Homicide Report > Daniel Leon, 22
Daniel Leon, 22
Died Feb. 21, 2008 at 3:00 p.m.
Daniel Leon, a 22-year-old Latino, was shot by Los Angeles police at the intersection of Drew Street and Estara Avenue in Glassell Park about noon Thursday, Feb. 21 and died about three hours later, according to coroner's records.
Authorities said Leon had been involved in the drive-by shooting of Marcos Salas, a 36-year-old Latino, near Aragon and Roseview avenues in Cypress Park a short time before his confrontation with police.
Salas was holding the hand of his 2-year-old granddaughter when he was shot multiple times by people in a passing car, police said. The girl was not hit and did not suffer any major injuries, authorities said.
Police said officers from the Northeast Division pulled over a white Nissan sedan near the intersection of Drew Street and Estara Avenue. Three men got out and began shooting; Leon, they said, was armed with an AK-47 rifle.
The officers fired back, killing Leon and injuring another man; who was taken to a hospital and was being held for allegedly killing Salas.
A third suspect fled on foot, but was later found underneath a vehicle. He was arrested on suspicion of murder, authorities said. The fourth man fled in the white Nissan and is still at large. The men were members of the Avenues gang, police said.
Leon had a history of violence. He was arrested for killing a drug buyer at the house in 2004 and was ultimately convicted of being an accessory to murder. In 2005, he was arrested in a case in which prosecutors alleged "he brutally beat and robbed a 43-year-old man . . . as his wife looked on." The wife would not speak to prosecutors out of fear of retaliation.
— Joe Mozingo, Richard Winton and Sam Quinones
- Neighborhood: Glassell Park
- Age: 22
- Gender: Male
- Cause: Gunshot
- Day of the week: Thursday
- Agency: LAPD Force Investigation
- Race/Ethnicity: Latino
- Circumstance: Officer-involved
Related homicides:
29 reader comments about Daniel Leon
REST IN PEACE TO MY SKULLY WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED FORGOTTEN NEVER. ONE DAY WE'RE HERE THE NEXT WE'RE GONE BUT I KNOW I'LL SEE YOU AGAIN
Feb. 11, 2010 at 5:24 p.m.
Daniela, maybe in your type of world "we're here one day and gone the next". For the majority of us, that's something that happens when we're quite old.
Does it bother you your friend was involved in a homicide? Does it bother you he was a violent sociopath who did nothing good in his life?
Feb. 11, 2010 at 6:39 p.m.
One less cowardly scumbag off the streets. We gotta long way to go.
March 2, 2010 at 10:22 p.m.
the guy above me is the scumbag his journey will end soon!
June 8, 2010 at 12:41 p.m.
this guy was a noodle, who got what he had coming. to kill a man with walking with his child, i have no respect for, but then again, these noodles are know for being baby killers. thats good he is no longer walking among us.
Sept. 2, 2010 at 8:08 a.m.
Finally, that's all I can say. I mean, how can anyone with such a monster mind be living and walking among us. Unfortunately, it had to end like this. I would have much rather have him spent the rest of his life in prison with all his lame gang members. Leave Drew ST. Take all those scumbags with you! Tired of seeing all this violence in our streets.
Sept. 26, 2010 at 10:35 p.m.
Wow, what a monster! Instant Karma for killing a 36-year old grandfather (??) and traumatizing a 2-year old for the rest of her life. "….arrested for killing a drug buyer at the house in 2004......In 2005, he was arrested in a case in which prosecutors alleged "he brutally beat and robbed a 43-year-old man . . . as his wife looked on." He should have been in prison anyway. I'm guessing he's spending eternity in a really hot place and I don't mean Death Valley, CA.
Sept. 27, 2010 at 9:57 a.m.
— Sherlock, yet there are people who will defend him and tell us he was "truly a nice guy at heart who just made a few bad decisions. And besides, only god can judge, not us".
Sept. 27, 2010 at 1:02 p.m.
What goes around comes around. i feel bad for gangsters i wish there was more jobs for them to keep them busy and familys fed so we can all eat together. so they dont have to go out n hustle kill or steal for a meal.word to the wise.why you wanna be 40 years old living at your mamas house drinking a 40?snap out of it!
Dec. 31, 2010 at 9:07 a.m.
This is the same game that were killing African Americans.I have no sympathy for this cat.
Dec. 31, 2010 at 12:39 p.m.
first of all DEE TEE its gang not game and yeah hes a scumbag but that scum was some ones father and husband and son ...and i think he killed that men for a reason he was A real SCUMBAG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! too its just messed up that he had to have his grand daughter with him.
Jan. 9, 2011 at 3:02 p.m.
All of you all need to kill this noise!!!
This guy murdered and terroized people in the neighborhood..
Get a grip he did get his kharma..
Can't just go around murdering people and think you can get away with it!!!
Murder's ought to be put away 4life or what goes around come's around believe that!!!!
Jan. 9, 2011 at 9:10 p.m.
He was a real gangster! He knew what had to be done..salas got his "karma" probably to u guys his a scumbag but he is no coward....R.I.P Skully ~KlEvER~
Jan. 28, 2011 at 1:37 p.m.
all you people are fkn hating he was a G he will always be missed and dont be fkn saying anything bad about him because you didnt kno him like the people in the hood did like i did so dont fkn judge you mutha fukers i lived that life style my brothers are in that gang and i will respect it till the day i die and i dont fkn tollerate pple talking sh*t about the gang or gang members R.I.P. my SKULL you are missed
Jan. 23, 2012 at 11:25 a.m.
