Purported Gang Chief Is Held on Meth Count (California)

By Juliet Chung, Times Staff Writer

An Anaheim man imprisoned after two police officers and a civilian were killed in a 1987 helicopter crash while pursuing him has been charged with selling methamphetamine.

Vincent William Acosta, 38, who authorities say is a north Orange County leader of the Mexican Mafia, is also charged with possessing a gun and drugs. He appeared in court Wednesday where a $1-million bond was set.

He could receive a 136-year prison sentence if convicted on all counts.

Acosta was arrested in 1987 after police helicopters from Newport Beach and Costa Mesa collided while chasing him. He was driving a stolen car.

Killed were Costa Mesa Officers James D. Ketchum, 39, and John W. Libolt, 39, and Jeffrey A. Pollard, 27, a civilian observer from Tustin who was riding with them.

Acosta led officers from five agencies on a 45-minute nighttime chase during which he drove as fast as 90 mph, without lights and on the wrong side of the road, before he fled on foot and was captured.

He spent about 10 years in prison for vehicular manslaughter after an appellate court overturned his conviction on three counts of murder.

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http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-gang20apr20,1,6115846.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california