Making gangsters pay

City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo sued members of L.A.'s largest street gang Monday in an unprecedented move to seize money and personal property to pay for millions of dollars in damage he says the gang has caused in its community. Brandon Lowrey in the Daily News.

The city sued nine incarcerated leaders of the 18th Street gang, seeking an unspecified amount of money officials said will be based on national crime studies, including one that estimates that every homicide costs taxpayers about $1 million. The city seeks to take cash, cars or homes, sell them and fund anti-crime programs in the harmed community.

Delgadillo's office is working on other lawsuits as well; the city could sue any of the gangs under injunction, he said.