C.R.A.S.H.

Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums (C.R.A.S.H.) is a unit of the Los Santos Police Department intended to reduce the level of gang crime within the city. They serve as the primary antagonist groups of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The unit is led 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.S.H. was founded by Frank Tenpenny and his partner Eddie Pulaski, who claimed that the unit's goal is to clean up the State of San Andreas]] from crime. In reality, the unit is extremely corrupt 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 into contact with Big Smoke and Ryder, two high-ranking members of the Grove Street Families. Tenpenny managed to have them join to his cause, and organise the death of Sean Johnson, the leader of the Grove Street Families in a drive-by shooting by the Ballas. However, the Ballas accidentally killed Beverly Johnson, Johnson's mother.

Events of GTA San Andreas
Carl Johnson, Sean'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, planting evidence on him to link him to Pendulbury'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, and 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 Hernandez' connections with the Internal Affairs, leading him to meet Carl in the desert, and knock out Hernandez, ordering Eddie to dispose of the two men. Eddie successfully killed Hernandez (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 been killed by Carl, 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 escapes and his brother, Sweet, grabs hold of the firetruck's ladder; Carl catches him in his car and continues the chase. Eventually, Tenpenny loses control of the firetruck on the bridge over Grove Street and the firetruck crashes off the bridge. A mortally wounded Tenpenny crawls out of the truck, before succumbing to his injuries in the center of Grove Street, with his death being witnessed by Carl and Sweet.

Following Tenpenny's death, the C.R.A.S.H unit was disbanded.