Suspects are all members of the Bloods gang and all live in different areas of Anne Arundel County.City police say the suspects were arrested after they attempted to shoot a family in Brooklyn Sunday night at a home near Baltic Avenue.Police responding to reports of gunfire and found a Ford Explorer with several bullet holes. There were also several casings surrounding the Explorer.
Perry Jennings, Albert Westmoreland and Jaki Terrace were found by Southern District police as they got out of a Ford Crown Victoria in Brooklyn Park, just over the city/county line.When police found the suspects they also found marijuana, an assault rifle, 25-caliber semi-automatic handgun and a 9mm semi-automatic handgun.
Angered members of the Bounty Hunters gang, which is an enforcement arm of the Bloods and has been responsible for several brutal slayings
Seven people were indicted Monday in Baltimore City Circuit Court in the beating, stabbing and burning of a 20-year-old man who sources say angered fellow members of a ruthless gang.Court documents allege that on Dec. 28, 2008, Grechauna Rogers, 16, Sierra Pyles, 19, Anthony O. Williams, 23, Devin Melton, 17, and Tenisha Lawson, 18, and Lawrence Walker, 19, were involved with the death of Petro Taylor, 20. His body was found in Leakin Park burned beyond recognition.A seventh man was indicted and detained Monday evening, sources said, though his name was not immediately available.Prosecutors did not seek an indictment for one man who was previously charged in the crime, 23-year-old Terrell Tavon Gray, and charges will be dropped Tuesday. Still, the case represents an unusually large number of co-defendants, police and prosecutors say.Sources say Taylor angered members of the Bounty Hunters gang, which is an enforcement arm of the Bloods and has been responsible for several brutal slayings in recent years, including one man who was stabbed with a samurai sword and set on fire.Taylor had failed to deposit money in a gang leader's spending account in a Baltimore County jail, the sources said, and was beaten at a Northwest Baltimore motel. His body was wrapped in a blanket and taken to Leakin Park, where he was stabbed, doused in gasoline, and set on fire.
Donnell Young known as an "enforcer" and reputed gang leaders of the Rollin' 90s Crips
leader of a Los Angeles-based street gang that used intimidation, torture and murder to protect a vast multi-state drug enterprise has pleaded guilty in Nashville to murder, drug trafficking and other offenses.The plea Monday by Donnell Young brings to a close the second oldest federal death penalty prosecution in the country.
In exchange for the guilty plea, federal prosecutors are no longer seeking the death penalty. Instead, Young faces life in prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking, firearms offenses, murder and obstruction of justice.The case has lingered since his indictment in 1998 because of continuances and appeals.Young, 34, is one of three reputed gang leaders of the Rollin' 90s Crips accused of killing seven people and wounding a 3-year-old girl.At least 40 people associated with the gang have been indicted for drug trafficking, firearms offenses and money laundering in Los Angeles, Oklahoma, Memphis and Nashville.Prosecutors in Nashville sought death for three men, citing the trio as an example of how badly gang members treat one another.Young, who has been in a segregated unit in the Metro jail awaiting trial, sat motionless during the hearing. U.S. District Judge John Nixon agreed to a request from his attorneys to sentence him before August. A sentencing date will be set later.Young admitted to the 1997 Oklahoma City murder of fellow gang member Woody Pilcher. According to court documents, gang members wanted him dead because they feared he would talk to authorities.Young was known as an "enforcer" in the gang — somebody who imposed discipline among other gang members. He lived in Los Angeles but would often travel to Oklahoma City to keep gang members in line.In court Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sunny A.M. Koshy outlined how Young, known on the street as "Lil Peso," enforced his own brand of discipline.
The prosecutor said Young tortured a 15-year-old boy in a drug house in Oklahoma City because he thought the teen had talked to the police about the gang. The teen told authorities that Young beat him, broke two of his fingers and placed two guns in his mouth during an ordeal that lasted up to seven hours.Prosecutors also said Young and a group of other gang members sodomized another teen with a broomstick in Oklahoma City because he was with someone who owed a drug debt.Young also burned members with butter knives heated by the flame of a lighter or tied them up and held them under water, the prosecutor said. Young shaved the head and eyebrows off one victim, telling him he was preparing him "for the undertaker and saving the mortician some work," Koshy told the court.Jamal Shakir, the drug kingpin, was sentenced to life in prison after an eight-month trial in Nashville last year. The jury could not agree on whether to impose the death penalty. The third defendant, Eben Payne, is awaiting trial.
In exchange for the guilty plea, federal prosecutors are no longer seeking the death penalty. Instead, Young faces life in prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking, firearms offenses, murder and obstruction of justice.The case has lingered since his indictment in 1998 because of continuances and appeals.Young, 34, is one of three reputed gang leaders of the Rollin' 90s Crips accused of killing seven people and wounding a 3-year-old girl.At least 40 people associated with the gang have been indicted for drug trafficking, firearms offenses and money laundering in Los Angeles, Oklahoma, Memphis and Nashville.Prosecutors in Nashville sought death for three men, citing the trio as an example of how badly gang members treat one another.Young, who has been in a segregated unit in the Metro jail awaiting trial, sat motionless during the hearing. U.S. District Judge John Nixon agreed to a request from his attorneys to sentence him before August. A sentencing date will be set later.Young admitted to the 1997 Oklahoma City murder of fellow gang member Woody Pilcher. According to court documents, gang members wanted him dead because they feared he would talk to authorities.Young was known as an "enforcer" in the gang — somebody who imposed discipline among other gang members. He lived in Los Angeles but would often travel to Oklahoma City to keep gang members in line.In court Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sunny A.M. Koshy outlined how Young, known on the street as "Lil Peso," enforced his own brand of discipline.
The prosecutor said Young tortured a 15-year-old boy in a drug house in Oklahoma City because he thought the teen had talked to the police about the gang. The teen told authorities that Young beat him, broke two of his fingers and placed two guns in his mouth during an ordeal that lasted up to seven hours.Prosecutors also said Young and a group of other gang members sodomized another teen with a broomstick in Oklahoma City because he was with someone who owed a drug debt.Young also burned members with butter knives heated by the flame of a lighter or tied them up and held them under water, the prosecutor said. Young shaved the head and eyebrows off one victim, telling him he was preparing him "for the undertaker and saving the mortician some work," Koshy told the court.Jamal Shakir, the drug kingpin, was sentenced to life in prison after an eight-month trial in Nashville last year. The jury could not agree on whether to impose the death penalty. The third defendant, Eben Payne, is awaiting trial.
Bacon brothers gangster files complaint against police
Abbotsford police will continue its close surveillance on two notorious gangster brothers despite the fact one has now filed a formal complaint against their treatment by law enforcement.Const. Casey Vinet, the department’s media officer, confirmed that a complaint has been filed by Jamie Bacon, who with brothers Jarrod and Jonathan has been the subject of public warnings by police because they have been targeted for death by rivals.After Jamie, 23, was shot at in a busy Abbotsford intersection at rush hour Jan. 20, police have stepped up surveillance on him and Jarrod, 26, sitting outside the family home and following them during the day.
The two are facing more than two dozen gun and drug charges laid May 31, 2008 and are out on $175,000 bail, and conditions that they maintain a curfew and reside at their parent’s Strathcona Court home.The complaint says police have violated their rights on a number of occasions since the extraordinary surveillance began.Police have set up video cameras at two locations near their home so that cars coming and going can be observed.Vinet said the department is aware of the complaint, which is being reviewed by the Vancouver police department.In the meantime, “We have no intentions at this time to change anything we are doing. “There is a continued threat and we are taking the steps we feel are necessary to keep our community safe.”Lawyer Don Morrison, hired by Jamie Bacon to lay the complaint, said he was concerned details of Bacon’s complaint have been leaked to media by police, another breach of professional standards regulations.
Improvised explosive device was left outside the home of Bandidos chief
Police said they found the device, which contained potentially explosive liquid, in a plastic bag outside the home of a Bandidos chief in the city's west, following an anonymous tip-off.An improvised explosive device was left outside the home of an Australian biker gang boss Tuesday, as a violent turf war in Sydney escalated."The bomb police at the scene believe the item had the capability of causing an explosion," said Superintendent Garry Sims.
"If you think of the old-fashioned TNT stick, or the things you see in movies, it was nothing like that at all. There were no hand grenades, no military rounds. It was a liquid substance that's being analysed."The discovery came just days after a Hells Angels biker whose brother was recently bludgeoned to death at Sydney Airport was gunned down outside his home.Clive Small, the former assistant police commissioner for New South Wales state, said police should expect escalating gang violence and revenge attacks.
"What we have now is not only an increase in the number of shootings and drive-bys, we have an added threat and potential of bombs," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The Hells Angels city clubhouse was bombed last month, and there was an explosion beneath a car belonging to the leader of the Notorious gang last October.Authorities have fast-tracked laws that allow police to ban nominated biker groups, and for courts to impose jail terms of up to five years if members continue to associate with one another.Experts say the violence stems from turf wars over drug distribution, particularly methamphetamine or "ice."
The last time Australia's bikers battled in public was 25 years ago, when six gang members and a teenage girl died in a shootout between the Bandidos and Comancheros in the car park of a Sydney pub.
"If you think of the old-fashioned TNT stick, or the things you see in movies, it was nothing like that at all. There were no hand grenades, no military rounds. It was a liquid substance that's being analysed."The discovery came just days after a Hells Angels biker whose brother was recently bludgeoned to death at Sydney Airport was gunned down outside his home.Clive Small, the former assistant police commissioner for New South Wales state, said police should expect escalating gang violence and revenge attacks.
"What we have now is not only an increase in the number of shootings and drive-bys, we have an added threat and potential of bombs," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The Hells Angels city clubhouse was bombed last month, and there was an explosion beneath a car belonging to the leader of the Notorious gang last October.Authorities have fast-tracked laws that allow police to ban nominated biker groups, and for courts to impose jail terms of up to five years if members continue to associate with one another.Experts say the violence stems from turf wars over drug distribution, particularly methamphetamine or "ice."
The last time Australia's bikers battled in public was 25 years ago, when six gang members and a teenage girl died in a shootout between the Bandidos and Comancheros in the car park of a Sydney pub.
Crips are one of the largest gangs in the U.S. today, with an estimated 30,000 to 35,000 members
The Crips are one of the largest gangs in the U.S. today, with an estimated 30,000 to 35,000 members, and largely rival the Bloods, another large street gang founded in Los Angeles.
Last month, Keiser said he spoke with a 16-year-old who was a member of the Elm Street Piru Gang in Baltimore and came up to the Dallastown School District.The child got kicked out of the York County school and ended up in a local detention center.“He was making $5,000 a week selling crack cocaine on the corner,” Keiser said. “The sad thing is his mom works in a big hospital on the East Coast and makes good money, but she was just never around I guess. These kids see guys like Young Jeezy, who is a rapper from Atlanta that made it big and they think they can do that. I tell them that he is one-half of one percent of all these guys that are out there. How glamorous is it to have an Expedition with 22-inch rims sitting in front of your project housing. MTV Cribs is not coming to your house. That is the reality.”Media glamorization was another cause of gang membership cited by Keiser Monday.To display that fact to his audience, he played mini-segments of two video games that openly promote violence, Grand Theft Auto and Saints Row.In Saints Row, the player’s character is enlisted into a gang to help it defeat three rival gangs and take over the fictional city of Stilwater.The player can engage in gunfights and also steal and drive a variety of vehicles.Keiser also played a You Tube music video of rapper Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” which features many references to the Crips gang.“This is out there and this is what the kids are seeing and playing,” he added. “To be able to understand where they are coming from and how to deal with the problem, we have to be aware of this. They want the excitement in their life.”Having the right person talk to a gang member or a young person who may become one is what Keiser views as the key to success.“You have to speak their language and relate to them,” he said. “A middle-aged white guy is not going to have much relatability walking down to the hood. You have to have someone who is of the same ethnicity and who is charismatic and has a concern for the kids. Don’t get in their face about their lifestyle.”
Warning signs that children may be involved in gang-related activities include wearing one specific color every day, physical injuries, an excess of symbols, tattoos or flags, and an increased interest in violent video games or the gangster lifestyle.
“Ice T told me he joined a gang because his dad was a crackhead and his mom was an alcoholic,” Keiser said. “He said he didn’t know where he came from or who he was. The relative he was living with was absent most of the time as well.”
Last month, Keiser said he spoke with a 16-year-old who was a member of the Elm Street Piru Gang in Baltimore and came up to the Dallastown School District.The child got kicked out of the York County school and ended up in a local detention center.“He was making $5,000 a week selling crack cocaine on the corner,” Keiser said. “The sad thing is his mom works in a big hospital on the East Coast and makes good money, but she was just never around I guess. These kids see guys like Young Jeezy, who is a rapper from Atlanta that made it big and they think they can do that. I tell them that he is one-half of one percent of all these guys that are out there. How glamorous is it to have an Expedition with 22-inch rims sitting in front of your project housing. MTV Cribs is not coming to your house. That is the reality.”Media glamorization was another cause of gang membership cited by Keiser Monday.To display that fact to his audience, he played mini-segments of two video games that openly promote violence, Grand Theft Auto and Saints Row.In Saints Row, the player’s character is enlisted into a gang to help it defeat three rival gangs and take over the fictional city of Stilwater.The player can engage in gunfights and also steal and drive a variety of vehicles.Keiser also played a You Tube music video of rapper Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” which features many references to the Crips gang.“This is out there and this is what the kids are seeing and playing,” he added. “To be able to understand where they are coming from and how to deal with the problem, we have to be aware of this. They want the excitement in their life.”Having the right person talk to a gang member or a young person who may become one is what Keiser views as the key to success.“You have to speak their language and relate to them,” he said. “A middle-aged white guy is not going to have much relatability walking down to the hood. You have to have someone who is of the same ethnicity and who is charismatic and has a concern for the kids. Don’t get in their face about their lifestyle.”
