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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The owners and managers of a Baldwin Village apartment complex that is an alleged stronghold for a violent street gang called the Black P-Stones are the targets of a lawsuit filed today by Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer.
Dating back to 1996, the 425-unit Chesapeake Apartments complex at 4616 Rodeo Road in South L.A. has been the scene of hundreds of violent crimes, including homicides, shootings, rapes, drug sales, robberies, assaults, and gun possession, according to Feuer's lawsuit.
Swaranjit Nijjar did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit, which seeks a court order requiring Nijjar to live at the apartment complex until the nuisance activity is abated.
The lawsuit naming Nijjar and several entities associated with him also seeks an injunction prohibiting gang and criminal activity at the complex, along with changes to the property and managerial improvements, including an internet-connected video monitoring system, better lighting, secure fencing and gating, improved tenant screening and lease enforcement procedures, and armed, licensed security guards.
``Negligent, callous management has allowed the Chesapeake Apartments to become a hotbed of terror in this neighborhood,'' Feuer alleged. ``We'll continue to hold property owners responsible for these harrowing conditions as we take back our communities.''