In a joint operation with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, about 1200 heavily armed LAPD officers launched a major operation in the early hours of Tuesday morning to take down the Avenues gang in northeast Los Angeles.

(Jessica Flores)

The raid was the product of a yearlong investigation into the gang after one of its members allegedly shot and killed an L.A. County sheriff's deputy on his way to work. The raid began at about 3 a.m. Tuesday around Glassell Park.

The officers served warrants for drug and gun trafficking among other federal felonies.

Mayor Villariagosa, LAPD, and other officials discussed the crackdown in a news conference Tuesday afternoon, saying both tough on crime policies and crime prevention programs are needed to address the city's gang crime.

Annenberg Radio News' Jessica Flores has more:

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