A&E(R) PREMIERES NEW ORIGINAL REAL-LIFE SERIES "THE PEACEMAKER: L.A. GANG WARS"

EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY RAPPER AND ACTOR ICE-T, SERIES PROVIDES AN UNPRECEDENTED LOOK AT GANG LIFE

SERIES PREMIERE THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16 AT 10PM ET/PT

NEW YORK, NY, OCTOBER 28, 2010 - A&E kicks off the new original real-life series "The Peacemaker: L.A. Gang Wars," following gang mediator Malik Spellman as he oversees tense moments of mediation between rival gangs in South Central Los Angeles. The five-episode half-hour series premieres with back-to-back episodes on Thursday, December 16 at 10PM ET/PT on A&E.

Each episode of "The Peacemaker: L.A. Gang Wars" provides unprecedented access to gang members and the neighborhoods they live in, and sheds new light on the realities of gang life as Spellman works to coordinate truces, often between enemies with long histories of hate and violence.

A violence prevention counselor by day, Spellman is on a mission to bring peace to the troubled neighborhoods he's lived in for 30 years. For the last two decades, he has dedicated his life to ending gang violence, putting it all on the line to mediate truces between adversaries sometimes separated by less than one city block. Whether he's in the classroom teaching life skills to middle school students, or on the streets of South Central L.A., Spellman stays true to his purpose: keeping kids safe, out of trouble, and free from violence.

In season one of "The Peacemaker: L.A. Gang Wars," Spellman attempts to mediate a truce between opposing gangs that are run by brothers from the same biological family. Closer to home, he tries to prevent warring gangs in his own neighborhood from retaliating against one another after the tragic shooting death of a gang member's pregnant girlfriend. And in Imperial Courts, the largest housing project west of the Mississippi, Spellman works to calm tensions after gunplay erupts over a game of dice.

Executive producer Ice-T recorded the theme song for the series. "The Peacemaker: L.A. Gang Wars" is produced for A&E by OOG Productions.

A&E is "Real Life. Drama." Now reaching more than 99 million homes, A&E is television that you can't turn away from; where unscripted shows are dramatic and scripted dramas are authentic. A&E offers a diverse mix of high quality entertainment ranging from the network's original scripted series to signature nonfiction franchises, including the Emmy-winning "Intervention," "Dog The Bounty Hunter," "Hoarders," "Paranormal State" and "Criss Angel Mindfreak," and the most successful justice shows on cable, including "The First 48" and "Manhunters." The A&E website is located at www.aetv.com.