Man was shot in the leg at 24th Ave S and S Lane St. He is alert and conscious. The suspect is wearing a yellow jacket and is driving a silver Cadillac sedan with three passengers last seen heading Southbound.This all started with a call to 911 reporting that several kids were hiding from a gunman in Red Apple at 23rd & Jackson. When police arrived, they were flagged down by a witness in the parking lot who reported seeing a man with a gun in his waistband who got into a black Impala and drove away to the south. A search of the area found that Impala about one block away at 24th & S. Lane, where police found one occupant with a gunshot wound to the leg. Medics responded to the scene and were seen to be applying bandages to what was apparently a relatively minor wound.It appears that he was shot around the corner in the 500 block of 25th Ave S. Police were collecting spent shell casings and projectiles from the area in front of a house in that block.
Witnesses reported the shooters as being associated with the silver Cadillac, which was spotted by officers and stopped in the South Precinct at Rainier & S. McClellan. The witnesses were taken to that location and provided a positive ID for the vehicle and one suspect, described as wearing a yellow jacket. That suspect was taken into custody by police and taken to the East Precinct for further questioning and investigation.The scanner traffic indicates that there are a total of three parties involved here: the kids in Red Apple, the victim and his associates, and the suspect(s) who were stopped down South. Reportedly one of those groups contains known members of the 74 Hoovers gang from South Seattle, but it's not clear which at this point.Update: 3:55PM A silver Cadillac has been stopped at Rainier & McClellan and four men are being detained, the driver is wearing a yellow jacket.
I just got back from the scene where the victim was being treated for his wound. Police also appeared to be looking for shell casings one block over on 25th, just a couple of houses north of the intersection with S. Lane. There were two other occupants of the victim's vehicle who were being searched by police.Police are finding spent projectiles and shell casings in the 500 block of 25th
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One man was killed but another survived after shooting happened outside a restaurant at 1176 Kennedy Rd, just north of Lawrence Ave.Emergency crews who rushed to the scene found only one victim, believed to be a man in his 20s. Despite frantic efforts to save his life, he died in ambulance.About 20 minutes later, police allege that a second victim walked into Scarborough General Hospital. He had allegedly been shot in the groin.Officers have said the two shootings are linked. Toronto Police are investigating the homicide, the city's 10th of the year. While witnesses reported seeing suspects running south on Kennedy after the attack, there's no word on a description.
Police Officers investigating the supply of Class A drugs are looking for Dwaine St. MICHAEL ISRAEL.ISRAEL is from the South East area of London and is known to frequent the Lewisham and Southwark area’s.Officers from Lewisham Borough’s Crime Squad are asking members of the public to keep a look out for Israel and contact them if they see him or know his whereabouts.ISRAEL is described as a black man who is approximately 5′9 in height and of medium build. Israel also has significant scarring to his torso.
Criminal groups composed of Canadians of East Asian origin (primarily Vietnamese and Chinese), outlaw motorcycle gangs, and Indo-Canadian criminal groups are the most significant illicit drug producers and traffickers in Canada.”The report cites Canadian data indicating Canadian-produced meth has turned up around the world, including in Australia, Japan and New Zealand.The State Department also cast a critical eye on harm-reduction programs across Canada, such as a controversial supervised injection site in Vancouver.It pointed to a 2007 report of the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), which said a Vancouver Island “safe crack kit” program violated the 1998 UN Drug Convention.
“Canada should implement the INCB’s recommendations to eliminate drug injection sites and drug paraphernalia distribution programs because they violate international drug treaties.”The report also quoted Canadian officials as saying Prime Minister Stephen Harper wanted to increase penalties for drug production and trafficking, but not for drug use.
Alberto Alvarez, 25, of East Palo Alto, has been charged with shooting and killing May on the afternoon of Jan. 7, 2006. May had responded to reports of a fight outside a restaurant near University Avenue and Weeks Street in East Palo Alto and chased Alvarez down Weeks before Alvarez allegedly shot and killed May.
About 250 officers from Peninsula agencies locked down the area of the shooting, searching cars that were leaving the area, and Alvarez was discovered hiding in the back seat of a car trying to leave the area the next morning.Alvarez was described by East Palo Alto police as a member of the Sacramento Street gang, which has since been largely dismantled through arrests.San Mateo County Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe, who will be prosecuting the case, said that there may normally be 10-15 pre-trial motions regarding evidence before a felony trial begins. Wagstaffe said he expects as many as 60 motions in this case, all of which must argued before Judge Craig Parsons, before a jury is seated and testimony begins.Jury selection isn't scheduled to begin until March 23, after all the motions regarding which evidence the jury will hear have been decided.Because the prosecution is asking for the death penalty, the jury selection could take a month to five weeks, when it normally takes about a week, Wagstaffe said. The jurors will be selected, in part, on their willingness to accept a death penalty if Alvarez is found guilty.Such delays are not unusual for capital punishment cases, Wagstaffe said, nor is the delay of more than three years since the arrest and beginning of the trial.