Warning signs that children may be involved in gang-related activities include wearing one specific color every day, physical injuries, an excess of symbols, tattoos or flags, and an increased interest in violent video games or the gangster lifestyle.
Three, suspected Bloods members, have been charged with attempted murder and handgun violations
Three, suspected Bloods members, have been charged with attempted murder and handgun violations, Harris said. They are Perry Lee Jennings, 22, of the 7800 block of Levy Court, Pasadena; Albert Westmoreland, 18, of the 7800 block of Jaki Terrace, Glen Burnie; and Dominque Laring, 17, of the 7800 block of S. Hampton Drive, Glen Burnie. They were to have bail reviews Monday before a District Court commissioner. Police were investigating motives for the shooting, Harris said.arrested three suspected Anne Arundel County gang members and recovered three guns after the attempted shooting of a family in Brooklyn on Sunday night, a police spokesman said. Officers responded to reports of gunfire near Baltic Avenue and Fifth Street about 8 p.m. They found a Ford Explorer that had been shot several times, as well as numerous shell casings, said police spokesman Officer Troy Harris. Southern District officers found the three suspects leaving a Ford Crown Victoria on West Meadow Road, just over the Anne Arundel County line in Brooklyn Park. Police said they also recovered marijuana, an assault rifle, a .25-caliber semiautomatic handgun and a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun from the car's trunk.
Bid to silence a potential Hells Angel witness to the airport fight
32-year-old, who was hit by several bullets, is said to be in a stable condition in hospital.Gangs Squad Commander Superintendent Mal Lanyon said he believed the gunman was a rival biker.
"I think it's probably realistic that we will be looking at other motorcycle gangs," he said.Police have suggested the shooting may have been a bid to silence a potential witness to the airport fight.
The violence broke out between Hells Angels and rival Comanchero gang when they got off a flight from Melbourne.Anthony Zervas, 29, was bludgeoned to death with metal poles during the incident.Five men connected to the Comancheros have been charged.The incident comes as Australian police have launched a crackdown on rising violence Among biker gangs.The New South Wales state government is considering new laws which would see some motorcycle groups banned.
State Premier Nathan Rees said the move is a notice to bikers "that your days are up. It's finished".Hells Angel who witnessed the killing of his younger brother in a bloody brawl at Sydney Airport nine days ago may break the bikie code of silence after being shot in his driveway.Police found 32-year-old Peter Zervas leaning against a white Hyundai Excel next to pools of his own blood in front of his apartment, in Lakemba in Sydney's southwest, just before midnight on Sunday. Superintendent Peter Lennon of Campsie Local Area Command refused to identify the shooting victim, but said police had already spoken to him at his bedside in St George Hospital and expected him to "co-operate" with investigators. "Because of his medical condition, we will go back to conduct further inquiries with him at the appropriate time," Superintendent Lennon said. Zervas had not sought police protection, despite being a potential star witness to the killing of Anthony Zervas, 29, who died after being bludgeoned with a security bollard. A lawyer for five Comancheros facing charges over the brawl, alleged to have involved 15 Hells Angels and Comancheros bikies, urged people not to assume the rival gang was involved in the Sunday attack.
"I think it's probably realistic that we will be looking at other motorcycle gangs," he said.Police have suggested the shooting may have been a bid to silence a potential witness to the airport fight.
The violence broke out between Hells Angels and rival Comanchero gang when they got off a flight from Melbourne.Anthony Zervas, 29, was bludgeoned to death with metal poles during the incident.Five men connected to the Comancheros have been charged.The incident comes as Australian police have launched a crackdown on rising violence Among biker gangs.The New South Wales state government is considering new laws which would see some motorcycle groups banned.
State Premier Nathan Rees said the move is a notice to bikers "that your days are up. It's finished".Hells Angel who witnessed the killing of his younger brother in a bloody brawl at Sydney Airport nine days ago may break the bikie code of silence after being shot in his driveway.Police found 32-year-old Peter Zervas leaning against a white Hyundai Excel next to pools of his own blood in front of his apartment, in Lakemba in Sydney's southwest, just before midnight on Sunday. Superintendent Peter Lennon of Campsie Local Area Command refused to identify the shooting victim, but said police had already spoken to him at his bedside in St George Hospital and expected him to "co-operate" with investigators. "Because of his medical condition, we will go back to conduct further inquiries with him at the appropriate time," Superintendent Lennon said. Zervas had not sought police protection, despite being a potential star witness to the killing of Anthony Zervas, 29, who died after being bludgeoned with a security bollard. A lawyer for five Comancheros facing charges over the brawl, alleged to have involved 15 Hells Angels and Comancheros bikies, urged people not to assume the rival gang was involved in the Sunday attack.
Lawsuit against the Sureno 13 gang comes just before Cinco de Mayo
Lawsuit against the Sureno 13 gang comes just before Cinco de Mayo, a popular Latino fiesta, which runs May 1-2. Police Chief John Harrington calls Sureno 13 the fastest growing gang in the Twin Cities. He says the level of violence it is able and willing to commit is escalating. City attorney John Choi says if approved by a judge, the measure would allow St. Paul Police officers to arrest any gang member found within a so-called safe zone near the festival. "If they want to come to the event they can certainly come with their mom or come by themself. But if they're engaging in gang behavior or basically hanging out with another known gang member -- ultimately that's what we want as a court order and then a violation of that court order is a misdemeanor crime. So that will help law enforcement in many ways," he said. Choi says during last year's Cinco de Mayo celebration, a Sureno gang member was involved in a drive-by shooting. But law enforcement officials say that doesn't mean the festival is unsafe. A judge will hear the city's arguments April 24.
Donnell Young is one of three reputed gang leaders of the Rollin' 90s Crips accused of killing seven people and wounding a 3-year-old girl.
A leader of a Los Angeles-based street gang that used intimidation, torture and murder to protect a vast multi-state drug enterprise has pleaded guilty in Nashville to murder and drug trafficking.
The plea Monday by Donnell Young brings to a close the second oldest federal death penalty prosecution in the country. In exchange for the guilty plea, federal prosecutors are no longer seeking the death penalty. Instead, Young faces life in prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking, firearms offenses, murder and obstruction of justice. The case has lingered since his indictment in 1998 because of appeals.Young is one of three reputed gang leaders of the Rollin' 90s Crips accused of killing seven people and wounding a 3-year-old girl.
The plea Monday by Donnell Young brings to a close the second oldest federal death penalty prosecution in the country. In exchange for the guilty plea, federal prosecutors are no longer seeking the death penalty. Instead, Young faces life in prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking, firearms offenses, murder and obstruction of justice. The case has lingered since his indictment in 1998 because of appeals.Young is one of three reputed gang leaders of the Rollin' 90s Crips accused of killing seven people and wounding a 3-year-old girl.
Drive-by shooting that wounded three students outside The Hawk
Arrested a 22-year-old Overland Park man in a drive-by shooting that wounded three students outside a bar early Thursday.The man faces three counts of aggravated battery.Two students — a 22-year-old man attending University of Kansas and his 21-year-old friend from the University of Chicago — were taken to a hospital for injuries that were not life-threatening. A 19-year-old KU student was grazed by a bullet and treated at the scene, according to Police Sgt. Susan Hadl.The shootings occurred about 2 a.m. outside The Hawk in the 1300 block of Ohio Street, Hadl said.A large group of people had gathered outside the bar and were socializing, which is typical at closing time, Hadl said.As a dark-colored car heading west on 14th Street approached, a passenger leaned out of the window and fired several shots from a handgun at the crowd.“It is not apparent that he was firing upon anyone in particular,” Hadl said.The car sped west on 14th toward the KU campus.
Uptown Block Boyz had begun to control their neighborhood through a mix of drug-based crime and violent threats
Those facing drug charges are Miguel Clavell, 22; Denisse Brito, 24; Jorge Brito, 20; and Santos Rodriguez-Ruiz, 33. Those facing weapons charges are Anthony Colon, 19; Christian Perez, 20; Steven Miranda, 19; and a 17-year-old boy attending Cunning Alternative School. A ninth person, Ramon Erazo, 46, was arrested on an outstanding contempt of court charge, although he is not believed to be a member of the gang. Authorities brought drug and weapons charges against the nine they say are affiliated with the Uptown Block Boyz gang centered on North Seventh Street in Vineland. Police said they arrested nine people connected to a gang operating near downtown Vineland.
Police said they simultaneously searched two apartments in the street's 200 block March 20 and found 10 ounces of marijuana packaged for distribution and less than an ounce of cocaine at the two homes.Police had previously arrested four other gang members on weapons charges in February after finding three semi-automatic handguns and a revolver visible in their vehicle parked outside the new Wal-Mart on Landis Avenue.Detectives waited till Thursday to announce the arrests because their investigation remains open.
Vineland police Lt. Tom Ulrich said the investigation was led by the department's Violent Crime and Gang Task Force, which is targeting gangs in the city.
The Uptown Block Boyz had begun to control their neighborhood through a mix of drug-based crime and violent threats, Ulrich said Thursday. The gang also has an increased presence at the city's high school, as indicated by the fact that one of those arrested was a 17-year-old boy."We're trying to target groups and gangs that are involved in violent crime," Ulrich said, adding later, "The ones that haven't been taken in yet ought to be worried."
Police said they simultaneously searched two apartments in the street's 200 block March 20 and found 10 ounces of marijuana packaged for distribution and less than an ounce of cocaine at the two homes.Police had previously arrested four other gang members on weapons charges in February after finding three semi-automatic handguns and a revolver visible in their vehicle parked outside the new Wal-Mart on Landis Avenue.Detectives waited till Thursday to announce the arrests because their investigation remains open.
Vineland police Lt. Tom Ulrich said the investigation was led by the department's Violent Crime and Gang Task Force, which is targeting gangs in the city.
The Uptown Block Boyz had begun to control their neighborhood through a mix of drug-based crime and violent threats, Ulrich said Thursday. The gang also has an increased presence at the city's high school, as indicated by the fact that one of those arrested was a 17-year-old boy."We're trying to target groups and gangs that are involved in violent crime," Ulrich said, adding later, "The ones that haven't been taken in yet ought to be worried."
Hells Angels brother of a man bludgeoned to death at Sydney airport. has been gunned down at his home
Peter Zervas, 32, was shot in the chest, arm and abdomen about11.30pm (AEDT) last night while getting out of his vehicle in an underground carpark at a unit block in Punchbowl Road, Lakemba. Hells Angels brother of a man bludgeoned to death at Sydney airport. has been gunned down at his home in Sydney's southwest .
It is believed the attackers were lying in waiting and fled the scene shortly after the shooting. While police would not speculate whether the injured man was Mr Zervas, the unit block is believed to be where Hells Angel Peter Zervas and his family live. The man was found slumped on the ground, bleeding heavily from his injuries. Four ambulance officers, under police guard, battled to keep him alive in the back of the ambulance as he was taken to St George hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery early this morning. He is currently in a serious but stable condition. The public order and riot squad were stationed at the hospital early today. Three armed security guards were stationed in the emergency department while two police cars and Polair were patrolling outside the building.Zervas's parents, his mother dressed in black, were escorted out of the hospital by two police officers just before 1pm (AEDT). They got in the back seat of a black car with tinted windows that then drove away from the hospital. Officers from Strike Force Raptor, the anti-bikie operation which was officially launched last week, are now investigating the shooting. Police last night locked down a 300m stretch of Punchbowl Rd as forensic officers, detectives and police dogs scoured the street looking for shell casings and other clues. Police are appealing for the driver of a white motor vehicle, who encountered a man who fled the scene, to come forward. The man was described as being around 173cm tall, of muscular build, with long dark collar length hair and wearing a dark long sleeved jacket and dark jeans. The driver had to sound his horn while avoiding the man running across Punchbowl Road shortly after the gunshots were heard.
Rapper TI has been sentenced to one year and one day in jail
Rapper TI has been sentenced to one year and one day in jail after he pleaded guilty to three charges of possessing illegal weapons. The star, whose real name is Clifford Harris, will have between 30 and 60 days to report to prison. He has already completed 1,000 hours of community service, which has included warning young people about the dangers of guns, drugs and violence.
Harris pleaded guilty last March after he was arrested in 2007.
The arrest happened close to where he had been expected to headline the BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta. He had been attempting to buy unregistered machine guns. He initially pleaded not guilty - and faced up to 10 years in prison for each of the charges. Harris is best known in the UK for his guest appearance on Justin Timberlake's My Love single. He won two Grammys in 2007, and appeared alongside Denzel Washington in the Ridley Scott movie American Gangster. The star is not allowed to own or buy firearms because of a drug conviction dating back to 1998.
