Mike Powell’s blood and guts stories go far beyond his days working as a plainclothes officer in one of LAPD’s Zebra Units—a unit tasked with tracking down violent criminals in South Central L.A. “Shootin’ Newton” was notorious for its many police shootings including the Black Panther and Symbionese Liberation Army shootouts. Two of Mike’s four shootings occurred in Newton.
Mike and his partners tracked down murder suspects, bank robbers, and a serial killer: a killer of young boys. Mike’s police stories take us back to the days when cops were allowed to be cops, and when police chiefs like LAPD’s Ed Davis and Daryl Gates sent former military, “warrior cops” into the streets to hunt down violent criminals.
Mike also served as a key undercover operative for both the LAPD, undercover as a woman, and the federal government, undercover in the MAFIA, and he lived to write about it. If you’ve seen the movie Casino, then you have seen the mobsters he brushed shoulders with.
Mike ended his investigative and undercover career after he received several death threats, and his home was set ablaze while he and his first wife, Manette were in it.
“Man’s Life Resembles Spy Movie”
Headline in San Pedro News Pilot
Monday, December 7, 1981
​“Lieutenant Manny Ibarra, LAPD’s Latino rising star, falls from grace.”
Lieutenant Manny Ibarra, a former commander of LAPD’s infamous SIS Unit—often referred to as the “Death Squad”—was known for keeping his aggressive team under control. However, everything changed when his brother, homicide detective Frank Ibarra was gunned down in the driveway of his Los Angeles home by a gang from East L.A. Devastated by his murder, Manny declared war on the gang, seeking justice on his own terms, a form of justice that was not found in any law book. This deadly vendetta would ultimately cost Manny his career with the LAPD.
Now a private detective, Manny finds himself back in the neighborhood where he grew up, taking on cases to help families who have fallen victim to gang violence and escalating crime in East Los Angeles. Just when it seems he’s on the path to redemption, an enchanting blonde walks into his office, turning his world upside down. The temptation of this captivating seductress, coupled with ten million dollars in stolen diamonds, thrusts Manny into a dilemma between the redemption he seeks and the allure of ill-gotten gains and passionate love.
Buy your copy: