Police Try Roadblock to Get Serial Killer Clues

Hoping to crack the case of a in North Orange County, five law-enforcement agencies set up a roadblock Tuesday night near the scene of one slaying.

The idea was to see if motorists in the area might have seen something or have information on the killing, said Anaheim police Sgt. Bob Dunn.

About 50 to 70 officers and agents from the FBI, Orange County Sheriff's Department and Anaheim, Brea and Placentia police departments took part in the checkpoint, which ran from 6 p.m. to about 10 p.m. along North Bradford in Placentia, near the shopping center where .

The checkpoint stopped hundreds of motorists and yielded some leads that are being followed up on, Dunn said.

The roadblock was "absolutely not" a desperation move in the case, Dunn said. "It's just another technique to gather information."

Indeed, the same night, sheriff's deputies set up , hoping to get clues about a hit-and-run van that killed a bicyclist last month.

"Instead of going door to door, you go car to car," Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino said, referring to what is known as a "roadblock canvass."

Although it might seem like a shot in the dark, the method occasionally pays off, he said. People may think the information they have about a case is too trivial or silly to phone in, but if they're stopped and asked directly, it can help break a case, he said.

Dunn said no future roadblocks are planned in the serial-killer slayings.

In related news, Dunn said Anaheim police had spoken with and other homeless hangouts. He said police welcome "the extra set of eyes and ears" in the case.