Ex-undersheriff admits to having alleged deputy gang tattoo -- then getting rid of it

Source: Los Angeles Times

Ex-undersheriff admits to having alleged deputy gang tattoo — then getting rid of it

Keri Blakinger
Fri, March 8, 2024 at 6:00 AM EST·8 min read

It was a Caveman, and it was on his ankle.

After more than two years of resisting subpoenas to testify about deputy gangs within the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, this week former Undersheriff Tim Murakami admitted under oath that he once sported a tattoo representing the Cavemen, a controversial subgroup affiliated with the East Los Angeles station.

When asked whether former Sheriff Alex Villanueva — who made Murakami his No. 2 a few months after taking office — knew about the ink, Murakami replied: “I believe that he did.”

The admission marks the first time the department’s former second-in-command has publicly confirmed long-standing rumors about his tattoo, which he said has since been covered up or removed.

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Over the course of four hours, Murakami admitted to knowing about at least half a dozen tattooed groups, including the Cavemen, the Indians, the Banditos, the Little Red Devils, the Grim Reapers and the Jump Out Boys — some of which he said still exist within the Sheriff’s Department.

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Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/ex-undersheriff-admits-having-alleged-110011639.html