# Reap the Whirlwind: Violence, Race, Justice, and the Story of Sagon Penn - Hardcover

by **Peter Houlahan** (Author)

**The bestselling author of _Norco '80_ returns with a riveting story of mid-1980s San Diego that placed one young Black man at the center of a whirlwind of crime and punishment that profoundly altered Southern California**

March 31, 1985. Two white patrol officers in search of a gang member followed a pickup truck carrying seven young Black men up a dirt driveway in the Encanto neighborhood of Southeastern San Diego. Minutes later, gunshots rang out, and the truck's driver, Sagon Penn, fled the scene in an officer's patrol car. The incident stunned the city. What followed would change it forever.

Penn was an idealist who believed in the power of Buddhist chants to bring about the oneness of humanity. The two police officers were rising stars in one of the most progressive police departments in the country, yet one that had suffered more officers killed in the line of duty than any other. While the facts of the case were never in dispute, what remained unresolved was what, if anything, could justify such a violent confrontation? For over two years, a determined prosecutor and a charismatic defense attorney engaged in a sensational courtroom drama that revolved around matters of mental health, racial biases, and the self-image of a once-sleepy beach town grappling with its transformation into a major metropolitan area. The Sagon Penn incident forever altered how San Diego would respond to incidents involving police and communities of color.

Based on court transcripts, personal interviews, and archival police reports, _Reap the Whirlwind_ is a gripping true-crime narrative set against the evocative backdrop of Southern California.

### Author Biography

**PETER HOULAHAN** is an author, freelance writer, and book review contributor. His work has appeared in _CrimeReads_, _Salon_, _Los Angeles Magazine_, _Police1_, _Hearst_, _Los Angeles Review of Books_, _The Daily Mirror_, and _The Orange County Register_. His first book, _Norco '80: The True Story of the Most Spectacular Bank Robbery in American History_, was a finalist for an Edgar Allan Poe Award, the Hammett Prize, and a Macavity Award. The book has been chosen as a _New York Times_ summer pick; a best book of the year by NPR, _The Wall Street Journal_, and Amazon; and a Gold Standard selection by the Junior Library Guild. Originally from Southern California, Houlahan now lives in Fairfield County, Connecticut, where he works as an emergency medical technician. Find out more at www.peterhoulahan.com.

**Number of Pages:** 432

**Dimensions:** 1.6 x 9.1 x 6.2 IN

**Publication Date:** July 23, 2024

## Details

- **Price:** 30.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 30.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Reap the Whirlwind: Violence, Race, Justice, and the Story of Sagon Penn - Hardcover

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