Norteno street gang,Alexis Aguilar, 19, was sentenced Thursday by Judge Timothy Roberts to consecutive 25-years-to-life sentences
Alexis Aguilar, 19, was sentenced Thursday by Judge Timothy Roberts to consecutive 25-years-to-life sentences for the first-degree murder of 29-year-old Jose Mexicano. He was given an additional six years for using a firearm during the commission of the crime for the benefit of the Norteno street gang. Aguilar was found guilty by a jury last month in the March 4, 2007, slaying of Mexicano in the notorious Acosta Plaza apartment complex. He was 17 at the time of the shooting, but was tried as an adult. It was the second time Aguilar was tried for the murder after an earlier jury deadlocked.
Prosecutor David Rabow acknowledged the length of the sentence for a teenager would attract attention, but argued that it was warranted given the heinous nature of the crime. According to testimony, Mexicano was walking through the complex with his son when they were approached by a man with a hooded sweatshirt pulled over his forehead and mouth. The assailant ordered Mexicano to take off his blue hat and tell his son to leave, then shot Mexicano in the back as he and his son ran in opposite directions. The boy later identified Aguilar as the gunman. "People struggle with the idea of such a heavy sentence for such a young man, but you're not just seeing a young man, you're seeing a young man who killed someone," Rabow said. "I think (the sentence is) appropriate."
Defense attorney Allen Kleinkopf reiterated his contention that Aguilar didn't kill Mexicano, that he did not, and could not, receive a fair trial because of the public enmity against gang members. "Juries hate them," Kleinkopf said. Kleinkopf called the affair "an incredibly prejudiced case," and argued that the judge inappropriately excluded potential testimony about the unreliability of eyewitness accounts while allowing a gang expert to "pontificate" for hours about the evils of gangs, and allow two "snitches" to testify against his client in exchange for reduced sentences.
"This was not an even-handed trial," he said. Aguilar showed no emotion during the sentencing hearing, even when Mexicano's father addressed the court in front of a tearful crowd of family and friends of the victim and the defendant. The victim's father told the court in Spanish that Aguilar had "killed all of us (Mexicano's family)," noting that some of his son's five children watched their father die and that they would never have their father around again. When Aguilar stood to speak, he read from a written statement and apologized to his family and friends for putting them through the ordeal. He told the victim's family he was sorry for their loss, and said he and his family would pray that they found peace. But Aguilar said he has never been a danger to society and never would be, and the state didn't have the "right to take my life." Rabow said he didn't expect Aguilar to admit his guilt, calling that a part of "the persona" of gangs. But he said he hoped the sorrow the victim's family showed would affect Aguilar and "all his gang friends in the courtroom." "I hope they know how much they're hurting their community," he said. "We keep appealing to them as if they care, and I'm just not sure they do."
Prosecutor David Rabow acknowledged the length of the sentence for a teenager would attract attention, but argued that it was warranted given the heinous nature of the crime. According to testimony, Mexicano was walking through the complex with his son when they were approached by a man with a hooded sweatshirt pulled over his forehead and mouth. The assailant ordered Mexicano to take off his blue hat and tell his son to leave, then shot Mexicano in the back as he and his son ran in opposite directions. The boy later identified Aguilar as the gunman. "People struggle with the idea of such a heavy sentence for such a young man, but you're not just seeing a young man, you're seeing a young man who killed someone," Rabow said. "I think (the sentence is) appropriate."
Defense attorney Allen Kleinkopf reiterated his contention that Aguilar didn't kill Mexicano, that he did not, and could not, receive a fair trial because of the public enmity against gang members. "Juries hate them," Kleinkopf said. Kleinkopf called the affair "an incredibly prejudiced case," and argued that the judge inappropriately excluded potential testimony about the unreliability of eyewitness accounts while allowing a gang expert to "pontificate" for hours about the evils of gangs, and allow two "snitches" to testify against his client in exchange for reduced sentences.
He said he believed his client was convicted with "too little evidence" and the jury simply wanted "closure."
"This was not an even-handed trial," he said. Aguilar showed no emotion during the sentencing hearing, even when Mexicano's father addressed the court in front of a tearful crowd of family and friends of the victim and the defendant. The victim's father told the court in Spanish that Aguilar had "killed all of us (Mexicano's family)," noting that some of his son's five children watched their father die and that they would never have their father around again. When Aguilar stood to speak, he read from a written statement and apologized to his family and friends for putting them through the ordeal. He told the victim's family he was sorry for their loss, and said he and his family would pray that they found peace. But Aguilar said he has never been a danger to society and never would be, and the state didn't have the "right to take my life." Rabow said he didn't expect Aguilar to admit his guilt, calling that a part of "the persona" of gangs. But he said he hoped the sorrow the victim's family showed would affect Aguilar and "all his gang friends in the courtroom." "I hope they know how much they're hurting their community," he said. "We keep appealing to them as if they care, and I'm just not sure they do."
Tiny Oriental Posse Gang Six known gang members are behind bars
All six of the men: Tony Sisouphanh, Nhat Ahn Truong, Brandon Iphongsay, Andy Rasabout, and Eddy Viphongsay Levitz Kaykeo will face criminal mischief charges.Viphongsay is also charged with possession of a firearm, and Kaykeo was also charged with possession of firearm by a restricted person. Six known gang members are behind bars, accused in an overnight crime spree. West Valley police say the six men are part of the Tiny Oriental Posse Gang, known as the T.O.P. Police say early Friday morning the group targeted a rival gang member's house at 3299 W. Brookway Dr. in West Valley City. Police say there is a long history of violence between the T.O.P. and the O.L.G., which stands for the Oriental Laotian Gangsters. Police believe Friday morning's somewhat small attack on a O.L.G. gang member could mean a bigger retaliation. West Valley City police Lt. Bill Merritt said, "Often times they don't need any more motivation than the fact that somebody is a member of a rival gang, that's good enough for them." When police arrived, they found broken windows and the homeowner, a member of the O.L.G., inside. As police were investigating the scene, guns shots were reported nearby. Moments later, the same six T.O.P. gang members came back. "They hear a couple of vehicles come racing into the area, they (police officers) were seated back in their unmarked car, and sure enough the two cars that were given in the description in the shots fired call, pull right back into the neighborhood," Merritt said.
Not knowing that the men in the unmarked car were police officers, the gang members approached the vehicle wanting to fight. As one of the men reached for the door, the officers pulled their guns, taking four of the six men down on the spot. The other two suspects were pulled over nearby, by an off-duty officer in the area. During that arrest, police also recovered a .9 mm handgun from the car.
West Valley police say as the weather gets warmer, they see more flare-up like this between the two rival gangs. They say their concern is that these flare-ups will turn deadly. "A few years back we had several shootings and even a couple of homicides in the Salt Lake Valley, including those two different gangs," Merritt said.
West Valley police say no one was injured during the reported shots fired, but say they will investigate whether the gun recovered has been used in any other criminal cases.
Not knowing that the men in the unmarked car were police officers, the gang members approached the vehicle wanting to fight. As one of the men reached for the door, the officers pulled their guns, taking four of the six men down on the spot. The other two suspects were pulled over nearby, by an off-duty officer in the area. During that arrest, police also recovered a .9 mm handgun from the car.
West Valley police say as the weather gets warmer, they see more flare-up like this between the two rival gangs. They say their concern is that these flare-ups will turn deadly. "A few years back we had several shootings and even a couple of homicides in the Salt Lake Valley, including those two different gangs," Merritt said.
West Valley police say no one was injured during the reported shots fired, but say they will investigate whether the gun recovered has been used in any other criminal cases.
Found Charles Edward Paschal II inside the Orient Chinese restaurant and bar with numerous gunshot wounds
Charles Edward Paschal II critically wounded in a shooting at a northeast Portland bar is recovering. Police officers responding about 9:30 p.m. in the 1000 block of Northeast Broadway found 29-year-old Charles Edward Paschal II inside the Orient Chinese restaurant and bar with numerous gunshot wounds to the lower portion of his body, said Portland Police Detective Mary Wheat.
The Gang Enforcement Team was attempting to locate witnesses inside the bar at the time of the shooting to help piece together what happened
The Gang Enforcement Team was attempting to locate witnesses inside the bar at the time of the shooting to help piece together what happened
West Drive Locos gang of Desert Hot Springs home torn down.
Crews tear down a house that police say was used by the West Drive Locos gang of Desert Hot Springs Friday after a massive multi-agency anti-gang injunctionThe home on Estrella Avenue at Palm Drive was turned to rubble within minutes as government officials and city residents cheered.“The symbol we're about to provide is, we're taking back this community, even if it involves tearing down the playground of the West Drive Locos,” Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco said during a news conference just before the home was destroyed.Whether standing behind brick walls or sitting on nearby rooftops, residents watched as construction equipment tore into the home that was tagged with gang symbols and sat in a vacant lot littered with debris.“You couldn't drive by at night without seeing guys hanging out or making noise,” Desert Hot Springs resident George Hansen, 57, said after the news conference.
“I'm glad it's gone. It's one less place for gang members to congregate. They know (law enforcement officers) are coming after them.”
Fort Worth shootout left at least two dead and two more injured
Gang shooting Friday night left at least two dead and two more injured, according to police reports.Witnesses told police that after a gang party in the 700 block of West Drew around 11:30 p.m., several vehicles drove off and people in at least two vehicles began shooting at each other near West Drew and Hemphill Street.
One female and one male died from the shooting, another female was shot in the leg and another male was shot in the arm, according to a police blog posted by Fort Worth Police spokesman Sgt. Pedro Criado.The names of the victims were not being released until their families were notified.The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s website identified Michelle Chavez, 18, as having died shortly after at 12:05 a.m. Saturday after having been on West Drew.
One female and one male died from the shooting, another female was shot in the leg and another male was shot in the arm, according to a police blog posted by Fort Worth Police spokesman Sgt. Pedro Criado.The names of the victims were not being released until their families were notified.The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s website identified Michelle Chavez, 18, as having died shortly after at 12:05 a.m. Saturday after having been on West Drew.
Jackie Tran, who has been fighting deportation since 2004, is free in Calgary
Jackie Tran, who has been fighting deportation since 2004, is free in Calgary after an immigration official again ruled that he did not break his release conditions.The Canada Border Services Agency argued on Friday that Tran, 26, was a flight risk and a danger to the public, and so should remain in custody until a decision is rendered in his deportation appeal.However, Geoff Rempel of the Immigration and Refugee Board ordered Tran, whose birth name is Tran Trong Nghi Nguyen, released from custody."Your mother's decision to move can't be held against you. You did not breach the terms and conditions," Rempel said on Friday.Calgary police allege that Tran broke the condition of his original release that required him to live with his mother in McKenzie Towne. He was arrested on Wednesday.The detention proceeding heard that Tran's mother, Laura, moved to an apartment subsidized by the Calgary Housing Company because she was preparing for the possibility her son could be deported.Jackie Tran told the board that his mother could not afford the current home they were living in if he left, so she applied for housing with the Calgary Housing Co. After months on a waiting list, she was approved for a subsidized apartment and moved to the northeast.Laura Tran also moved so she could take care of her daughter, 9. Child protection services officials had told her the girl was not allowed to live in the same residence as Jackie Tran.Tran is awaiting a decision on an appeal of a deportation order that was originally issued in 2004, after he collected two convictions for drug trafficking and one for assault with a weapon. He is a permanent resident who moved to Canada in 1993.Calgary police allege that Tran is a gang member and poses a risk to the public because of previous attempts on his life by rival gangs.
Gang investigators have testified that Tran is linked to several people who have been killed or hurt in gang-related attacks. Police believe at least 12 homicides in the city since 2002 are linked to the gang feud.Tran, who denies being part of a gang, was arrested in October for allegedly breaking his curfew at a Kensington bar, but the IRB ruled that a Calgary police officer misidentified him on the night of the supposed breach.On Friday, border services officials asked the IRB to impose extra terms and conditions on Tran's release, including:Random searches of his person, vehicle and home. Prohibition on possession of knives, unless Tran is in his home or a restaurant. A phone landline that Tran must answer if police call during his curfew of 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. However, Rempel rejected that request, saying that Tran's current conditions are working well."I'm unwilling to add any more terms and conditions including ones that would have him waiving fundamental charter rights," Rempel said. He also amended the terms so Tran no longer has to live with his mother.
Gang investigators have testified that Tran is linked to several people who have been killed or hurt in gang-related attacks. Police believe at least 12 homicides in the city since 2002 are linked to the gang feud.Tran, who denies being part of a gang, was arrested in October for allegedly breaking his curfew at a Kensington bar, but the IRB ruled that a Calgary police officer misidentified him on the night of the supposed breach.On Friday, border services officials asked the IRB to impose extra terms and conditions on Tran's release, including:Random searches of his person, vehicle and home. Prohibition on possession of knives, unless Tran is in his home or a restaurant. A phone landline that Tran must answer if police call during his curfew of 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. However, Rempel rejected that request, saying that Tran's current conditions are working well."I'm unwilling to add any more terms and conditions including ones that would have him waiving fundamental charter rights," Rempel said. He also amended the terms so Tran no longer has to live with his mother.