About 250 officers from Peninsula agencies locked down the area of the shooting, searching cars that were leaving the area, and Alvarez was discovered hiding in the back seat of a car trying to leave the area the next morning.Alvarez was described by East Palo Alto police as a member of the Sacramento Street gang, which has since been largely dismantled through arrests.San Mateo County Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe, who will be prosecuting the case, said that there may normally be 10-15 pre-trial motions regarding evidence before a felony trial begins. Wagstaffe said he expects as many as 60 motions in this case, all of which must argued before Judge Craig Parsons, before a jury is seated and testimony begins.Jury selection isn't scheduled to begin until March 23, after all the motions regarding which evidence the jury will hear have been decided.Because the prosecution is asking for the death penalty, the jury selection could take a month to five weeks, when it normally takes about a week, Wagstaffe said. The jurors will be selected, in part, on their willingness to accept a death penalty if Alvarez is found guilty.Such delays are not unusual for capital punishment cases, Wagstaffe said, nor is the delay of more than three years since the arrest and beginning of the trial.
Gregory Wooley, 37, an associate of the Hells Angels who's alleged to have created the Syndicate, appeared before a judge via a video link-up with the Collins Bay Institution in Ontario, where he's already serving a 13-year sentence for conspiracy to commit murder and other crimes.A new date was also fixed in the case of Pasquale Mangiola, who became the centre of media attention last week when it was revealed he was close friends with Canadiens players Sergei and Andrei Kostitsyn.Mangiola, who is facing drug-trafficking and conspiracy charges but is not considered to be part of the major conspiracies uncovered by Project Axe, was released on conditions last week.entire week of court time has been set aside for bail hearings for some of the reputedly hard-core Montreal gang members arrested in a police roundup this month.
More than 50 people have been arrested since the Montreal police launched Project Axe on Feb. 12. The operation targeted three criminal organizations. The arrests were the result of a three-year-long investigation into drug trafficking in Montreal.
Many have since been released on conditions, but at least seven men, known for their ties to the Syndicate street gang, remain in custody. They include Emmanuel Zephir, 36, and his younger brother Jean-Ismarl.During an appearance at the Montreal courthouse Friday, their bail hearing, along with those of five other men, was scheduled to begin March 30.
More than 50 people have been arrested since the Montreal police launched Project Axe on Feb. 12. The operation targeted three criminal organizations. The arrests were the result of a three-year-long investigation into drug trafficking in Montreal.
Many have since been released on conditions, but at least seven men, known for their ties to the Syndicate street gang, remain in custody. They include Emmanuel Zephir, 36, and his younger brother Jean-Ismarl.During an appearance at the Montreal courthouse Friday, their bail hearing, along with those of five other men, was scheduled to begin March 30.
Martin Ybarra, an alleged longtime Latin Kings gang member, held without bail for the shootings.Ybarra stood trial just six months ago for a 2005 fatal shooting near the same corner. He was acquitted.Cook County prosecutors on Friday said Ybarra unleashed the assault-rifle’s firepower in two spots — both times in the apparent direction of a 24-year-old rival Black P-Stone.Ybarra, who slightly smirked when he appeared in court Friday, at first fired the gun while out of a car, chasing victims through gangways and alleys before getting into a car, sources said.Eleven bullets struck his three teenaged victims near 87th and Exchange.The youngest, 13-year-old Johnny Edwards, was shot once and apparently died next to his brother.“Help me,” the brother screamed, according to witnesses. “They shot my brother.”Also killed was Bowen High students Kendrick Pitts, 17, and Raheem Washington, 15.
Witnesses have identified Ybarra — known in the neighborhood as “Slim” — in lineups, Cook County assistant state’s attorney Thomas Darman said. Ybarra also was allegedly seen firing an assault rifle during the shootings, Darman said.
