegedly fired into the truck and immediately struck Anderson, who slumped over the wheel. Dorrough, who was also shot, picked up Anderson’s 9mm and began firing at Jerry and Michael Stone, hitting each multiple times. He kept firing even after they hit the ground. Dorrough, still on the passenger side, attempted to drive off. He kept driving until the vehicle was disabled, as police and paramedics arrived on the scene.
Daniel Smith put Jerry Stone in the Explorer and drove him to his relatives, who then took Jerry to Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center, where he was soon pronounced dead. They also, allegedly, disposed of the gun.
Michael “Lil Owl” Dorrough’s gang shirt recovered during a raid.
Tim testified regarding the gang and narcotics connections of the people involved, and identified each of them for the court.
Daniel Smith was the star witness, laying out everything that had led to the murders.
Michael Dorrough was convicted of the murders of Michael Stone, Jerry Stone, and his best friend, Orlando Anderson, even though he hadn’t fired the shot that killed him. According to the California Penal Code Section 190.2, Subdivision (a), Item 22, Anderson’s murder was considered part of a drive-by, and by Dorrough firing shots at others outside the car with the intent to kill, he was responsible for everyone who died. He would go to prison for triple murder just like his father, Michael Dorrough, Sr., had gone away for triple murder several years prior.
Dorrough’s mother,
an ex-Compton P.D. civilian employee, was devastated by the verdict, and directed her frustration and pain at Tim in the courtroom.
“Fuck you, Blondie!”
She later called Tim and apologized, acknowledging she knew he was just doing his job.
***
Deandre Smith would later be tried alone for the murder of Elbert “E.B.” Webb. In what was referred to by the judge as an “unbelievable” verdict,” he was acquitted by the jury. He died several years later from medical problems related to morbid obesity.
***
Michael Dorrough (left, in colored stripes) & Orlando Anderson (center, in dark blue)
South Side Crip Graffiti
Duane Keith “Keefe D” Davis would end up doing time in federal custody for trafficking narcotics, and would later strike a legal deal that considerably compromised his credibility. Terrence “T-Brown”/“Bubble Up” Brown - the alleged driver of the murder vehicle when Tupac was shot - was murdered in Compton on September 23, 2015 at a marijuana dispensary named after rapper Chief Keef.[42]
***
While the South Side Crips are still represented in the streets of Compton, the Burris Street Crew of the South Side Crips from that era are mostly gone. After being present in Las Vegas for the murder of Tupac and at the Petersen Automotive Museum when Biggie was killed - and having emerged as prime suspects in both cases - years later they are now in the ground, behind bars, working in the entertainment industry, or scattered in the wind.
Part legend, part blood, guts, and steel, they were Compton anti-heroes, one of whom would leave an indelible mark on hip-hop and pop culture history
***
Part legend, part blood, guts, and steel, they were Compton anti-heroes, one of whom would leave an indelible mark on hip-hop and pop culture history.
Corey Edwards, Kevin Davis, Duane Keith “Keefe D” Davis, Terrence Brown, Rodney “Fink” Dennis, and Orlando Anderson.
PHOTOS
Standing, left to right: David Kenner, MC Hammer, Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur, and Suge Knight.
Suge Knight with MOB Pirus, including Trevon Lane (front center).
Graffiti in Compton honoring Stanley “Tookie” Williams.
Gang graffiti honoring fallen members.
The Compton Gang Unit, left to right: Bob Ladd, Ray Richardson, Reggie Wright, Sr. (center), Eddie Aguirre, and Tim Brennan.
Compton P.D. friends Bob Ladd, John Wilkerson, Ed Jackson, and Tim Brennan relaxing in the desert.
Front row, left to right: Superior Court Judge Eleanor Hunter, Commissioner Superior Court May Santos, Deputy D.A. May Chung, Head Deputy DA Maria Ramirez, Deputy D.A. Mary Ann Escalante Nasser, Attorney May Mar, and Tim Brennan. Back row, left to right: Deputy DA Phil Glaviano, Superior Court Judge Lori Aiu Fournier, and Bob Ladd.
PART III:
2000
“WHEN IT ALL FALLS DOWN…”
19
YOU CAN’T FIGHT CITY HALL
In 1999, before the police department was dismantled, Compton Mayor Omar Bradley accused the Compton P.D.’s Chief of Police Hourie Taylor of helping the F.B.I. spy on him. Bradley’s aunt, Delores Zurita and his friend, Amen Rahh were his allies on the city council, and Bradley had handpicked the City Manager, John D. Johnson. Bradley placed Chief Taylor and his ally, Captain Percy Perrodin, on administrative leave for allegations that were never proven to be true.
Tim and Bob had been immersed in their work in the gang unit, oblivious to the goings-on of upper management. One day they came into work and found their boss, Reggie sitting at his desk rubbing his forehead. They knew the gesture well. Reggie sitting at his desk rubbing his forehead was a weekly event that usually meant another gang murder or something of equal gravity. Neither Tim nor Bob could have imagined the reason Reggie was doing this now. They were completely unprepared for what he said after they took a seat to hear him out.