Allan Sarkis, the president of the Notorious gang
Allan Sarkis, the president of the Notorious gang,office bearer with an alleged organised bikie-related crime gang has been charged.Police stopped a Ford Falcon sedan in Anglo Street, Chatswood, because of the manner in which it was being driven after 9pm last night.Offciers spoke to the 34-year-old Hornsby man driving the car and identified him as a high-level office bearer with an alleged organised crime gang aligned to a bikie gang, a NSW Police spokeswoman said. Reports named the man as Allan Sarkis, the president of the Notorious gang.Following a search of the vehicle and a bag belonging to the man, police allegedly located a number of tablets.
Police will allege that 26 ‘Xanax’ brand sleeping tablets were in the possession of the man without a prescription, the spokeswoman said. The man was issued with a field court attendance notice for possess prescribed restricted substance. He is due to appear at Hornsby Local Court on 6 May.The Daily Telegraph Online reported earlier today that when it was established, Notorious - one of the newest bikie gangs - was quick to be dismissed by the motorcycle gangs. Those same gangs now find themselves in the middle of a bloody turf war with Notorious, hell-bent on proving itself on the bikie scene. Based in Kings Cross, Notorious is believed to be feuding with both the Hells Angels and Rebels. The war between the Bandidos and Notorious is being blamed for five drive-by shootings in Sydney's west and southwest in the past two weeks.
Police will allege that 26 ‘Xanax’ brand sleeping tablets were in the possession of the man without a prescription, the spokeswoman said. The man was issued with a field court attendance notice for possess prescribed restricted substance. He is due to appear at Hornsby Local Court on 6 May.The Daily Telegraph Online reported earlier today that when it was established, Notorious - one of the newest bikie gangs - was quick to be dismissed by the motorcycle gangs. Those same gangs now find themselves in the middle of a bloody turf war with Notorious, hell-bent on proving itself on the bikie scene. Based in Kings Cross, Notorious is believed to be feuding with both the Hells Angels and Rebels. The war between the Bandidos and Notorious is being blamed for five drive-by shootings in Sydney's west and southwest in the past two weeks.
Bulldozers used to bring down more than 30 chapels devoted to 'Saint Death'
The image of the saint is a skeleton dressed and adorned as a woman, and is not based on any particular Roman Catholic saint. Many criminals, but also people without a criminal record and even police officers, have taken it as their patron saint. Bulldozers used to bring down more than 30 chapels devoted to 'Saint Death' - a figure that is worshipped by drug traffickers - in the northern city of Nuevo Laredo, the daily Reforma reported Wednesday. Although the figure is venerated by people from many walks of life, the saint has been adopted by drug gangs. In recent years, there has been a proliferation around Mexico in the construction of such chapels - varying in size from small shrines to larger buildings - from materials including brick, marble, iron and tiles. They use Roman Catholic symbolism and ceremonies, although the formal church rejects worship of 'Saint Death' as a pagan tradition and the authorities have long removed the tradition from the list of the country's religious associations. In Mexico City, there is even a sanctuary and a so-called bishop - a man with no known ties to drug trafficking - for worship of 'Saint Death.' According to the report in Reforma, the chapels that were destroyed in Nuevo Laredo were on an access road to the city. One was a two-floor building and featured a 2-metre-tall image of Saint Death. The owner of one of the altars told reporters that he had spent some 13,700 dollars to build it and decorate it. 'When you go in or out of Nuevo Laredo you see these chapels, which are most impressive, spectacular, but people constantly complain that they give the impression that this is a place for criminals,' an unidentified official source told the daily, to explain the decision. More than 6,300 people were killed last year in Mexico in incidents linked to organized crime and drug trafficking. The authorities have massively deployed soldiers and federal police officers to combat crime.
Westside Street Mobb charged with running a prostitution ring involving at least 13 girls and young women
Six alleged members of a West Seattle-based street gang have been charged with running a prostitution ring involving at least 13 girls and young women. In court documents, Seattle police assert that members of the Bloods-affiliated Westside Street Mobb used violence and coercion to force the women to prostitute themselves. Nearly all of the prostitutes' earnings went to gang members.Among those charged is DeShawn Cashmoney Clark, an 18-year-old Seattle man who pleaded guilty last month to similar charges in a separate case. Clark now faces the most serious charges made in the recent filing: second-degree human trafficking and promoting commercial sexual abuse of a minor.According to court documents, Seattle Vice Unit Detective Todd Novisedlak launched in investigation into the prostitution ring in November after conducting a sting on a 19-year-old woman selling herself on Craigslist.org.
Following her arrest at a Hilton hotel in SeaTac, the woman told police that she'd been working for Clark and Thomas Foster, according to police statements. She told police Clark had assaulted her in the past, and that she was afraid her pimp would hunt her down."She feared that she would lose her life if she cooperated with the police," Novisedlak said in court documents. "She said she desperately wanted out of the prostitution 'lifestyle.'"The woman told police Clark and his brother, Shawn Clark, had taken her and two other prostitutes to Portland, where they stayed for six days. She went on to identify 13 other girls and women who were working for the organization.At the same time, King County Sheriff's Office Detective Todd Smith was conducting a separate investigation into the Westside Street Mobb. Smith, according to court documents, had identified three women working for Shawn Clark and Gerald Nathaniel Jackson who were living together in a basement apartment in unincorporated King County near Des Moines. In collaboration with detectives in both agencies, Novisdlak and Smith found that two other men, Mycah Maurice Johnson and Desmond Trevian Manago, were also involved in the prostitution ring, according to police statements. All the men are believed by law enforcement to be affiliated with the Westside Street Mobb. According to court documents, the gang is thought to have been formed in mid-2006 in Seattle's Delridge neighborhood. Sheriff's Office detectives believe the group has 20 to 30 members, and is in part funded through prostitution and drug sales. The gang was initially affiliated with both the Bloods and the Chicago-based Folk Nation alliance of street gangs. Police assert that the Westside Street Mobb has since broken with Folk Nation after entering into a turf fight with another South Seattle gang. Prosecutors have filed a total of 15 charges against the six men, who, aside from DeShawn Clark, face two to three years in prison if convicted as charged. Clark faces a significantly longer sentence.
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Following her arrest at a Hilton hotel in SeaTac, the woman told police that she'd been working for Clark and Thomas Foster, according to police statements. She told police Clark had assaulted her in the past, and that she was afraid her pimp would hunt her down."She feared that she would lose her life if she cooperated with the police," Novisedlak said in court documents. "She said she desperately wanted out of the prostitution 'lifestyle.'"The woman told police Clark and his brother, Shawn Clark, had taken her and two other prostitutes to Portland, where they stayed for six days. She went on to identify 13 other girls and women who were working for the organization.At the same time, King County Sheriff's Office Detective Todd Smith was conducting a separate investigation into the Westside Street Mobb. Smith, according to court documents, had identified three women working for Shawn Clark and Gerald Nathaniel Jackson who were living together in a basement apartment in unincorporated King County near Des Moines. In collaboration with detectives in both agencies, Novisdlak and Smith found that two other men, Mycah Maurice Johnson and Desmond Trevian Manago, were also involved in the prostitution ring, according to police statements. All the men are believed by law enforcement to be affiliated with the Westside Street Mobb. According to court documents, the gang is thought to have been formed in mid-2006 in Seattle's Delridge neighborhood. Sheriff's Office detectives believe the group has 20 to 30 members, and is in part funded through prostitution and drug sales. The gang was initially affiliated with both the Bloods and the Chicago-based Folk Nation alliance of street gangs. Police assert that the Westside Street Mobb has since broken with Folk Nation after entering into a turf fight with another South Seattle gang. Prosecutors have filed a total of 15 charges against the six men, who, aside from DeShawn Clark, face two to three years in prison if convicted as charged. Clark faces a significantly longer sentence.
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Upsurge in gun violence that may be the result of Sureno gangs trying to target rival Norteno gang members.
Three gang-related shootings in less than a week have left a Hollister man dead and two others hospitalized.Police said Wednesday they have no information indicating the shootings will continue, but they also have no reason to believe the violence will stop."The only commonality is that in all three occasions, the suspects perceived the victims to be opposing gang members," said Lt. Darren Thompson, who pointed out that the victims were not necessarily gang members. "We're bringing in people in uniforms to provide a little additional presence in the street."The additional patrols started midday Wednesday and will continue through the end of the week. Also, detectives are being brought in on overtime to follow up on leads in the three shootings. No suspects have been identified."Our best hope is going to be tracking down some of these leads that we started yesterday that we didn't have time to track down," Thompson said.Detectives think the aggressors may be Surenos, who claim blue, because the victim in Tuesday's shooting was wearing red shoes, Thompson said. Nortenos, the rival gang, claim red.Watsonville has about 560 documented active gang members, about 70 percent of whom are Nortenos, according to patrol supervisor Eric Taylor, who was the department's gang investigator until recently. There are seven or eight Norteno and two Sureno gangs that operate in the city, he said.The most-recent shooting happened in a residential neighborhood off Airport Boulevard on Tuesday afternoon. Two men in a sedan pulled alongside an 18-year-old Watsonville man walking down the street, one got out of the car and asked the teen what gang he claimed. Then the man fired four or five shots, hitting the teen several times in the torso, police reported.Police said the teen suffered life-threatening injuries and underwent surgery at the out-of-county trauma center he was flown to Tuesday afternoon. By Wednesday, the young man's condition had improved.
"The victim's status is positive," Thompson said. "He's been listed as critical but stable and we're hoping that he continues to recover."The manner in which the gunmen approached the teen Tuesday was similar to the how the fatal shooting on a park basketball court occurred Saturday afternoon.In that shooting, which killed Angel Gabriel Escobedo, 19 of Hollister, two men approached Escobedo and his friends at a hoops court on Green Meadow Drive and asked what gang they were in, police said. Escobedo's friends ran, but he was shot several times and died at the scene.
The third incident of gun violence happened around 2 a.m. Saturday when a 25-year-old Salinas man was shot in the leg in front of La Esperanza Market on Main Street.
"The victim's status is positive," Thompson said. "He's been listed as critical but stable and we're hoping that he continues to recover."The manner in which the gunmen approached the teen Tuesday was similar to the how the fatal shooting on a park basketball court occurred Saturday afternoon.In that shooting, which killed Angel Gabriel Escobedo, 19 of Hollister, two men approached Escobedo and his friends at a hoops court on Green Meadow Drive and asked what gang they were in, police said. Escobedo's friends ran, but he was shot several times and died at the scene.
The third incident of gun violence happened around 2 a.m. Saturday when a 25-year-old Salinas man was shot in the leg in front of La Esperanza Market on Main Street.
Arrested Thomas Cose, 19, of Mentone, and David Diaz, 18, of Redlands.
Arrested Thomas Cose, 19, of Mentone, and David Diaz, 18, of Redlands. Police found Cose at his Mentone home and Diaz at another Mentone home.Police say the two men got in a fight with the victim before stabbing him and fleeing.They were arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy and a gang enhancement.Redlands police on Wednesday arrested two men on suspicion of stabbing an 18-year-old man, officials said. The men are said to be documented Redlands gang members.
Stone Crusher gang leader Cedrick Murray heads a list of Jamaica’s 10 most wanted fugitives
Stone Crusher gang leader Cedrick Murray heads a list of Jamaica’s 10 most wanted fugitives, released yesterday by the constabulary’s Serious and Organised Crime Division.Murray, who also known as ‘Paul Brown’ and ‘Doggie’, has been on the run for three years after he was accused of a triple murder at Felicity Road in Montego Bay, St James in February 2006.Murray, the police said, frequently visits Norwood, Salt Spring and Rose Heights in St James, Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland and the Coronation Market in downtown Kingston.Also featuring on the list are three members of the Spanish Town-based Klansman Gang.
Two Klansman members - Andre Nordane Bryan, also called ‘Black Man’ or ‘Garth’ and Warren Simpson, also called ‘Brucky’ - are wanted for the murder of former chairman of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company, Douglas Chambers, who was gunned down in June last year near the gates of the bus company in Twickenham Park, St Catherine.
Simpson and Bryan are said to regular visitors to the Klansman stomping grounds of Jones Avenue, Thompson Pen, Brooklyn, Lakes Pen, Port Henderson Road, De-la-Vega City and the Spanish Town bus terminus, all located in St Catherine.The other Klansman member on the most wanted list is James Hinds, who along with his rival from the One Order gang, Donald Brown, also known as ‘Negus’, who police said were the main players in a gang feud in the Gravel Heights and Tredegar Park communities, located just outside of Spanish Town. The gang feud forced dozens of residents from their homes in the two communities late last year. Both Hinds and Brown are wanted for murder.Completing the most wanted list are:
Carey Rose, also called ‘Tyson’ of Yancey Place, St Andrew - wanted for the murder of Detective Sergeant Edgerton Brown at Sundown Crescent in St Andrew in September 2007 and robbery of the cop’s firearm. Rose is known to frequent Yancey Place, Australia Road, Balcombe Drive, Olympic Way and Sundown Crescent in St Andrew;
Omar Lewis, also called ‘King Evil’ of Canterbury, St James - wanted for the murder of Richard Reid at Gloucester in June Last year. Lewis is known to frequent Glendevon, Flankers and Canterbury in St James, Mandeville in Manchester and sections of St Elizabeth;
Alton Gordon of Broadleaf, Clarendon - wanted for shooting with intent at the police and escaping from the Frankfield Police Station in July 2007. Gordon frequents Bunkers Hill in Clarendon, Cave Valley in St Ann and
August Town in St Andrew;
Collin Henry, also called ‘John Crow’ of Kew, Hanover - wanted for murder and absconding bail. Henry frequents the Lucea car park, Kew, Clifton and Maryland in Hanover and Negril in Westmoreland; and
Troy Fong of Papine in St Andrew - wanted for double murder committed at Hope Flats, St Andrew in September, 2007. Fong is known to frequent Hope Flats, Kintyre, Tavern and Papine in St Andrew.All 10 fugitives have been listed as armed and dangerous.