The shooting stemmed from longtime gang aggravations between the Latin Kings and Black P-Stones in the neighborhood, an area where gang control over the streets is constantly in flux.The gang problems on Feb. 20 started near Bowen High School, where Pitts and Washington attend, prosecutors said. Ybarra also once attended the school.Ybarra was called to the area to “assist his fellow Latin Kings,” Darman said.Ybarra was allegedly seen leaving his home with an assault weapon in a dark car, Darman said.A short time later, a 24-year-old member of the Black P-Stones who was with Pitts got into an altercation with some Latin Kings inside a dark-colored car. He then saw Ybarra standing on the street firing an assault weapon in his direction, Darman said. Washington was struck by five bullets there.Ybarra fled west from Exchange through a gangway and emerged from an alley between Exchange and Escanaba, this time inside the car, prosecutors said. It was there witnesses saw him lean half his body out of a car window, firing “a large assault-type weapon in the direction of some young males,” Darman said.
The P-Stone, who had also run west on 87th, had taken cover behind a Dumpster because of shots being fired behind him, Darman said. There, he saw Johnny Edwards on the ground as well Pitts, who’d been shot five times.Ybarra initially fled to Indiana after the shootings but was arrested Feb. 24 by Chicago Police on the Southeast Side after a “concerned citizen‚” contacted them, according to court documents.Ybarra’s defense attorney objected to him being held without bail, saying the witnesses against him were rival gang members.“They have every motive in the world to say it’s him and not someone else,” Cook County public defender Susan Smith said. Smith also said Ybarra is one of eight children and works part-time as a laborer.Ybarra, of the 8300 block of South Buffalo, was acquitted last August on murder charges for the 2005 shooting death of Danny Urbieta, 19, near the same corner. At the time, Ybarra was 16.
Anthony Aranda, 33, claimed self-defense in the shooting death of 24- year-old Luis Gonzalez on Sept. 11, 2004. The jury decided it was manslaughter, rather than murder.
The six-woman, six-man panel also cleared him of an allegation that he shot the victim for the benefit of a gang, though jurors did convict him of membership in a criminal street gang and a gun use allegation.He faces 23 years and eight months in prison.
The six-woman, six-man panel also cleared him of an allegation that he shot the victim for the benefit of a gang, though jurors did convict him of membership in a criminal street gang and a gun use allegation.He faces 23 years and eight months in prison.
Members of the Mongols motorcycle gang intend to plead guilty to federal charges related to their participation in the violent, outlaw organization, according to court records made public on Thursday. Federal prosecutors say those who admit their guilt will also cooperate in the prosecution of fellow gang members, putting themselves and their families at risk for violent retaliation and murder. In anticipation of the guilty pleas, federal prosecutors have asked a judge to seal all court records pertaining to plea bargains and sentencings. "The government believes that the threat of retaliation is credible and raises significant concerns for the safety of the persons involved," federal prosecutors say in a 5-page document filed in U.S. District Court. Authorities arrested more than 60 reputed Mongols in October as part of a nationwide, federal crackdown on the gang. The arrests concluded a three-year undercover investigation. All were named in an 86-count federal racketeering indictment that included allegations of murder, attempted murder, assaults, hate crimes, gun violations and drug trafficking. Many of the arrests in "Operation Black Rain" were made in the San Gabriel Valley. The Mongols originated in Montebello in the 1970s, but later moved their headquartered to West Covina. In their written request, prosecutors say they believe guilty pleas are coming based on conversations with attorneys representing some of the accused.
They say secrecy is needed in the pleas because gang members would likely harm any fellow member who turned on them. The gang also has ties to the Mexican Mafia, a violent prison gang, meaning any Mongol who cooperates with prosecutors might even be in danger behind bars, prosecutors claim.
Thirty prisoners fought each other at the Washington state Penitentiary’s new West Complex for gang members.The prison says the 23 who fought Wednesday and seven who were indirectly involved are all members of the Norteno and Sureno gangs, Hispanic gangs from California.Guards broke up the fight in two minutes, and three had minor injuries. No inmates were seriously injured.The 30 have been segregated while the Department of Corrections and Walla Walla police investigate.Superintendent Steve Sinclair says the fight broke out when offenders who don’t normally have contact with each other were being moved.The Corrections Department sends gang members from other prisons to Walla Walla for special management.
Oceanside police announced today that more than 25 people have been arrested during a six-month undercover sting targeting drug dealers and gang members.The so-called Operation Rock Solid began last September in response to street level narcotics activity, Oceanside police spokesman Sgt. Kelan Poorman said, adding that many of those arrested belong to the Crips street gang.