Reggie, his voice thick with disgust, explained that a powerplay had just been done by the Mayor. He told them that Hourie Taylor and Captain Perrodin had been put on leave that morning. Taylor had been blamed for some missing cocaine and other charges that would require further investigation. R.E. Allen had been made Acting Chief of Police.
“What the fuck?” both Tim and Bob exclaimed. They’d been partners a long time by this point. Long enough to react to shock in tandem.
Chief Taylor and Captain Perrodin were good, honest cops who actually cared about the department. Tim and Bob didn’t believe they deserved what happened.
***
Acting Chief R.E. sent several people, including Sergeant Preston Harris, to Chief Taylor and Captain Perrodin’s homes one morning way before dawn. Compton’s Metro Unit, dressed in helmets and SWAT-type gear, awakened Taylor and Perrodin at an ungodly hour just to serve them with administrative leave papers. At the very least, it was humiliating for two men who had been cops for thirty years. It was also way over the top. R.E. had known Taylor and Perrodin a very long time. He'd joined the force around the same time as them. R.E. had brought back his ally from retirement, a man named Gary Anderson as Acting Assistant Chief. Anderson, who was white, was about 5’10” with grey hair. R.E. and Anderson were almost always together.
This powerplay against Taylor and Perrodin came back to Mayor Bradley. Prior to this point, because of Taylor, Bradley had never gotten involved with the police department. Now he had a chance to take control of it. The department was already divided: Taylor and Perrodin on one side, and R.E. and Anderson on the other. This division had begun in the mid-eighties, back when R.E. was in charge of the narcotics unit, back when rock cocaine was so out of control. R.E.’s unit had been investigated by the D.A.’s office for stealing drugs and money, but because Compton was a minority-run city and it could appear that the action would come across as racially-biased, the decision was made not to pursue the narcotics unit. The L.A.S.D.’s narcotics unit was investigated instead, resulting in a large number of arrests. Shortly after that, R.E.’s narcotics unit was disbanded, for reasons that were kept confidential. R.E.’s dislike for Taylor took root and built after that.
***
Things were very tense in the department. There was constant bickering and fighting. The fact that things never came to physical blows between cops was amazing, although there were several close calls.
Tim and Bob knew that the first thing R.E. wanted to do was get rid of the gang unit. They were Taylor’s boys. The members of the gang unit had been partners for more than ten years straight and were a tight-knit group that included Eddie Aguirre, and Ray Richardson. The unit had one of the best conviction rates in the county. They had experience that could not be easily replaced. The citizens would be the ones most impacted if the gang unit was uprooted.
The Metro unit, which had a different way of dealing with gangs, would be replacing the existing gang unit. They were a team that strictly did suppression work, which was okay. Sooner or later, however, good intelligence would be needed. Identification of gang members, photos, follow-up on gang-related shootings, and having someone to testify in court as an expert, prepare cases, and deal with the evidence were all necessary to controlling and curtailing gang activity. These were skills the gang unit had honed down to a science over the years.
They were being transferred upstairs, they were told, to the Detective Division. Eddie and Bob were sent to Homicide. Tim was sent to Assaults. Ray was sent to Burglaries. They were cleaning out their desks when Preston Harris, the sergeant in charge of the Metro unit, entered the office with two of his people. The two men were holding bundles of rifles that needed to be booked into evidence. They threw the rifles on the ground and walked out. Harris then told Tim, Bob, Eddie and Ray to book and properly tag the guns and place them back into the evidence room. Then he walked out.
It may not have seemed like a big deal to an outsider, but this was the kind of thing that was done to rookies. Harris had been on the force longer than the guys, but they had always believed there mutual respect existe
d between them. Harris had been Tim’s training officer when Tim first joined the force. To throw a bunch of guns down on the ground and ask 18-year veterans to pick them up and get them processed was nothing short of a total diss. This gesture was a sign of things to come.
It was as if Harris was trying to provoke them, trying to get them to go off so there’d be a reason to take actions against them.
***
Once Tim and Bob were upstairs in the Detectives Division, they, along with Eddie and Ray, had numerous meetings during lunch and over beers after work. It was time to take a stand. After several meetings, they devised a plan. They had the respect of their peers. They came up with an idea to take control of their police union, convince former Compton police officer and now, Deputy D.A. Eric Perrodin (the brother of Captain Percy Perrodin) to run for mayor, and to make Mayor Bradley and R.E.’s plan to take over the police department as much of a nightmare as possible.
They talked about having Eddie run for president of the police union, having Ray run for vice president, and making Tim a board member, with the support of Bob.
The crux of their motivation was they didn’t want to see Taylor and Captain Perrodin go out on such a negative note. They were thirty-year veterans who had devoted their lives to the department. To see them be pushed out on trumped-up charges (which were later proven to be lies) was outrageous and heartbreaking. The guys wanted to try to get them reinstated and, at the same time, fight the mayor’s attempts to take control of the department and show R.E. that his own smaller powerplay was not going to go smoothly. It was all a big risk, one that their careers would hinge upon, but something drastic needed to be done.
The current police union was run by Robert “Blue” Williams, Andrew Pilcher, and their cronies, all of whom were firmly on R.E.’s side. They began their campaign behind the scenes, working the younger members of the department as well as the veterans. Williams and Pilcher were well-liked.