I dont give a f**k wat all u shi*s say bad about my brother he was good man to his family who gives a f**k about society their twisted as f**k and my brother was human and for all u who talk shi* about my brother say it to my face see what happens then?
April 14, 2012 at 12:04 a.m.
— Dannys bro ..... society has already passed judgement on your brother. He was a predator who inflicted pain and terror upon others.
Care to speak to the many victims of his behavior and find out what they think?
April 16, 2012 at 9:26 a.m.
syscom3 GET A F***** LIFE do you always wait for someone to die just to comment?? yes gang members are scumbags, EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT........nobody needs your two cents
April 17, 2012 at 4:34 a.m.
~~~Danny's bro```
You have to ignore all the negative comments, although you and your family probably write here to remember your brother, other people have nothing but negativity in their lives and write it on these pages. I send condolences to you and your family. Keep his memory alive by trying to do the right things in life and being a good person. Love your parents and give them something to be proud of.
April 17, 2012 at 12:28 p.m.
— SPIN ... " .. other people have nothing but negativity in their lives and write it on these pages. .."
Negativity you say? This man's life revolved around violence , terror and barbarity. And we, the public are supposed to look at the good things in his life, and nothing else? Just what exactly did he do to mitigate the mayhem, destruction and violence that he was involved in?
I stand by my comments. And I wont allow anyone to sugar coat the life of a person like Mr. Leon.
— vees .... as a matter of fact I do wait to comment when someone dies. This blog is about murder. You sort of have to wait for that to happen first.
April 18, 2012 at 7:46 p.m.
SPIN- You instruct him to love his parents, why don't you Google his mother "Maria Chata Leon", I don't think that their problems were caused by not loving their parents, quite the opposite I would reckon.
July 2, 2012 at 12:52 a.m.
To sherman oaks and syscom3
Why cant you leave the people who loved this guy alone? you probably didnt know who danny was and you think its ok to judge him? only God could judge anyone so stop saying all this unneeded negativity. let his family smile at the memories not frown at these comments
Sept. 4, 2012 at 8:58 a.m.
— Me .... yes I will judge him, and harshly it will be. Firing an AK47 in public, trying to murder people is not the hallmark of anyone who is benevolent or has the concerns of the community in his heart.
Save the "only god can judge" comments for Sunday school at the tiny failed church you go to. It means nothing to the people who have to put up with the barbarity that he, his gang and their enablers inflict upon.
We don't need to know much about him to know his heart was filled to the brim with nothing but pure hate and terror. Look at the crimes he was convicted for. And it isn't a stretch of the imagination to know he committed other despicable deeds.
By the way, should the people who have suffered under the criminal acts he and his family committed, smile about how good he was?
Sept. 6, 2012 at 4:49 p.m.
why do these 'syscom3' & 'meck' devils only comment on Black & latino deaths,
then try and make out that they're not racist? They already give themselves away by doing so.
Sept. 7, 2012 at 2:27 a.m.
— ro .... the vast majority of gang related homicides in this blog are latino and black related. That is a fact that is so grounded in truth, it is beyond debate. Go look at the supplied statistics for yourself.
Long time readers here know that when an asian or white criminal gets listed, I use the same verbiage and comments as I use for the others.
The fact that whites and asians are greatly under represented here is not a statistical quirk, but a symptom of a huge gulf in economic, social and educational differences between asian/white and latino/black ethnic groups.
I have long wished the Times would also include other counties in the report, so we have broader geographic coverage. But its their blog and their resources. And their decision.
Sept. 7, 2012 at 11:33 a.m.
— ro
As I've said before, I comment on any homicide here. Whether it be black, white, brown, purple, long and fat. FYI, I'm Mexican and far from racist. Peace!
Sept. 7, 2012 at 1:53 p.m.
What goes around comes around this person harmed so many people
Sept. 7, 2012 at 4 p.m.
I'm glad this guy off the street, anyone who shots at an unarmed man with a child shouldn't be roaming the streets. The police put this wild animal down by any means necessary, in the end he got a taste of his own medicine that's what I call instant justice.
Sept. 30, 2012 at 6:21 p.m.
Danny "Kelever" Leon was a criminal who hurt and terrorized so many innocent people. Thank God he is off the streets.
I am sure that the man he killed immediately prior to his death was also a gang member and this world is probably a better place without him in it too. However, the fact that he was shot while holding his grand daughter's hand is horrifying. How sad that at 36 he already had a 2 year old granddaughter anyway?
I have been reading about Mr. Leon's family lately and I truly believe the person who should carry the majority of the blame is Maria " Chata" Leon. She is a horrible person and quite possibly the worst mother ever to have children. Maria never even gave any of her kids a fighting chance at being successful in life.
Mr. Leon is responsible for his own actions; however, had his monther not had 13 kids, sold drugs day and night out of their home, had guns in the home, etc., then perhaps Mr. Leon could have been an entirely different person. We are the products of our environment.
To be honest, I feel some sympathy for every single person involved in this matter, except for his mother, Maria.
Oct. 25, 2012 at 1:14 p.m.
Dont target: No women, No Children. He played by the rules. Some gangs would have killed the little girl on purpose or shot her on accident... thats when gangsters cross the line and become scumbags.
April 30, 2013 at 11:11 p.m.
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