Notorious author arrested in L.A.

LOS ANGELES – An author who wrote a vivid book about gang life and is considered one of the city’s most wanted gang members has been taken into custody, police announced Thursday.

Kody “Monster” Scott’s arrest Wednesday was the third in as many weeks from a 10-most-wanted gang member list released about a month ago as part of a citywide crackdown on rising gang crime.

Scott, 43, was wanted in a burglary in December in which police say he broke into a home and a beat a man.

More than 300,000 copies of Scott’s book, “Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member,” are in print, according to publisher Grove/Atlantic Inc.. Filmmaker Antoine Fuqua, who directed “Training Day,” also plans a movie.

Police Chief William Bratton told reporters Thursday that he had read Scott’s book, along with several others about Los Angeles crime, shortly after taking over the department.

“I didn’t like his book, and I didn’t like him,” Bratton said.