A star of the infamous Stop Snitching underground DVD, which glamorized witness intimidation and reflected a powerful anti-police subculture in Baltimore and beyond, was arrested this week by city police, who say they found evidence that he is working on a sequel.

Clues of a new production were found during a raid on a Southwest Baltimore apartment that Ronnie Thomas - known on the street and in the video as "Skinny Suge" - apparently frequented before he was arrested on assault and robbery charges. Police declined to describe what they found.

Baltimore police and prosecutors say they face daily challenges of piercing a street culture that warns against cooperating with law enforcement, and often have trouble getting convictions in court. But city police were quick to note yesterday that two crime victims and a confidential informant were involved in helping police arrest the video star.

"The good people of Baltimore have always known ... that the only effective way to solve their crime problems is to work with the police," said Matt Jablow, a Police Department spokesman. "We have made tremendous progress in getting more people to cooperate with us. No question about it."...... (read on)