‘Reich Skins’ in Chatsworth : Suspected Gang Leader Held in Terrorist Threats

A leader of the “Reich Skins,” a neo-Nazi youth gang, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of making terrorist threats against several Chatsworth-area residents, Los Angeles police said.

Lt. Warren Knowles of the Devonshire Division said the arrest came as part of an investigation into recent crimes by various factions of a group known as the “Skinheads,” whose members in the San Fernando Valley are usually recognizable by their shaved or nearly shaved heads. The Reich Skins is one of those factions, Knowles said.

Without Incident

Michael Martin, 18, was arrested without incident at 7 a.m. when nine police officers raided his home in Chatsworth.

“We seized two firearms and ammunition and various items of paraphernalia and printed material connected to neo-Nazi, Ku Klux Klan and White Aryan Resistance activities,” Knowles said.

Knowles said Martin is believed to be one of the leaders of the Reich Skins, whose members are mainly in Chatsworth and Northridge. He was being held in lieu of $10,000 bail on suspicion of making terrorist threats, a felony. Knowles said warrants for the arrests of other members of the group have also been issued.

Martin is involved in vandalism, verbal threats and other “hate” crimes, Knowles said. He said witnesses had identified Martin as being armed with an automatic weapon at the scene of the crimes.

“These are crimes perpetrated against members of ethnic or religious groups,” Knowles said. “The Skinhead groups are believed to be involved in recent acts of vandalism, the painting of swastikas and the posting of anti-Semitic and white-power stickers in the Chatsworth community.”

Police on Thursday declined to give specific times and other details of the threats involved in Martin’s arrest.

‘Scrimpy on Details’

“We have to be scrimpy on details because we want to protect the victims,” Knowles said. “These victims are very reluctant to cooperate with us because of their fear.”

Knowles said detectives are continuing to investigate the Skinheads. He said the investigators are unsure how long the group has existed in the Valley.

“We don’t know how many members there are,” he said. “We are talking about dozens.

“They are usually ages 17 to 23. Some members are girls. The overall group has several different factions. They all have the same philosophy. Each is sort of vying for control.”

Besides shaving their heads, Knowles said, members of the group usually wear black leather jackets and black combat boots of the Doc Martin brand, and are often tattooed--sometimes with the letters S--K--I--N--S on the back of their fingers.

“People see these kids with the skinheads and boots and think they are just punks,” Knowles said. “They don’t realize what many of them are up to.”