Transcript (en)

News, several people have been arrested in connection with a sex trafficking raid that happened this morning in South Los Angeles. Authorities say the suspects are accused of multiple crimes tied to an organization that victimized children as young as 14 years old. KTLA's Corrine Winter is live in downtown Los Angeles with an update on this massive bust. Hi, Corrine. Hi there, Sam and Kirk. Yes, suspected sex trafficking ring. And the details of this indictment, the individual cases are disturbing. Here's more from Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Asseli. Seven of the defendants are related to our prior operation, Broken Blade, targeting the Hoover Street Gang. Two of the defendants have been charged separately for sex trafficking, Kylan Young from the East Coast Crips and Dajon Williams from the neighborhood Crips. Young trafficked a 15-year-old victim through violence. Williams trafficked a 16 and 17 year old victims as well as an adult through violence. A 10th individual, Kenny Ray Mann, also a sex trafficker who was trafficking 16 and 17 year old girls, has been indicted and he whipped, raped and punched one of the victims in the case. And a sale announcing that 10 defendants, including a South LA motel manager, were arrested in a human trafficking suite targeting LA's Figueroa Corridor. Some of the members and associates of the Hoover criminal gang are named in these federal charges. Authorities focused on the Figueroa Corridor because it's a part of LA that's a hub for street prostitution. According to the 65-count indictment from February 2021 to June 2026, the Hoovers allegedly controlled the illegal activities in that corridor of South LA gang members they allegedly acted as pimps who forced 51 victims into selling their bodies Officials showed photos of some of those defendants during the news conference. These gang members, according to the feds, worked together to recruit new victims through social media or in person, targeting vulnerable minors and young women. Operation Broken Blade is the first gang RICO case for human trafficking brought in the history of the Central District of California. 18 defendants in 65 counts, 17 defendants are charged in a RICO conspiracy. Three of those defendants, Armstead, Mountain and Melendez, sex trafficking children as young as 14 years old. high school freshmen too young to drive, but who were forced into cars with strange men to have sex for money. That's the type of defendants we're dealing with today. Last August, we launched Phase 1 of Operation Broken Blade, a coordinated effort marking the first major takedown of a large-scale sex trafficking enterprise operating along South Los Angeles' Figueroa Corridor. During the operation, six members and associates of the Hoover criminal gang were arrested, resulting in a 31-count federal indictment charging 11 defendants with racketeering, conspiracy, sex trafficking of children and adults by force, fraud or coercion, narcotics, firearms offenses and other serious crimes. So you just heard there's so many details in this indictment. Now, if convicted, some of the defendants face 15 years to life in prison. That's the very latest here in downtown Los Angeles. Karine Winter, KTLA 5 News.