Eight members of the Evil Minded Soldiers gang were arrested yesterday
The Evil Minded Soldiers gang is said to be led by 22-year-old Isaiah Lunas. He is being held on suspicion of conspiracy, distribution and violating the Colorado Organized Crime and Control Act.Eight members of the Evil Minded Soldiers gang were arrested yesterday following a nine-month joint investigation between Denver and Lakewood police officials, as well as federal agencies. Two suspects remained at-large yesterday. Officials said the gang started in the late ’90s mostly as kid graffiti taggers in southwest Denver, but evolved to become a violent street gang on the Denver-Lakewood border, trafficking drugs and possessing dangerous illegal weapons.“I think what we’re seeing here is something that’s fairly disturbing, and that is you’re seeing an evolution from a tagging group to a violent organized crime group, and that’s what’s most concerning about this group and other tagger groups that are following along in the same style,” said Lakewood Police Chief Kevin Paletta.Police yesterday were still looking for Anthony Bernard, 32, and Stephen Oliver, 21. Bernard is wanted for suspicion of conspiracy, distribution, special offender status and violating the Colorado Organized Crime and Control Act. Oliver is wanted for the same crimes, as well as menacing.Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey said he expects to file formal charges within the next two days.
Four of the suspects are being held on separate $1 million bonds; two of the suspects are being held on separate $250,000 bonds.The early morning arrests netted over 2,600 ecstasy pills, as well as an undisclosed amount of cocaine, methamphetamine and hallucinogenic mushrooms. Police also seized seven firearms, including four semi-automatic pistols, two assault rifles and one bolt-action hunting rifle.One of the pistols was stolen from a federally-licensed firearms dealer in Wyoming during a burglary, said officials.
Police learned of the Evil Minded Soldiers following a tagging war between their gang and a rival gang also found in southwest Denver. After charges were filed for violent crimes the rival gang was suspected of, investigators were left to focus their attention on the Evil Minded Soldiers.The nine-month investigation revealed that the Evil Minded Soldiers were involved with violent robberies, as well as drug trafficking and illegal weapons possession, according to police. “This is an organized gang, just like any other organized crime group,” said Morrissey. “They were using guns and drugs to generate the money that they needed to keep the organization going, and of course the violence that comes with the drugs, with the money, with the ripoffs — those types of things are the type of violent crimes we see. But this organization comes together for no other purpose than for making money off of guns and drugs.”The district attorney added that the public should not view the Evil Minded Soldiers gang as kids gone wrong.“These are not kids. People think that these are kids that are out there doing this, but these are not kids,” said Morrissey. “These are people that are making a living committing crimes as a criminal organization that involves drugs and guns and a lot of money. So, these are not just kids out there who are spraying up people’s fences and garages.”
Four of the suspects are being held on separate $1 million bonds; two of the suspects are being held on separate $250,000 bonds.The early morning arrests netted over 2,600 ecstasy pills, as well as an undisclosed amount of cocaine, methamphetamine and hallucinogenic mushrooms. Police also seized seven firearms, including four semi-automatic pistols, two assault rifles and one bolt-action hunting rifle.One of the pistols was stolen from a federally-licensed firearms dealer in Wyoming during a burglary, said officials.
Police learned of the Evil Minded Soldiers following a tagging war between their gang and a rival gang also found in southwest Denver. After charges were filed for violent crimes the rival gang was suspected of, investigators were left to focus their attention on the Evil Minded Soldiers.The nine-month investigation revealed that the Evil Minded Soldiers were involved with violent robberies, as well as drug trafficking and illegal weapons possession, according to police. “This is an organized gang, just like any other organized crime group,” said Morrissey. “They were using guns and drugs to generate the money that they needed to keep the organization going, and of course the violence that comes with the drugs, with the money, with the ripoffs — those types of things are the type of violent crimes we see. But this organization comes together for no other purpose than for making money off of guns and drugs.”The district attorney added that the public should not view the Evil Minded Soldiers gang as kids gone wrong.“These are not kids. People think that these are kids that are out there doing this, but these are not kids,” said Morrissey. “These are people that are making a living committing crimes as a criminal organization that involves drugs and guns and a lot of money. So, these are not just kids out there who are spraying up people’s fences and garages.”
Nghia Trong Nguyen-Tran, aka Jackie Tran,was back behind bars yesterday after cops found he was not living with his mom as he was supposed to.
Jackie Tran was back behind bars yesterday after cops found he was not living with his mom as he was supposed to. Nghia Trong Nguyen-Tran, aka Jackie Tran, was picked up yesterday afternoon at a McKenzie Towne condo by police, along with Canada Border Services Agency officials, for allegedly breaching a condition imposed by immigration officials, said Staff Sgt. Gord Renke. The 26-year-old is now in the custody of immigration officials pending a detention review hearing which must be held within 48 hours. "He is supposed to be living with his mom," said Renke, with the organized crime section's targeted enforcement unit. "He was not living with his mom ... (who) has since moved to another residence. "He was bound (by conditions) to move with her -- they have to live together." Tran's mom recently moved to subsidized housing in a bid to be with her younger daughter who was seized by officials fearing for the girl's safety, said sources. The move, however, left her torn between her two children when housing officials did not want her son living there, the sources said. Renke said police learned about the potential breach about a week ago and they are happy he is in custody. "He is a high-profile gang member," he said, adding police intend to oppose his release. "We are quite pleased with his arrest. "He would have been extremely aware of what he should and shouldn't be doing." Tran's fate in Canada, however, is still uncertain pending the outcome of two recent immigration hearings in which federal officials along with police pushed for his deportation -- one on the grounds of his criminal background and one surrounding the claims he is a gang member. The rulings are expected in April or May. During the hearings, officials painted a picture of Tran's involvement in organized crime and association with players in a longstanding and deadly feud between Fresh off the Boat (FOB) and Fresh off the Boat Killers (FK). Tran, who has a conviction for trafficking cocaine and assault with a weapon, said he is not a gang member and wants to avoid deportation to Vietnam so he can stay here to support his mother and young sister. He was first ordered deported in 2004, but the process has been slowed by various appeals.
James “Pancake” Taylor was able to return to Liverpool despite being held on suspicion of attempted murder
A group of British men - including several from Merseyside - and men of Middle Eastern descent had started a fight in the Nikki Beach bar in Las Chapas, Marbella, in the early hours of August 23.Two Iranians were arrested initially and gave statements to the Udyco arm of the police – which combats organised crime – before Taylor was arrested.He was held for more than three weeks before being released on provisional liberty. He did not have to pay any money for bail.The Spanish authorities list his case as ‘pending’. Taylor had been freed and allowed home under the provisional liberty arrangement.James “Pancake” Taylor was able to return to Liverpool despite being held on suspicion of attempted murder.The 29-year-old was released only because British police promised to return him if he was needed by the Spanish courts.Taylor was arrested in the popular ex-pat playground of Marbella last year.He was allowed back to Merseyside under an international legal process known as ‘provisional liberty’.This occurs when an arresting authority informs officials in the accused’s home country what has happened. The accused is then sent home but only if the home country's police agree to take responsibility for returning him if required.Taylor, who was named as a leading member of Liverpool's underworld at a hearing before city licensing magistrates in 2005, was arrested on September 24 last year.It is believed Spanish police were at the time investigating a violent drugs war.They arrested Taylor over the shooting of a British man who was attacked following a nightclub brawl last August.
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Boston Police report that three men attacked a fourth man with baseball bats
Boston Police report that three men attacked a fourth man with baseball bats around 3 p.m. on March 18 at Bremen and Gove streets. Police described the three as white Hispance, said they were also armed with knives. They add that the victim, taken away in an ambulance, did not want to cooperate with police.
German faction of the Gangster Disciples accused in the death of an U.S. Army sergeant during a gang initiation in Germany
Former airman accused in the death of an U.S. Army sergeant during a gang initiation in Germany will remain jailed in Washington until trial.A federal grand jury has indicted 31-year-old Rico Williams on charges of second-degree murder and three counts of tampering with a witness in the death of 25-year-old Sgt. Juwan Johnson of Baltimore.Williams was arrested in Chesapeake, Va., in January and transferred to the U.S. District Court in Washington to stand trial.Prosecutors say the former Air Force senior airman led a German faction of the Gangster Disciples and threw the first two punches during Johnson's initiation, knocking him unconscious.The indictment states that Williams threatened at least seven people after learning of Johnson's death.
Mahmoud Dib, 26, "sergeant-at-arms" of the Bandidos' Parramatta chapter
Mahmoud Dib, 26, "sergeant-at-arms" of the Bandidos' Parramatta chapter, Mahmoud Dib, was refused bail today after he was arrested at his Auburn home in a major police operation. The Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad, with tactical and riot squad officers, raided the 26-year-old's house at Park Road, Auburn, while it was still dark at 6am (8am NZ time) this morning.NSW Police are targeting the city's bikie gangs following a fatal brawl at Sydney Airport on Sunday in which the 29-year-old brother of a senior Hells Angels member was bludgeoned to death.Dib was charged with six firearms offences, including possessing a firearm in a public place and possessing an unregistered firearm, after gang squad detectives found a loaded gun in a car owned by Dib parked in a Guildford Street last Monday.Acting Superintendent Angelo Memmolo, from the Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad, said a .45 calibre semi-automatic pistol, loaded with seven bullets, was found in the car.Dib was not in the car at the time, but was in the area, he said.Acting Superintendent Memmolo said no drugs nor weapons were found in the raid.A friend of Dib was arrested outside Burwood Local Court this afternoon after allegedly spitting on a News Ltd photographer.Five of Dib's friends were in the court as Dib appeared, but he did not make an application for bail.Dib appeared in court wearing a red hoodie and did not speak except for a few moments when approached by his lawyer, Mohammed Masri.The matter will return to court on Friday.Outside the court, one of Dib's friends, wearing a white singlet and the words "Bandit" tattooed on his throat, stuck his finger up at the photographer and appeared to make a slashing movement near his throat before spitting at him.Police officers standing nearby pounced on the man and took him into custody. While on the floor, the man screamed: "I can't breath, I'm claustrophobic."Shooting 'related to feud'Dib was arrested in relation to a series of tit-for-tat drive-by shootings in the Auburn area.The shootings are believed to be related to a feud between the Bandidos' Parramatta Chapter and an emerging gang, called Notorious.Dib's home was the target of a drive-by shooting last Monday. Some bullets punched through the front wall and narrowly missed him, his wife and two young children.It is understood that, later on Monday, police pulled Dib over and searched his car.The next day, two houses in Sydney's west - one believed to be the home of senior Notorious member's mother - were peppered with bullets.Since then, there have been several more drive-by shootings in Sydney's south-west.Police also seized two Harley Davidson motorcycles during the raid.A source close to the Bandidos' Parramatta chapter said police had the wrong guy."This is crazy. [Dib] was trying to shut down the violence. What are they doing about Notorious?"
On Sunday morning, two carloads of men associated with Notorious returned to Auburn and drove to a Pine Road residence of a Dib relative, the source said.The source said that this time the Bandidos were ready, having been tipped off to the planned attack.When the Notorious members arrived in Pine Road, members of the Bandidos opened fire and, in the ensuing gun battle, at least four of the men in the car were injured.One of those involved in the planned attack is believed to be a relative of a Notorious office bearer.An automatic weapon was believed to have been used by one of the groups in the attack and four homes were hit by bullets.It is understood that on the same night, the Bandidos also kneecapped a 19-year-old Auburn man whom they believed was passing information to Notorious.In relation to today's arrest, a police spokesman said that detectives were "seeking further evidence in relation to an ongoing firearms investigation"."In the early hours of Monday, March 16, the same [Park Road] house was a target of a drive-by shooting," he said."Later that day [investigators] carried out a vehicle stop at Granville, arresting a 26-year-old man in relation to a firearms investigation."Six days later [on Sunday] there was a shooting attack on six houses in the vicinity of Park Road [on Cumberland Road, North Street and Pine Road]."Two males, the occupants of one of the properties, were injured.An 18-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to his leg and was taken to Westmead Hospital.A 17-year-old boy was treated for cuts at Auburn Hospital before being arrested. He was later released without charge."With this matter there's a tenuous, and I put it at the highest level as a tenuous, link to outlaw motorcycle gangs," a police spokesman said after Sunday's attack.Australian police arrested a senior biker-gang member on Tuesday (March 24) during a dawn raid in Sydney's west. Police confiscated two motorcycles from his home to check if they are licensed. He has also been charged for possession of a loaded gun and will face court. The police raid came after a spate of drive-by shootings, which sparked fears of a war between rival biker gangs in Sydney. A man was bludgeoned to death during a violent brawl at Sydney's domestic airport terminal on Sunday (March 22) allegedly involving tens of
bikers from different gangs Comancheros and Bandidos. Australian authorities promised a crackdown on gang violence on Monday (March 23) after the incident.