Seventeen members of a gang,and associates of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation, who authorities say committed gang-related killings in West Texas, face drugs and weapons charges, according to an 11-count indictment unsealed Thursday.The 17, who are members and associates of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation, are charged with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana. Three of the defendants were also charged with conspiring to deal in firearms.The indictment also includes drug distribution charges and various firearms charges, including using and carrying a firearm to commit murder during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.Four of the 17 were arrested Wednesday and Thursday in Midland, Big Spring, Mission, Texas and Chicago. Eleven suspects were already in federal or state custody on related and unrelated charges and two remain at large. The defendants will appear before a federal judge in Abilene on Friday.An affidavit filed in the case says two members of the gang were involved in a drive-by shooting using an AK-47 where a pregnant woman and a man. Four others were wounded. The affidavit says the shooting was ordered against a rival gang.The indictment alleges the group distributed cocaine and marijuana throughout Texas and elsewhere, which they imported from Mexico and South Texas for distribution. The indictment also said some members of the organization may have committed murder, aggravated assault or arson.The indictment was returned earlier this month by a federal grand jury in Lubbock and unsealed Thursday
16-year-old will spend 30 years in prison for a brazen daytime gang murder in a crowded strip mall across the street from the police station in the Chicago suburb of Addison. DuPage County Circuit Court Judge Blanche Hill Fawell sentenced Matthew C. Cruz on Thursday after he pleaded guilty to aggravated battery with a firearm. A co-defendant, Jhony Aragon, also 16, is serving a 22-year prison term for first-degree murder.
Prosecutors say 14-year-old Francisco J. Baiza was slain on Aug. 21, 2007, at Addison's Green Meadows Shopping Center, where he had been applying for a job. Baiza died after being shot three times in the chest and stomach. Police soon tracked down Aragon and Cruz in a nearby apartment complex. All three youths lived in Addison.
Prosecutors say 14-year-old Francisco J. Baiza was slain on Aug. 21, 2007, at Addison's Green Meadows Shopping Center, where he had been applying for a job. Baiza died after being shot three times in the chest and stomach. Police soon tracked down Aragon and Cruz in a nearby apartment complex. All three youths lived in Addison.
Judge this morning rejected a plea deal for 28-year-old Futo Charles, an alleged Top 6 gang member charged with racketeering, part of a statewide strategy to put gangs out of business.Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Todd Weicholz told Circuit Judge Karen Miller that Charles had given three cooperating statements to the prosecutors, and in exchange was offered a deal of eight years in prison followed by five years probation.Miller immediately declared she would not accept the deal in light of sentences she has handed out in other Top 6 cases. Miller sentenced each of two other accused members — Ernst Exavier and Jessee Thomas — to a quarter-century in prison earlier this year following their convictions on the charge.The lawyers set Futo Charles for another court date in April, following the next trial of an alleged Top 6 member, 23-year-old Wilbertson Noelzinord.Exavier and Thomas' conviction was the first significant victory in Palm Beach County for statewide prosecutors now applying racketeering laws to dismantle criminal gangs.
Defense attorneys for Exavier and Thomas argued at their sentencing that it was a case of guilt by association, that the men never had admitted to being members of the gang, and if they were involved at all, it was as lesser players. Exavier testified his only intention was to make music with Top 6.
Futo, Exavier and Thomas are among 12 alleged Top-6 gang members arrested within the past year during a coordinated operation by the attorney general's office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and the Lantana and Boynton Beach police departments.Attorney Gerald Salerno, who represented Exavier, said in 17 years of practicing criminal law he had never seen a case like this one with a huge investigative effort but thin evidence. Salerno offered the example of Exavier's song lyrics about pushing kilos of cocaine being prominently emphasized at trial. "Despite that we never saw one shred of evidence" of any drugs, he said.
A soldier charged in the 2005 gang initiation beating death of Sgt. Juwan Johnson returned from an Iraq deployment as a member of the Gangster Disciples, Army prosecutors said during Pvt. Bobby Morrissette’s court-martial Tuesday.Morrissette — one of seven servicemembers accused in Johnson’s death — is facing charges of involuntary manslaughter; conspiracy to commit aggravated assault; conduct contrary to good order and discipline; obstruction of justice, disobeying an order, indecent acts and use of a controlled substance.Johnson died of multiple blunt force injuries on July 4, 2005, after an alleged initiation ceremony, which took place at a gazebo in a small town near Kaiserslautern.Similar charges against Morrissette relating to Johnson’s death were withdrawn and dismissed in June 2007 because of legal concerns. The Army refiled charges against Morrissette in June 2008.At Tuesday’s trial, government prosecutor Capt. Derrick Grace told the court that the evidence would show that Morrissette returned from Iraq as a member of the Gangster Disciples street gang.
