Preliminary hearing scheduled for alleged head of Long Beach gang

preliminary hearing will be held in mid-July for the alleged leader of one of the city's oldest and most notorious street gangs, authorities said Friday. Sabrille Acklin, 29, stands accused of running a criminal empire from his home in Rialto, calling the shots on everything from burglaries to murder in and around Long Beach, according to police and prosecutors. It was the 2009 slaying of Frank Castro, 19, of Long Beach that helped police uncover a pattern of criminal activity and the gang's hierarchy. The investigation eventually led to Acklin, who is charged as an accessory to murder in Castro's death, Police Chief Jim McDonnell said earlier this month. Acklin's family vehemently denies the charges. Castro was gunned down about 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 19, 2009, while walking near a liquor store in the 3600 block of Santa Fe Avenue. Two other men - an 18-year-old and a 40-year-old, both of Long Beach - were also shot while walking with Castro, but survived. LBPD Crime Lab experts were able to link ballistics from three separate shootings to the same weapons. Those results led police to a series of suspects, all members of the Baby Insane gang, tied to 32 different crimes (both property and violent) carried out throughout Southern California. That includes 13 shootings in Long Beach between Nov. 19, 2009, and Dec. 2, 2011, police said. The investigation culminated earlier this month with 27 search warrants served