Four men were charged with affray after the brawl on Sunday. A 2006 Australian Crime Commission report found there were 35 outlaw motorcycle gangs in Australia, with 3,500 members. Police have blamed club defections for escalating violence including
drive-by shootings at Sydney nightclubs, the firebombing of one gang's clubhouse, and shots fired into the tattoo shop of the Nomads national president. In South Australia, police have been empowered to dismantle gang headquarters and force members to account for any unexplained wealth or income.
Sydney drive-by shootings Mother and son have escaped injury
Mother and son have escaped injury during the latest in the spate of Sydney drive-by shootings, police said today.The pair were inside their Sartor Avenue home at Bossley Park in Sydney's west about 10pm (AEDT) last night when the property was showered with gunfire. "Several shots were fired into the home, penetrating the front of the house," police said. "Two occupants - a man and a woman - were at home at the time. However neither were injured in the incident." Investigators are yet to confirm if the incident is related to a similar attack on the same day that sent two men to hospital. At about 1am (AEDT) yesterday afternoon at Auburn, in Sydney's west, seven houses in three streets were sprayed with gunfire. An 18-year-old man was shot in the leg and a 17-year-old male was treated for lacerations and then arrested but later released. Police are investigating if outlaw motorcycle gangs are to blame for the Sunday morning attack.
Sydney Airport Four men were charged in connection with the violence that occurred midday Sunday
Four men have been charged following the brawl at the Qantas domestic air terminal, which began in the terminal's secure area and ended at the public check-in counters. Sydney Airport Four men were charged in connection with the violence that occurred midday Sunday in front of dozens of terrified travelers.
The fight erupted in one of the airport's two domestic terminals when a group of suspected gang members was ambushed by another group from a rival gang as they disembarked from a flight.
Witnesses to the fighting said it was brutal."They came running through picking up the big metal barrier poles and swinging them like swords at each other," Naomi Constantine told the ABC. "I saw one of the men lying on the ground and another man came up with a pole and just started smashing it into his head."
State authorities held urgent meetings Monday to consider introducing tougher laws against biker gangs, amid fears of an escalating gang war that has included drive-by shootings and a blast outside a fortified Hell's Angel's clubhouse.New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees announced the state police anti-gang squad would be boosted to 125 members from its current 50 in response to the violence and ordered it to focus on the rising violence between biker gangs.Sen. Bill Heffernan, a senior opposition lawmaker, said the fight suggested there were serious holes in Sydney Airport's security and that a Senate committee should investigate."It doesn't say much for the millions of dollars we have spent on airport security, nor does it say much in the event of a (real) terrorist attack what would happen," Heffernan told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.Police said 15 men were involved in the violence, which rampaged from the ground floor up one level to the departures hall before most of the men fled.The four suspects were arrested away from the airport. They were charged with fighting in a public place, but not with any crime connected to causing a death. An investigation was still under way to determine the cause of death of the man killed, police said.Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty admitted the violence took them by surprise but said police officers responded quickly to emergency phone calls for help."The police can't be everywhere all the time and this is an event that could have happened anywhere in Australia," Keelty told reporters.Police have not identified the gangs suspected in the violence.
Rees said he would consider new laws to crack down on biker gangs with measures such as banning clubhouses and meetings of more than two or three gang members. Officials likened the measures to counterterrorism laws."These people have got to understand that's not the sort of behavior we tolerate in Australia and we'll be doing whatever we can to give police whatever powers they need to be able to stamp this out," state Police Minister Tony Kelly said.
The fight erupted in one of the airport's two domestic terminals when a group of suspected gang members was ambushed by another group from a rival gang as they disembarked from a flight.Witnesses to the fighting said it was brutal."They came running through picking up the big metal barrier poles and swinging them like swords at each other," Naomi Constantine told the ABC. "I saw one of the men lying on the ground and another man came up with a pole and just started smashing it into his head."
State authorities held urgent meetings Monday to consider introducing tougher laws against biker gangs, amid fears of an escalating gang war that has included drive-by shootings and a blast outside a fortified Hell's Angel's clubhouse.New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees announced the state police anti-gang squad would be boosted to 125 members from its current 50 in response to the violence and ordered it to focus on the rising violence between biker gangs.Sen. Bill Heffernan, a senior opposition lawmaker, said the fight suggested there were serious holes in Sydney Airport's security and that a Senate committee should investigate."It doesn't say much for the millions of dollars we have spent on airport security, nor does it say much in the event of a (real) terrorist attack what would happen," Heffernan told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.Police said 15 men were involved in the violence, which rampaged from the ground floor up one level to the departures hall before most of the men fled.The four suspects were arrested away from the airport. They were charged with fighting in a public place, but not with any crime connected to causing a death. An investigation was still under way to determine the cause of death of the man killed, police said.Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty admitted the violence took them by surprise but said police officers responded quickly to emergency phone calls for help."The police can't be everywhere all the time and this is an event that could have happened anywhere in Australia," Keelty told reporters.Police have not identified the gangs suspected in the violence.
Rees said he would consider new laws to crack down on biker gangs with measures such as banning clubhouses and meetings of more than two or three gang members. Officials likened the measures to counterterrorism laws."These people have got to understand that's not the sort of behavior we tolerate in Australia and we'll be doing whatever we can to give police whatever powers they need to be able to stamp this out," state Police Minister Tony Kelly said.
Hell's Angel's bikers brawled through Australia's largest airport Sunday, beating one suspected gang member to death and brandishing metal poles
Warring bikers brawled through Australia's largest airport Sunday, beating one suspected gang member to death and brandishing metal poles "like swords" as they rampaged through the main domestic terminal in front of terrified travelers."A fight ensued, the fight moved through various parts of the terminal," said Police Detective Inspector Peter Williams. He said 15 men were involved in the violence, which rampaged from the ground floor up one level to the departures hall before most of the men fled.Williams said one man died in a hospital from head injuries after the brawl, which appeared to bear out warnings of an impending biker war in Sydney."They came running through picking up the big metal barrier poles and swinging them like swords at each other," witness Naomi Constantine told the Australian Broadcasting Corp."I saw one of the men lying on the ground and another man came up with a pole and just started smashing it into his head," she said.Four men were arrested, Williams said. The others escaped, some of them by hailing taxis, local media reported. No charges were immediately laid.
Australia Police said a group of suspected gang members was ambushed as they disembarked from an airplane.
Police did not identify the gangs suspected in the violence.Authorities fear a gang war is brewing in Sydney following string of drive-by shootings and an explosion last month outside a fortified Hell's Angel's clubhouse.
Arrested Fillmore suspects are documented gang members,
Searches of two dozen homes in Fillmore this morning led to nine arrests on suspicion of crimes involving firearms, drugs and stolen property.All of the arrested suspects are documented gang members, said Capt. Frank O’Hanlon of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. The searches started at 7 a.m., involved residences of people on probation and are performed fairly regularly, he said.
“I think this was a little more productive than the norm in that we recovered at least two firearms that I’m aware of and some dangerous drugs,” O’Hanlon said. “Anytime we can remove those items from the hands of gang members, it’s a benefit to the community at large.”A 17-year-old resident from River Street in Fillmore was arrested for suspicion of possessing a loaded 9 mm semi-automatic weapon, according to the Sheriff’s Department. Jose Ruiz, 21, of Fillmore was arrested on suspicion of possessing a loaded .25 caliber semi-automatic handgun. Both suspects were also arrested on suspicion of the gang crime of street terrorism.
Three of the suspects were juveniles and their names were not released. All of the people arrested are Fillmore residents. They include: Antonio Izarraraz, 21; Rosa Aguilar, 21; Armando Magallon, 29; Jamie Ambriz, 26; and Jose Aguilar, 21.
Izarraraz was arrested on suspicion of felony possession of stolen property. Rosa Aguilar, Magallon and Ambriz were arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of narcotics. Jose Aguilar and two 17-year-olds were arrested on suspicion of probation violations.
“I think this was a little more productive than the norm in that we recovered at least two firearms that I’m aware of and some dangerous drugs,” O’Hanlon said. “Anytime we can remove those items from the hands of gang members, it’s a benefit to the community at large.”A 17-year-old resident from River Street in Fillmore was arrested for suspicion of possessing a loaded 9 mm semi-automatic weapon, according to the Sheriff’s Department. Jose Ruiz, 21, of Fillmore was arrested on suspicion of possessing a loaded .25 caliber semi-automatic handgun. Both suspects were also arrested on suspicion of the gang crime of street terrorism.
Three of the suspects were juveniles and their names were not released. All of the people arrested are Fillmore residents. They include: Antonio Izarraraz, 21; Rosa Aguilar, 21; Armando Magallon, 29; Jamie Ambriz, 26; and Jose Aguilar, 21.
Izarraraz was arrested on suspicion of felony possession of stolen property. Rosa Aguilar, Magallon and Ambriz were arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of narcotics. Jose Aguilar and two 17-year-olds were arrested on suspicion of probation violations.
Shaun Paul Roberts Calgary gangster has bail revoked
Bensler revoked Roberts' bail on two grounds: a concern he may reoffend and that allowing him to remain in the community while facing such serious charges may bring the administration of justice into disrepute.Roberts faces four counts each of attempted murder and discharging a firearm with intention to endanger life for the Nov. 16 shootout with a rival gang.
Triple murder case stemming from a gang shooting in southeast Bakersfield
Three defendants have been convicted of virtually all counts against them in a triple murder case stemming from a gang shooting in southeast Bakersfield. The three defendants each face a life prison term. It took hours to read the complicated verdicts against Joseph Dixon, 24, Cory Johnson, 21, and David Lee, 22.
There was a heavy police presence as the verdicts were unsealed in the court of Judge Gary T. Friedman. Authorities say the men shot and killed 19-year-old Vanessa Alcala and 21-year-old James Wallace as they sat in an SUV on McNew Court in southeast Bakersfield in April 2008. Alcala's unborn child also died in the attack.Alcala was sitting in a vehicle when two men walked up and opened fire at the car and a nearby house. She was shot in the head. A bullet struck Wallace in the chest.
There was a heavy police presence as the verdicts were unsealed in the court of Judge Gary T. Friedman. Authorities say the men shot and killed 19-year-old Vanessa Alcala and 21-year-old James Wallace as they sat in an SUV on McNew Court in southeast Bakersfield in April 2008. Alcala's unborn child also died in the attack.Alcala was sitting in a vehicle when two men walked up and opened fire at the car and a nearby house. She was shot in the head. A bullet struck Wallace in the chest.
Donte McDaniel Los Angeles gang member has been sentenced to death for killing another gangster and the man's cousin
Donte McDaniel Los Angeles gang member has been sentenced to death for killing another gangster and the man's cousin in what prosecutors say was a drug dispute. Twenty-nine-year-old Donte McDaniel was sentenced Friday in Superior Court. A judge denied defense motions for a new trial and to reduce the jury's death sentence recommendation to life in prison without parole. McDaniel was convicted last April of shooting 33-year-old George Brooks and Brooks' 52-year-old cousin Annette Anderson at her Watts apartment in 2004. McDaniel was also convicted of attempted murder for shooting two other women in the apartment. His attorney John Daley said the jury thought it was cheaper to kill defendants than house them.
Shooting death Thursday near the Surrey/Langley boundary.
The incident reportedly occurred at Hi-Knoll Park off Colebrook Road (50th Avenue) and 196th Street, where a resident discovered a body around 6 a.m.First responders confirmed the victim was dead and IHIT was called in. The integrated police dog service conducted a search of the area.Police said the victim was a 33-year-old Langley male. They did not release his name pending notification of next of kin, but police said he was not known to them.Cpl. Dale Carr of IHIT said the shooting “has the signature of being targeted.” But he added, “At this time the police have not made any conclusive links to drugs, gangs or organized crime. As the investigation progresses, that may become clearer.”Forensic teams were examining the scene and police were canvassing the neighbourhood. The RCMP E Division dive team was searching a marsh area below the crime scene.A gold-coloured van sat in a parking lot at the centre of the crime scene. A body covered by a tarp could be seen near the driver’s side rear wheel.Witnesses said they heard up to eight gunshots. Colebrook Road was closed between 192nd and 200th streets as police investigated.The shooting was the second in the area since last Saturday, when a 36-year-old woman was found dead by the side of the road. She has been identified as Laura Lynn Lamoureux, and was known to police.Meanwhile, another shooting apparently occurred in Vancouver’s Yaletown on Wednesday night, leading to multiple 911 calls about shots being fired on Marinaside Crescent near Drake Street.
Dennis Karbovanec moved away from Port Moody Wednesday and notified the police department
Dennis Karbovanec moved away from Port Moody Wednesday and notified the police department as required by his bail conditions on a series of fraud chargesKarbovanec's associate Jonathan Bacon is still living in Port Moody, but also expected to move shortly.
"I am relieved and the residents of Port Moody are very relieved," Trasolini said of Karbovanec's departure. "The community of Port Moody is safe and I said from the beginning that these individuals are not welcome. He said he has not been told where Karbovanec has moved.Last month, the mayor and police officials publicly warned that Karbovanec was living in their community and anyone around him could be at risk because he had been targeted by rivals.
Trasolini said Thursday that his residents have been very patient and vigilant during the difficult two months since Karbovanec came to town."I really want to acknowledge the residents," he said.
The close associate of the Bacon brothers was shot Dec. 31, but survived and refused to cooperate with police.
