Satanas (gang)

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Satanas Gang (STS)
File:Satanas Gang logo.jpg
Satanas Gang logo
Founded 1972
Founding location Los Angeles, California, United States
Years active 1970s-present
Territory Southern California.
Ethnicity Predominantly Filipino
Criminal activities Homicide, grand theft auto, drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, robbery, assault, burglary, theft[citation needed]
Allies none
Rivals Bahala Na Gang, Asian Boyz, Pinoy Real, Real Pinoy Brotherhood, Jefrox, Sarzana, Artesia, Chivas, West Side Islanders, Longos, Akrho, V-Boys, EFCC, LVM

The Satanas Gang (aka Ese Te Ese or STS) is a Filipino American street gang in Southern California, founded in 1972. It is believed to be oldest and original Filipino American street gang in Los Angeles.[1]

History

In 1972, a car club group started in the Los Angeles area by some Filipino Americans[2] who had formed a cultural bond where they were a minority. At first the club was exclusively for Filipinos. Other Filipinos came to socialize with this club. They soon branched out to other Southern California cities including San Diego, La Puente, Cerritos, Oxnard[3] and Long Beach and have reached other states and the Philippines.[citation needed]

Some other Filipino gangs such as the Demonios and Diablos (not the Mexican gang of the same name) claim their roots to Satanas, having originated amongst second generation STS members and younger siblings of individuals who were members of STS; and the founders of many other Filipino American gangs were originally members of Satanas.[4][5][6]

Since there were cultural similarities between the Filipinos and Mexicans and being fluent in Spanish, many of Ese Te Ese's older members and leaders allied with Chicano gangs in its early years within their surrounding neighbors. Accounts of Los Angeles gang history often placed both Filipinos and Mexicans side by side with each other during various street wars.[citation needed]

Notable crimes

Francisco Gamez and Luis Silva

In December 1982, eight members of the Satanas gang were found guilty in a trial for the killing of Francisco Gamez and Luis Silva who were not gang members but were mistaken as ones. Gamez and Silva chased two cars each carrying four members of Satanas. Gunshots had been fired from the two cars just behind the Gamez home. Gamez and Silva gave chase for at least two miles. At the end of the chase, Gamez was shot in the head and Silva was shot in the back, shoulder and head as he tried to escape.[7]

Manuel Rodriguez

In November 1989 Manuel Rodriguez, a member of the Lemonwood Chiques gang, was shot and killed by Arnell Salagubang, a member of the Satanas gang. Salagubang and Manuel Rodriguez had been arguing in front of Channel Islands High School. Salagubang pulled out a small caliber handgun and shot Rodriguez in the head. Salagubang fled the scene, but a witness was able to get his license plate number. The witness turned the information over to the police who arrested Salagubang the next day.[8]

Orange County

Shooting at Cypress Club Leaves 1 Dead, 4 Injured

Gunfire erupts with 200 people inside. Police seek three suspects, call incident gang-related. Cerritos satanas gang members

March 14, 2004 | Claire Luna | Times Staff Writer


One woman was killed and four people were wounded at a Cypress club early Saturday morning in a shooting that police said was gang-related.

Cypress police did not release the names of the victims, all in their 20s. They were seeking three suspects.

The woman who was killed was taken to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center after being shot in the torso at the Fifth Wave Cafe, a restaurant and club frequented by many young Korean Americans.

About 200 people were at the Fifth Wave when the shooting occurred about 1:30 a.m. inside the cafe. Patrons ran outside when the firing began, said Police Sgt. James Olson. The killers fled west in a car and were believed to be members of Los Angeles County gangs, police said.

A second victim was in critical condition at UCI Medical Center in Orange with a stomach wound, and a third was in stable condition at the Long Beach hospital with arm and shoulder injuries.

Two others were taken to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana with gunshot wounds and were released Saturday.

Some of the victims are also believed to be gang members, Olson said.

Fifth Wave is in a windowless, two-story, white concrete building in a strip mall near the border of Orange and Los Angeles counties and Hawaiian Gardens.

Hang Le, who manages a liquor store next to Fifth Wave, said the club opened four years ago and was frequently crowded. Despite an occasional parking-lot fistfight, Fifth Wave patrons were usually friendly, Le said.

"I'm not worried about this happening again," she said. "People there always come to the store to buy cigarettes and they are so nice. I can't believe something like this would happen there."

References

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See also