 Logo of the Lynwood Vikings | |
| Founding location | Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department |
|---|---|
| Territory | Los Angeles |
| Criminal activities | Police corruption |
| Allies | Compton Executioners |
The Lynwood Vikings is one of several deputy gangs[1] of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD). The Vikings, formerly based at the now-defunct Lynwood station, are composed of sworn deputy sheriffs in the LASD.[2]
Members of the Vikings have included Deputy LA Sheriff Paul Tanaka. Federal judge Terry J. Hatter Jr. described the Vikings as a "neo-Nazi, white supremacist gang" engaged in racially motivated hostility.[2] The 1992 Kolts Commission report stated there was a lack of evidence of racist deputy gangs, but some Viking deputies engaged in brutality and ganglike activity. Other sources have described the Vikings as a social organization.[3]
- ^ Article at Knock L.A. listing known LASD gangs
- ^ a b Sullivan, Rob (2014). Street Level: Los Angeles in the Twenty-First Century. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. pp. 23–4.
- ^ O'Conner, Anne-Marie; Duant, Tina (24 March 1999). "The Secret Society Among Lawmen". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 15 July 2015.