Karbovanec is out on bail in the fraud case as well as a series of gun charges laid after Abbotsford police stopped him in October and allegedly found a loaded handgun with silencer in a secret compartment in his vehicle.He was wearing body armour.The two younger Bacon brothers - Jarrod and Jamie - are also out on bail and living at their parents' Abbotsford home.All four men have been tailed by marked and unmarked police vehicles for two months because of an escalation in Metro Vancouver's gang war that has led to several of their associates being targeted.Associate Kevin LeClair was gunned down Feb. 6 in Langley and another close friend, Tyler Willock, was shot at Feb. 16 in Surrey and later beaten with a sledge hammer. He remains in hospital.The Bacons and their Red Scorpion associates have been targeted by the UN gang since at least last spring when police issued the first public warning to steer clear of the gangsters in public settings.Port Moody residents are breathing a sigh of relief after reports that a notorious resident has left their community. Police here confirm that Dennis Karbovanec -- alleged to be a member of the Red Scorpions gang -- is no longer living in the Vancouver suburb. Karbovanec had been under constant police surveillance in Port Moody after being targeted for death by a rival gang. That's because police were concerned about the public's safety. Karbovanec had been living at this high-rise condo for several months. On Wednesday, he informed police as required by the courts that he would be moving out of the area. Port Moody Mayor Joe Trasolini said he is pleased. "I'm smiling because there has been a lot of pressure on the residents of Port Moody, a lot of frustration on a small but active community." Trasolini said. "Were used to having very safe neighbourhoods and this put a bit of a cloud over that lifestyle. And I'm relieved that threat is gone."
However, police have not revealed the location of Karbovanec's new home.
Police said the 10 arrests over this week were all associated with the 13th Street Gang.
Police said the 10 arrests over this week were all associated with the 13th Street Gang."The particular street gang we're talking about is not only these individuals on this page, and I think that's important to remember," said Sgt. Dennis McWilliams.Investigators said they think the arrests will put a dent in gang violence in the city.Operation Ceasefire is a cooperative effort between Fort Pierce police and the state attorney's office. The charges range from directing activities of a criminal street gang to aggravated assault with intent to kill to tampering with a witness."Our hope is by taking some of these violent people off the streets that have been tampering with witnesses, it will open up the doors for us in these other investigations and allow some community members that we know have information to come forward and know that we're going to do what we have to in order to protect them and keep them safe," Baldwin said.
Police are hoping the community can help them find two suspects who are still at large -- Harry Lee Cooper Jr. and Willie Works Jr.Investigators are also trying to find out who shot and killed 18-year-old Demetrius Wells March 7 and 16-year-old Torenda Youngblood at his school bus stop March 9."We absolutely have leads in those cases, and we're still extremely confident we're going to be able to solve those cases," Baldwin said. "I believe these arrests today are going to help us solve those cases."Baldwin added that he believes they have the leader of the 13th Street Gang, but wouldn't say if that person was one of the 10 they just arrested.The state attorney's office pointed out that some of the suspects could face mandatory life sentences -- meaning there would be no chance they'd ever get out of prison.
Police are hoping the community can help them find two suspects who are still at large -- Harry Lee Cooper Jr. and Willie Works Jr.Investigators are also trying to find out who shot and killed 18-year-old Demetrius Wells March 7 and 16-year-old Torenda Youngblood at his school bus stop March 9."We absolutely have leads in those cases, and we're still extremely confident we're going to be able to solve those cases," Baldwin said. "I believe these arrests today are going to help us solve those cases."Baldwin added that he believes they have the leader of the 13th Street Gang, but wouldn't say if that person was one of the 10 they just arrested.The state attorney's office pointed out that some of the suspects could face mandatory life sentences -- meaning there would be no chance they'd ever get out of prison.
Oscar "Taz" Fuentes, 28, of Huntington Station, and Julio Chavez, 23, of Huntington charged
Oscar "Taz" Fuentes, 28, of Huntington Station, and Julio Chavez, 23, of Huntington, killed Maurice Parker, 21, in a random drive-by shooting in front of a Flushing storefront on May 18, 2007, to maintain and increase their position in MS-13, an international gang with roots in El Salvador and a strong presence in Queens and on Long Island."Prosecutors said.On a night when gang members decided to go hunting for a victim on the streets of Queens, Maurice Parker was murdered simply for standing in the wrong place at the wrong time," said U.S. Attorney Benton Campbell. "These gangs have no place in our communities."Fuentes, whom prosecutors described as the New York gang leader in a press release, was wheeled into his arraignment handcuffed to a wheelchair, slumped over and appearing disheveled. Prosecutors said he had resisted coming to court, but Fuentes said he wanted to represent himself and plead guilty."I make my choice, your honor," he told Judge Sandra Townes. "If I make something wrong, something illegal, I want to pay for it."Fuentes' lawyer, Michael Hurwitz, questioned his client's competence and asked for a psychiatric exam. Townes refused to accept the guilty plea, entering not-guilty on his behalf, and persuaded him to allow Hurwitz and a court-appointed death-penalty specialist to represent him until the Justice Department decides if it is going to seek his execution.Both Fuentes and Chavez, who will be arraigned later, have been imprisoned since last year. Hurwitz said Fuentes has been facing a gun charge and he has also been pushing to plead guilty on that count.Prosecutors said Parker was shot six times, including three times in the head, by Chavez and another unnamed gang member while Fuentes was driving them.Parker's mother and other family members were in court Thursday. They declined to comment, but a family adviser, the Rev. Nicholas Tweed of the Macedonia AME Church in Flushing, said, "I'm not in favor of the death penalty, and neither is the mother."
Kings Cross bikie club, Notorious two drive-by shootings in western Sydney overnight may be linked
Police say two drive-by shootings in western Sydney overnight may be linked to a feud involving bikie gang Notorious.The Notorious crime gang has emerged only with in the past couple of years and allegedly has links to the drugs trade in inner-Sydney areas such as Kings Cross and the Oxford Street nightclub district. No one was injured in the shootings - at homes in Doonside and Prospect - but several bullets pierced both homes. A couple in their 60s were asleep in the Doonside house at the time of the shooting while six people, including a 15-year-old and a four-month-old child, were in the Prospect house.
Detective Superintendent Mal Lanyon, commander of the Gang Squad, said the shootings could be linked and the homes targeted could also be linked to criminal groups.
"We believe there could be links between the two premises and known criminal groups," he said. He then identified Notorious, the Kings Cross bikie club, as that group, but would not say if he believed its members had been victims or the offenders in last night's shootings. Detective Superintendent Lanyon said police had taken "a number of steps to address retaliation" between bikie gangs, who have been linked to a string of drive by shootings in the past six months. He said he was aware that pride was one of the factors involved in the feuds. "There's always tension and conflict between rival gangs ... that's the reason we take outlaw motorcycle gangs seriously ... that's why police have a dedicated gangs squad."
A short time after the shootings police found a stolen gold coloured four-wheel-drive on fire in a nearby street. Police believe it may have been involved in both shootings and appealed to the public to contact them if they had seen the vehicle last night. The four-wheel-drive's number plate was API 23G.
Detective Superintendent Mal Lanyon, commander of the Gang Squad, said the shootings could be linked and the homes targeted could also be linked to criminal groups.
"We believe there could be links between the two premises and known criminal groups," he said. He then identified Notorious, the Kings Cross bikie club, as that group, but would not say if he believed its members had been victims or the offenders in last night's shootings. Detective Superintendent Lanyon said police had taken "a number of steps to address retaliation" between bikie gangs, who have been linked to a string of drive by shootings in the past six months. He said he was aware that pride was one of the factors involved in the feuds. "There's always tension and conflict between rival gangs ... that's the reason we take outlaw motorcycle gangs seriously ... that's why police have a dedicated gangs squad."
A short time after the shootings police found a stolen gold coloured four-wheel-drive on fire in a nearby street. Police believe it may have been involved in both shootings and appealed to the public to contact them if they had seen the vehicle last night. The four-wheel-drive's number plate was API 23G.
Francisco Alvarez, 20, was shot at least twice with a small-caliber handgun.
what appears to have been a gang-related incident, a young man was shot and wounded Wednesday afternoon outside an apartment complex on Arastradero Road in Palo Alto.Police spent the evening searching for Daniel Gil-Fernandez, the 19-year-old suspect whom witnesses saw running into the Arastradero Park Apartments just after the victim was hit, around 3 p.m. Gil-Fernandez, who lived in the complex with his family, was fired from his job at Round Table Pizza two weeks ago, and police said he claimed affiliation with the Nortenos gang.He was gone when authorities searched the apartments and remained at large, possibly armed, as of 10 p.m., Palo Alto police Agent Dan Ryan said. He was described as Hispanic, about six feet tall and 190 pounds, and was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans.The victim, identified by a relative as Francisco Alvarez, 20, was seen running down Maybell Avenue toward El Camino Real after the shooting, witnesses said. Authorities found him near a Walgreens on the corner at about 3:15 p.m., shirtless and bleeding from the torso and groin. He was taken to Stanford Hospital, where he was in stable condition Wednesday evening, Palo Alto police Agent Dan Ryan said. The bullet wounds suggested he was shot at least twice with a small-caliber handgun.
Ryan declined to confirm the victim's identity, though he said it appeared he and Gil-Fernandez had met before.
Palo Alto's last shooting, which was fatal, was near city hall in July 2008. The shooting prompted a brief lockdown of nearby Gunn High School and Juana Briones Elementary School. The 500 block of Maybell Avenue was roped off with police tape throughout the afternoon, as were portions of the Arastradero Park Apartments.
Alvarez, the victim, had gotten out of prison just two weeks ago, according to a close relative, whose identity police asked the Daily News not to disclose. The family moved to Palo Alto from San Jose "because we thought it was a good, nice place," she said.
Instead, she went on, Alvarez was shot Wednesday in front of his 3-year-old brother after taking him to a park near their home. He was getting ready to go for a run, she said, because he had gained weight in the year he spent in prison and was trying to get fit again. She did not witness the shooting and couldn't say why Alvarez might have been targeted. Police said it appeared the victim had first been shot at in a courtyard of the apartment complex, then again in the back driveway off Maybell, with about eight shots in total fired. When authorities found him, he had little to say about who had attacked him or why. "He wasn't very helpful to police," Ryan said.Relatives said Gil-Fernandez stopped into his apartment, where he lived with his mother, father and brothers, some time after 2 p.m. to take a shower and make some phone calls. They heard several loud booms outside not long after he left, but didn't connect them with Gil-Fernandez. They said they hadn't seen him since. But soon after, police arrived at their door with shotguns and ordered everyone to get on the floor.One of his close relatives, who asked that his name not be published, described Gil-Fernandez as a troubled "black sheep" who had been arrested before, but only for misdemeanors. "He's a good kid, a great kid, but he has this other side," the relative said, adding that he appeared to have gotten involved in drugs and gangs. After attending local schools, he dropped out of Gunn High School as a senior.A manager at Round Table Pizza on nearby California Avenue said Gil-Fernandez worked there until about two weeks ago, when he was fired after getting into an argument with the owner.
Ryan declined to confirm the victim's identity, though he said it appeared he and Gil-Fernandez had met before.
Palo Alto's last shooting, which was fatal, was near city hall in July 2008. The shooting prompted a brief lockdown of nearby Gunn High School and Juana Briones Elementary School. The 500 block of Maybell Avenue was roped off with police tape throughout the afternoon, as were portions of the Arastradero Park Apartments.
Alvarez, the victim, had gotten out of prison just two weeks ago, according to a close relative, whose identity police asked the Daily News not to disclose. The family moved to Palo Alto from San Jose "because we thought it was a good, nice place," she said.
Instead, she went on, Alvarez was shot Wednesday in front of his 3-year-old brother after taking him to a park near their home. He was getting ready to go for a run, she said, because he had gained weight in the year he spent in prison and was trying to get fit again. She did not witness the shooting and couldn't say why Alvarez might have been targeted. Police said it appeared the victim had first been shot at in a courtyard of the apartment complex, then again in the back driveway off Maybell, with about eight shots in total fired. When authorities found him, he had little to say about who had attacked him or why. "He wasn't very helpful to police," Ryan said.Relatives said Gil-Fernandez stopped into his apartment, where he lived with his mother, father and brothers, some time after 2 p.m. to take a shower and make some phone calls. They heard several loud booms outside not long after he left, but didn't connect them with Gil-Fernandez. They said they hadn't seen him since. But soon after, police arrived at their door with shotguns and ordered everyone to get on the floor.One of his close relatives, who asked that his name not be published, described Gil-Fernandez as a troubled "black sheep" who had been arrested before, but only for misdemeanors. "He's a good kid, a great kid, but he has this other side," the relative said, adding that he appeared to have gotten involved in drugs and gangs. After attending local schools, he dropped out of Gunn High School as a senior.A manager at Round Table Pizza on nearby California Avenue said Gil-Fernandez worked there until about two weeks ago, when he was fired after getting into an argument with the owner.
Dump Squads Rickey Rice, arrested at 11:10 a.m. in the 7300 block of River Road
Crime Line tip this morning led police to a fugitive wanted in a racketeering conspiracy that authorities say was carried out by a local faction of the Bloods gang.The indictments in the case in U.S. District Court were announced by Newport News police on Friday. Ten suspects were arrested, and the 11th was arrested this morning after police got a Crime Line tip about 10:15 a.m., Newport News police said.The tip led officers to Rickey Rice, who was arrested at 11:10 a.m. in the 7300 block of River Road, a police statement said.The racketeering conspiracy includes murders, attempted murders and the torching of a police substation. The gang called itself the “Dump Squad” and other names.
