C.R.A.S.H.

Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums (C.R.A.S.H. for short) is an anti-gang unit of the Los Santos Police Department. They serve as the main group of antagonists of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The gang is lead by Frank Tenpenny, who is flanked by Eddie Pulaski and Jimmy Hernandez, and was formerly associated with Ralph Pendelbury. The unit's name and self-given-description make them out to be gang-stoppers, however the unit is extremely corrupt. Although the members of C.R.A.S.H. are all among the antagonists of the game, Frank Tenpenny is the main one.

Description
The group is based on the real-life C.R.A.S.H. unit of the Los Angeles Police Department, which was rocked by the notorious Rampart scandal that led to suspensions, terminations, and desk job assignment of dozens LAPD officers involved in the scandal.

The in-game C.R.A.S.H.unit is loosely based on its real-life counterpart and the associated Rampart Division Scandal. Like the LSPD C.R.A.S.H., the LAPD C.R.A.S.H. was also involved in beatings, intimidations, planting evidences to frame other gang members, and other actions that essentially gives the group its leverages over other gang members forced to work with them in order to avoid retaliation; (such as aforementioned beatings, cover-up of an actual crime used to frame them, etc.); that may occur if they refuse to do what they are told by C.R.A.S.H. members.

Background
C.R.A.SH. was founded by Frank Tenpenny and his partner Eddie Pulaski, who claimed that the unit's goal is to clean the State of San Andreas from crime. In reality, the whole unit was corrupted and made business with street gangs such as the Ballas. Due to the corruption of the unit, a member, Ralph Pendelbury' threatened to expose the actions of CRASH, only to be executed by the newest member, Jimmy Hernandez, who was forced to kill him by Tenpenny.

By 1992, the unit came in touch with Big Smoke and Ryder, two high-ranking members of the Grove Street Families. Tenpenny managed to have them join to his cause, and set the death of Sweet Johnson, the leader of the Grove Street Families, by drive-by shooting him, but accidentally killed Beverly Johnson, the Johnson's mother.

Involvement in Carl Johnson's life
Carl Johnson, Sweet's brother, returned in 1992 to Los Santos, after Beverly's death. He was soon arrested by Tenpenny and his men, just moments after the murder of officer Pendelbury, who threw him into Ballas territory.

Tenpenny and his unit continued to involve themselves in Carl's life, using a fake evidence linking him to Ralph's death so in order to force him working for them. Tenpenny had Carl to do some missions for him including killing people who are against the CRASH unit.

Rise for power
With Big Smoke ruling the drug business in Los Santos, as well Ryder making business with the Loco Syndicate in San Fierro, Tenpenny's power was expanded beyond its regular limits.

However, the unit had decided that Carl was no longer useful, and Tenpenny planned to cut his lines with him. Tenpenny and Eddie found out on Hernendez' connections with the Internal Affairs, leading him to drive Carl off in a desert, and knock out Hernendez, ordering Eddie to bring demise on the two men. Eddie successfully killed Herenendez (who attacked him), but was killed by Carl shortly afterwards.

Fall from grace
Eventually, Tenpenny was charged with racketeering, corruption, possession and use of narcotics and numerous sexual assaults. However, as all the prosecution's witnesses have either been killed by Carl or otherwise gone missing, Tenpenny is acquitted, which ignites a riot in Los Santos.

Afraid of being killed, Tenpenny tried to escape the city. Wanting Big Smoke's drug money, Tenpenny emerged just as Carl had killed Big Smoke and told him he had new recruits in the force who willingy followed him.

Tenpenny started a fire in Big Smoke's Crack Palace downstairs, hoping to kill Carl in the blast, then flees in a fire truck. Carl's brother, Sweet, however, hangs on to the firetruck's ladder; Carl catches him in his car and continues the chase. Eventually, Tenpenny loses control of the truck and crash onto an overpass. A mortally wounded Tenpenny crawls out of the truck, and dies.

Following these events, the C.R.A.S.H unit was disbanded.

Mission Appearances

 * The Introduction
 * In The Beginning
 * Catalyst
 * Running Dog
 * Wrong Side Of The Tracks
 * Burning Desire
 * Gray Imports
 * The Green Sabre
 * Body Harvest
 * 555 We Tip
 * Snail Trail
 * Misappropriation
 * High Noon
 * End of The Line (Wiped Out)

Members

 * Frank Tenpenny - Head of Department (?-1992)
 * Eddie Pulaski - Second-in-Command (?-1992)
 * Jimmy Hernandez - Possible Third-in-Command (1992)
 * Ralph Pendelbury - Unknown Rank (?-1992)

Trivia

 * The UFE unit from Max Payne 3 (another game made by Rockstar Games; came out after Grand Theft Auto IV), bears a resemblance to the CRASH unit. Both units pretended to act as Law Enforcement bodies, while in reality, they had connections with gangs. Both groups fought the protagonist of the respective game, who killed the unit's leader and exposed the unit's actions, leading to it disbanding.

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