A juvenile killer whose lenient sentence was a lightning rod to recall Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón has been charged with armed robbery after being released early from juvenile detention.
Jalen Amir Yoakum, 23, was arrested this month along with two other suspects and charged with possession of a stolen handgun in the Rolex watch robbery, according to an internal LAPD memo shared by a Fox News reporter Bill Melugin.
In September 2017, Yoakum was 17 when he was charged with the murder of 40-year-old Ontario Courtney, who police say was an innocent motorist who was mistaken for a rival gang member after a car broke down.
Yoakum was charged as an adult in the case. Prosecutors cited his social media posts from behind bars, in which he bragged about his gang affiliation with the Main Street Mafia Crips, as well as videos in which he “practiced” drive-by shootings with a paintball gun.
But after Gascón took office in late 2020, prosecutors banned the prosecution of juveniles as adults and referred Yoakum’s case to juvenile court, also dropping any gang and gun upgrades against him.
Yoakum pleaded guilty to the murder, but since he was charged as a minor, he was due for release until he was 25 in 2025 and was released early, apparently for unclear reasons.
Jalen Amir Yoakum, 23, (center) was arrested this month and charged with carrying a stolen handgun in a Rolex watch robbery, according to this internal LAPD memo shared by Fox News reporter Bill Melugin
Yoakum’s previous light sentence for murder was a lightning rod in unsuccessful attempts to recall Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón
The case became a lightning rod in the ultimately unsuccessful push to recall Gascón, with the recall campaign committee posting on social media: “Violent criminals like Jalen Yoakum know that George Gascón is their biggest supporter.”
Gascón, a progressive prosecutor who advocates for more leniency and rehabilitation for offenders, has made banning adult criminal charges against juveniles a key part of his reforms.
“We have ended the practice of prosecuting children as adults,” Gascón said in 2021, reflecting on the accomplishments of his first 100 days in office. “Since we took office, we have withdrawn 77 pending applications for the transfer of children to an adult court.”
Now, Yoakum’s recent arrest could provide another line of attack for Gascon’s critics as he seeks re-election in November 2024 against an already growing field of challengers.
According to LAPD documents shared by Melugin, Yoakum was arrested along with two other suspects, James Garrett and Charles Emmerson, in connection with an August 2 armed robbery of a Rolex watch near the intersection of Beverly Boulevard and Harper Avenue.
Police linked the suspects to the crime by discovering a white Infiniti Q50 at the scene that Emmerson is said to be the owner of.
All three suspects were charged with robbery, and Yoakum was also charged with possession of a stolen and loaded firearm.
Yoakum (left) was 17 when he was charged with the murder of 40-year-old Ontario Courtney (right), an innocent man who was mistaken for a rival gang member after a car broke down
After his arrest in 2017, Yoakum continued to brag about his affiliation with the Main Street Mafia Crips in social media posts behind bars, prosecutors said
Yoakum (right) has been posting regularly on social media since his juvenile detention, bragging about his gang membership, prosecutors say
County records confirm Yoakum was arrested on August 9 at the Wilshire Division and charged with a felony.
He is being held at Men’s Central without bail. It was unclear if he had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf and he is due to appear in court next Thursday.
The Los Angeles Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from on Saturday.
Two years ago, Fox 11 reported that murder victim Courtney’s family was furious that Yoakum had been transferred to the juvenile detention center.
“If you’re going to go out there and act like a man and shoot people and kill people, then you should be treated that way,” Allyson Ostrowski, a family attorney, told the outlet.
“For Mr. Yoakum: You’ve been in the criminal justice system since you were 12 and you’ve been offered duty after duty, program after program, and you have not taken advantage of any of it,” Ostrowski said.
“You’re just continuing to be part of the gang, that makes you one of those people who need to be brought to justice as an adult.”
Before Gascon took office, the former prosecutor cited these photos of Yoakum posing with guns as she accused him of Courtney’s murder as an adult
Social media photos of the Main Street Mafia Crips show off their boast of being “Hoover Killers,” a nod to the rival crew that controlled the South Hoover Street area of the Broadway-Manchester area of south Los Angeles
Courtney was driving on South Hoover Street, an area controlled by the Hoover street gang, when his car broke down on September 13, 2017.
He was waiting for a tow truck when he was attacked by gangsters from Yoakum’s Main Street Mafia Crips group, who believed he was a member of the rival Hoovers.
Courtney was shot 36 times and did not survive.
His family members say he had absolutely nothing to do with street gangs and was involved in a case of mistaken identity.
“My brother had no gang affiliation,” Aja Courtney, Ontario Courtney’s younger sister, told local Fox affiliate. “I can’t even put into words how much I miss him.”