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Commercial
Los Angeles

Landlord countersues LA over alleged gang stronghold

Lawsuit says city-owned alley — not NoHo apartments — hosts criminal activity

Landlord Countersues LA Over Alleged Gang Stronghold
Swaranjit “Mike” Nijjar and his apartment complex at 13100-13212 Vanowen Street in North Hollywood (Google Maps, USCArcadiaHospital.org)

Swaranjit “Mike” Nijjar, owner of a 116-unit apartment complex in North Hollywood, is fighting back against the City of Los Angeles, accusing local authorities of allowing dangerous conditions that led to a number of gang-related shootings after the city accused him on similar grounds. 

The lawsuit comes more than a year after the city filed a nuisance abatement case against Nijjar. In its complaint, the city accused Nijjar of allowing the housing complex, located at 13100-13212 Vanowen Street, to become a stronghold for the North Hollywood Locos gang. The city claimed that the conditions in the housing complex led to nine gang-related shootings, with five incidents tied to the gang’s turf war with rival MS-13, according to a previous report from the Los Angeles Times. The case remains open. Last month, a judge issued a preliminary injunction, ordering Nijjar to hire an on-site property manager and install security cameras.

In his complaint, which was filed in California Central District court on Monday, Nijjar pointed to an adjacent city-owned alley, and not the housing complex itself, as the “hub of gang and criminal activity.”  

“These criminals have sought refuge in the alley because its location is near major freeways and thoroughfares connecting various parts of the San Fernando Valley with greater Los Angeles and allows for less visibility regarding their activities,” the complaint reads.  

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Nijjar’s complaint, which describes residents in the apartments as “law-abiding and hardworking members of the community,” claims that violence in the alley increased in 2021. 

“These shootings terrorized the neighborhood, including residents and numerous children at the property, the neighboring church and the rest of the neighborhood. Residents and community members live in constant fear of stray bullets because of the prevalence of shootings that occur in and around the alley,” the complaint states. 

The complaint blames the city’s “abrogation of its legal duties” to secure the alley. According to the lawsuit, residents filed a petition to close the alley nearly 20 years ago. The suit claims that the city did not respond to the petition. Nijjar also outlines recurring negotiations with city officials dating back to 2008. 

“This effort went nowhere, and despite the city’s knowledge of the issues, no action has been taken to remediate the conditions in the alley,” the complaint reads. 

Nijjar seeks a court order that would compel the city to install fences, security cameras and lights in the alley. The office of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass did not respond to a request for comment.