Swedens Hells Angels, Bandidos, Wolfpack Brotherhood and Original Gangsters attack the justice system
Prosecutor Barbro Joensson was driving to work when a bomb exploded at the front door of her house, rocking her whole neighbourhood and sending shockwaves through traditionally serene Sweden."It is very hard to describe how I felt when I heard what happened. I think I still haven't grasped how serious it was," Joensson, 53, told AFP more than a year after the attack.She was prosecuting a high-profile case against a violent criminal gang called the Wolfpack Brotherhood and had just left her home in the southwestern town of Trollhaettan on November 20, 2007, when the blast ripped off the front door and shattered the hallway.Two young gang members were remanded in custody just over a month ago on suspicion they planted the bomb, which could have killed Joensson had she been at home.The bombing -- one of the first overt attacks on a Swedish prosecutor -- prompted calls to root out the swelling criminal gangs that have smashed the Scandinavian country's tranquil image.
The gangs have caused a spike in a number of crimes, including extortion and loan-sharking -- a gang specialty -- which have jumped from 740 cases reported in 2003 to 1,715 last year, according to preliminary statistics from the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention.Police say it is difficult to estimate the number and size of criminal gangs in Sweden since membership can vary from day to day, but media reports indicate around 1,000 people are actively involved in at least six large criminal gangs with numerous branches across the country.Gangs make headlines almost daily with stories of drug busts, brutal attacks on business owners unable to pay off debts and bloody gang wars.
"This is a serious problem that has grown in recent years," Swedish Justice Minister Beatrice Ask told AFP."We used to be fairly sheltered in the Nordic countries, but unfortunately this problem has surfaced and we must react very forcefully now or else this could be extremely serious in say 10 years," she cautioned.
Police also think that attacks like the one on Joensson constitute a novel and dangerous twist in Swedish gang activity."Attacks on the judiciary are a rather new and very serious phenomenon," said Klas Friberg, the police chief in the Vaestra Goetaland region that comprises Trollhaettan and Gothenburg.Joensson, who moved after the attack on her home and joined a police unit in Gothenburg working to fight gang crime, agreed."We risk having judges who don't dare to judge, prosecutors who are afraid to prosecute and police who refrain from making arrests," she said, adding that "if that happens the first bastion against these groups will fall."
While no one was hurt in that attack either, it prompted more calls for action and sent the government and police scurrying to come up with new measures to combat the scourge.Special police and intelligence units were created along with a "Knowledge Centre" on gang activity as part of a national strategy aimed at cracking down on gangs and blocking recruitment of new members."Local police have to be on their case all the time, making it uncomfortable for anyone who has not yet been fully recruited to hang around these people," said Justice's Ask.
Despite heightened police efforts, around 10 new clubhouses belonging to gangs like Hells Angels, Bandidos, Wolfpack Brotherhood and Original Gangsters reportedly sprouted up across Sweden last year alone. The highest concentration of gang units is centred around the southern towns of Malmoe and Gothenburg, largely due to their proximity to Denmark, where the gangs also constitute a major problem. "A few years ago, Denmark carried out very forceful measures against these gangs and a number of these people moved over to Sweden. Now, we hope they will move back, or rather further," Ask said. Erik Lannerbaeck, a former member of several gangs including the Wolfpack Brotherhood and Bandidos, meanwhile told AFP that simply cracking down on the gangs would accomplish little. "The main focus should be on getting members to leave the gangs, and to do that you can't just lock people up and hope they'll be better when they get out," said Lannerbaeck, who after a decade in criminal gangs began working as a counselor for troubled youths in Stockholm in 2004.
Gang members trying to get out often need protection and help paying off debts and finding a job, but most of all "they need support from people who understand them and can help them see the value in being normal, and to create a new identity," he insisted. Lannerbaeck said he himself repeatedly tried to leave his life of crime only to be drawn back in by the promise of wads of cash or the desire to once again be feared and respected instead of stepped upon in a menial job.
"It was like a drug," he said, adding that landing a good job where he was appreciated was what made it possible to get out for good. "It is very important that people can leave," Ask agreed, adding that a project to help people get out of the gangs would likely be funded soon. "Huge efforts are needed and we need a lot of people to push in the same direction, but I think we can bring this problem under control," she said.
The gangs have caused a spike in a number of crimes, including extortion and loan-sharking -- a gang specialty -- which have jumped from 740 cases reported in 2003 to 1,715 last year, according to preliminary statistics from the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention.Police say it is difficult to estimate the number and size of criminal gangs in Sweden since membership can vary from day to day, but media reports indicate around 1,000 people are actively involved in at least six large criminal gangs with numerous branches across the country.Gangs make headlines almost daily with stories of drug busts, brutal attacks on business owners unable to pay off debts and bloody gang wars.
"This is a serious problem that has grown in recent years," Swedish Justice Minister Beatrice Ask told AFP."We used to be fairly sheltered in the Nordic countries, but unfortunately this problem has surfaced and we must react very forcefully now or else this could be extremely serious in say 10 years," she cautioned.
Police also think that attacks like the one on Joensson constitute a novel and dangerous twist in Swedish gang activity."Attacks on the judiciary are a rather new and very serious phenomenon," said Klas Friberg, the police chief in the Vaestra Goetaland region that comprises Trollhaettan and Gothenburg.Joensson, who moved after the attack on her home and joined a police unit in Gothenburg working to fight gang crime, agreed."We risk having judges who don't dare to judge, prosecutors who are afraid to prosecute and police who refrain from making arrests," she said, adding that "if that happens the first bastion against these groups will fall."
Just four months after the Trollhaettan bombing, shots were fired at the home of another prosecutor in the region, Mats Mattsson, who had worked extensively on cases involving criminal motorcycle gangs like Bandidos.
While no one was hurt in that attack either, it prompted more calls for action and sent the government and police scurrying to come up with new measures to combat the scourge.Special police and intelligence units were created along with a "Knowledge Centre" on gang activity as part of a national strategy aimed at cracking down on gangs and blocking recruitment of new members."Local police have to be on their case all the time, making it uncomfortable for anyone who has not yet been fully recruited to hang around these people," said Justice's Ask.
Despite heightened police efforts, around 10 new clubhouses belonging to gangs like Hells Angels, Bandidos, Wolfpack Brotherhood and Original Gangsters reportedly sprouted up across Sweden last year alone. The highest concentration of gang units is centred around the southern towns of Malmoe and Gothenburg, largely due to their proximity to Denmark, where the gangs also constitute a major problem. "A few years ago, Denmark carried out very forceful measures against these gangs and a number of these people moved over to Sweden. Now, we hope they will move back, or rather further," Ask said. Erik Lannerbaeck, a former member of several gangs including the Wolfpack Brotherhood and Bandidos, meanwhile told AFP that simply cracking down on the gangs would accomplish little. "The main focus should be on getting members to leave the gangs, and to do that you can't just lock people up and hope they'll be better when they get out," said Lannerbaeck, who after a decade in criminal gangs began working as a counselor for troubled youths in Stockholm in 2004.
Gang members trying to get out often need protection and help paying off debts and finding a job, but most of all "they need support from people who understand them and can help them see the value in being normal, and to create a new identity," he insisted. Lannerbaeck said he himself repeatedly tried to leave his life of crime only to be drawn back in by the promise of wads of cash or the desire to once again be feared and respected instead of stepped upon in a menial job.
"It was like a drug," he said, adding that landing a good job where he was appreciated was what made it possible to get out for good. "It is very important that people can leave," Ask agreed, adding that a project to help people get out of the gangs would likely be funded soon. "Huge efforts are needed and we need a lot of people to push in the same direction, but I think we can bring this problem under control," she said.
The Outlaws,members of a motorcycle gang are locked up, charged with dealing millions of dollars worth of cocaine in the Wyoming Valley.
The Outlaws,members of a motorcycle gang are locked up, charged with dealing millions of dollars worth of cocaine in the Wyoming Valley.The attorney general calls them members of a dangerous gang, a gang with some surprising members.
About 20 members of the Outlaw Motorcycle Club, the Wilkes-Barre chapter,are led by Joseph Janick. Investigators said there are outlaw clubs all over the country."Think of this as an illegal fraternity. If you were in a fraternity, you know there was an original chapter. They have the same type of structure," explained Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett.The alleged gang members are charged with dealing millions of dollarw worth of cocaine in the Wyoming Valley.Police said the gang's headquarters was a house in Ashley but they are accused of dealing drugs all over.
One of an accused gang members is John Gonda, a corrections officer at the Luzerne County jail, who is now charged with dealing cocaine in Wilkes-Barre.Investigators would not say if he dealt to inmates at the jail or to other jail employees.
"A corrections officer in my mind is part of the law enforcement community. When you have somebody in law enforcement, particuarly the Outlaws in this, it's probably the worse thing that could happen," Corbett added.Investigators seized weapons, drugs, gang paraphanalia and even motorcycles.They said they're glad the arrests are made, but they know this won't be the last drug gang they will come across in Luzerne County."It's the demand that has to be looked at. If the demand were down, then they would not sell their drugs here. I don't know if you would really call it shocking. It's something that you see and will probably continue to see," said Luzerne County District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll.Investigators used wiretaps to build their case against the Outlaw club members.
About 20 members of the Outlaw Motorcycle Club, the Wilkes-Barre chapter,are led by Joseph Janick. Investigators said there are outlaw clubs all over the country."Think of this as an illegal fraternity. If you were in a fraternity, you know there was an original chapter. They have the same type of structure," explained Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett.The alleged gang members are charged with dealing millions of dollarw worth of cocaine in the Wyoming Valley.Police said the gang's headquarters was a house in Ashley but they are accused of dealing drugs all over.
One of an accused gang members is John Gonda, a corrections officer at the Luzerne County jail, who is now charged with dealing cocaine in Wilkes-Barre.Investigators would not say if he dealt to inmates at the jail or to other jail employees.
"A corrections officer in my mind is part of the law enforcement community. When you have somebody in law enforcement, particuarly the Outlaws in this, it's probably the worse thing that could happen," Corbett added.Investigators seized weapons, drugs, gang paraphanalia and even motorcycles.They said they're glad the arrests are made, but they know this won't be the last drug gang they will come across in Luzerne County."It's the demand that has to be looked at. If the demand were down, then they would not sell their drugs here. I don't know if you would really call it shocking. It's something that you see and will probably continue to see," said Luzerne County District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll.Investigators used wiretaps to build their case against the Outlaw club members.
M.O.P. v C-Block,Louie Amaral, 18, of Somerset Street, South Providence, was arrested Tuesday and charged with shooting
Louie Amaral, 18, of Somerset Street, South Providence, was arrested Tuesday and charged with the shooting last Thursday of Alvarez High School student Edwin Dilone, a 17-year-old believed to be associated with a rival gang, according to the police.
Amaral was ordered held on $125,000 surety bail for three charges: assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm without a license, and possession of a firearm while committing a crime of violence.He entered no plea, as is customary in District Court. He was ordered to have no contact with Dilone. Providence Police Detectives Michael Fallon and Daniel O'Connell arrested Amaral on Somerset Street Tuesday.Providence Police Maj. Thomas Oates said this morning that Amaral had been standing 6 feet from his friend Camerena at that March 7 birthday party when Camarena, 17, was shot and killed.The police did not want to identify the rival gangs. However Teny Gross, executive director of the Institute for the Study & Practice of Nonviolence, has said that Camerena was a member of M.O.P. (Members of Pine Street) which was feuding with C-Block, a gang from Congress Avenue in the Elmwood section of Providence.The Providence police said Tuesday that Dilone remained hospitalized in serious condition at Rhode Island Hospital. Rhdoe Island Hospital today said it does not have any information on a patient by the name of Edwin Dilone.Police probation officers, schools, and the community are trying to curb the simmering gang rivalry.Since the two shootings, the police and the South Side community are getting out into the neighborhood, working to keep a gang feud from boiling over.
Amaral was ordered held on $125,000 surety bail for three charges: assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm without a license, and possession of a firearm while committing a crime of violence.He entered no plea, as is customary in District Court. He was ordered to have no contact with Dilone. Providence Police Detectives Michael Fallon and Daniel O'Connell arrested Amaral on Somerset Street Tuesday.Providence Police Maj. Thomas Oates said this morning that Amaral had been standing 6 feet from his friend Camerena at that March 7 birthday party when Camarena, 17, was shot and killed.The police did not want to identify the rival gangs. However Teny Gross, executive director of the Institute for the Study & Practice of Nonviolence, has said that Camerena was a member of M.O.P. (Members of Pine Street) which was feuding with C-Block, a gang from Congress Avenue in the Elmwood section of Providence.The Providence police said Tuesday that Dilone remained hospitalized in serious condition at Rhode Island Hospital. Rhdoe Island Hospital today said it does not have any information on a patient by the name of Edwin Dilone.Police probation officers, schools, and the community are trying to curb the simmering gang rivalry.Since the two shootings, the police and the South Side community are getting out into the neighborhood, working to keep a gang feud from boiling over.
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