Costa Mesa : Boy Who Faced Down Gang Named U.S. Hero
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A boy who helped police break up a youth gang that terrorized students at Pomona Elementary School and stole their lunch money has been selected as one of Newsweek magazine’s 51 unsung American heroes.
It will be the third award Juan Cordova has received in less than six months for his part in breaking up the gang, whose members were later convicted of extortion, robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. In February, Cordova won the Villa Nova restaurant’s Outstanding Citizen Award. In March, he was named one of seven children recognized as Kids Who Care at the 10th annual Cop Bowl ’88.
Cordova was 11 years old at the time of the investigation and had been physically threatened by gang members before he gave information to the Costa Mesa Police Department.
The five gang members received felony convictions and were placed in juvenile detention.
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