Anti-gang activist arrested in murder case

A prominent anti-violence activist arrested, accused of involvement in an alleged murder conspiracy. 62-year-old Skip Townsend is a recognizable figure in the world of gang intervention. I've interviewed him myself. Fox 11's Susan Hirasuna joining us live in Baldwin Hills. Susan Hirasuna. Well, Christine, could there be anything more shocking than the arrest of a man known to want to save lives, and now he has been booked on a charge of conspiracy to take a life? Supporters of Skip Townsend insist for the community not to rush to judgment. The doors to the second call office on Obama Boulevard are locked. From the call box, a no comment. Is there someone available who can talk to us today? No, there's no one available today. This video shows the arrest of Second Calls director Skip Townsend Wednesday morning. Any comment at all about the arrest of Skip? Not at all. My name is Skip Townsend. Townsend's arrest is a shock to those who've worked alongside him. He founded Second Call in 2006 and is recognized nationally as a gang intervention expert. This arrest has sent shockwaves not just locally, but nationwide. He's one of the few. Activists who can actually go into any neighborhood, whether it be Crip or Blood, and actually negotiate a successful gang truce. Fox 11's anchor, Christine Devine, profiled the man and his mission in 2022. I wanted to help reduce the violence in the community. How can we stop these young people from killing each other? Townsend's bail has been set at $2 million. He was arrested along with four others. Right now his name and his reputation has been tainted by this arrest because It looks to be hypocritical, but as someone who's worked with him, knows his character. I want to hear from Skip personally. The arrest comes three months after another Second Call member, Reginald Foreman, was shot and killed. It must be some type of connection. He was a very important and viable coworker of mine. We must support Skip Townsend and everyone who works with Second Call. But we want to hear and see what they're saying against Skip Townsend before we pass any type of judgment. Ali says that in addition to the arrests, police raided this office here and took some evidence. Now it's up to the DA's office to determine charges. In Baldwin Hills, I'm Susan Hirasuna, Fox 11 News. And Susan, thank you. Just to reflect on that for a moment, having interviewed him, he was named a community champion and tied to the Super Bowl where he received a lot of citywide recognition and grant money, and it really is shocking beyond the community.