Sgt. Ronald Barnhart, a former member of the 66th who lived in the same barracks as Morrissette in Iraq, told the court he saw several soldiers beating Sgt. Rodney Howell in a latrine at Camp Speicher in April 2004. Howell, who is serving six years’ confinement for his role in Johnson’s death, was jogging on the spot and grunting each time he was hit, Barnhart said."I took it as horseplay and walked out of the room," he said.Another soldier stationed at Camp Speicher at that time, Sgt. John Koerner, described walking in on the same beating."There were six people in a circle. I saw a punch thrown," he said.Another member of the gang, Air Force Staff Sgt. Themitrios Saroglou, told the court that he was treasurer of the Kaiserslautern branch of the Gangster Disciples at the time of Johnson’s death.Saroglou said he joined the gang in 2004, after surviving his own jumping-in ceremony.At the time members did not refer to themselves as the Gangster Disciples, although they participated in the gang’s rituals, such as the jumping-in ceremony, which involved members beating an initiate for six minutes inside a six pointed star marked with candles, he said.
The temperament of the gang changed after Morrissette’s unit returned to Germany from Iraq in 2005, Saroglou said.
"After the guys came back from deployment ... that’s when they started calling it the ‘Gangster Disciples,’ " he said.The gang became more violent, he said."We called the gang members who came back from Iraq the ‘Young ‘Uns’. Their behavior was rowdy. They would act without thinking. The entire organization just went more negative. Drugs were used frequently. Fights would start from people looking at each other wrong or flashing gang signs," he said.
"They would say things like: ‘Aw hell no. Get up, Get the [expletive] up,’ " Saroglou said, adding that Morrissette hit and kicked Johnson many times during the ceremony.If convicted, Morrissette faces up to 55 years’ confinement, a dishonorable discharge, reduction to private and forfeiture of all pay and allowances. The trial was scheduled to continue Wednesday.
Grace presented the court with photographs that, he said, show Gangster Disciples’ graffiti in the barracks building that Morrissette occupied at Camp Speicher, in Tikrit, when his unit — the 66th Transportation Company — was deployed there from 2004 to 2005.
Sgt. Ronald Barnhart, a former member of the 66th who lived in the same barracks as Morrissette in Iraq, told the court he saw several soldiers beating Sgt. Rodney Howell in a latrine at Camp Speicher in April 2004. Howell, who is serving six years’ confinement for his role in Johnson’s death, was jogging on the spot and grunting each time he was hit, Barnhart said."I took it as horseplay and walked out of the room," he said.Another soldier stationed at Camp Speicher at that time, Sgt. John Koerner, described walking in on the same beating."There were six people in a circle. I saw a punch thrown," he said.Another member of the gang, Air Force Staff Sgt. Themitrios Saroglou, told the court that he was treasurer of the Kaiserslautern branch of the Gangster Disciples at the time of Johnson’s death.Saroglou said he joined the gang in 2004, after surviving his own jumping-in ceremony.At the time members did not refer to themselves as the Gangster Disciples, although they participated in the gang’s rituals, such as the jumping-in ceremony, which involved members beating an initiate for six minutes inside a six pointed star marked with candles, he said.
The temperament of the gang changed after Morrissette’s unit returned to Germany from Iraq in 2005, Saroglou said.
"After the guys came back from deployment ... that’s when they started calling it the ‘Gangster Disciples,’ " he said.The gang became more violent, he said."We called the gang members who came back from Iraq the ‘Young ‘Uns’. Their behavior was rowdy. They would act without thinking. The entire organization just went more negative. Drugs were used frequently. Fights would start from people looking at each other wrong or flashing gang signs," he said.
"They would say things like: ‘Aw hell no. Get up, Get the [expletive] up,’ " Saroglou said, adding that Morrissette hit and kicked Johnson many times during the ceremony.If convicted, Morrissette faces up to 55 years’ confinement, a dishonorable discharge, reduction to private and forfeiture of all pay and allowances. The trial was scheduled to continue Wednesday.
Attempted assassination of a South Carolina deputy sheriff was a gang initiation carried out by three illegal immigrants including a 15-year-old boy who was supposed to "kill a cop" in order to be admitted as a member, according to a confidential Department of Homeland Security advisory. Lexington County, S.C., Deputy Sheriff Ted Xanthakis and his K-9 police dog, Arcos, were attacked by the three illegals armed with a 12-gauge shotgun during a Feb. 8 incident in West Columbia, S.C., shortly after 3 a.m. The deputy and his dog survived. Two of the men were identified in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) report as members of the Surenos gang, or SUR-13, a collection of Mexican-American street gangs with origins in the oldest barrios of Southern California.
Hundreds of SUR-13 gangs operate in California and have spread to many other parts of the country. The paramilitary organization has been described by federal law enforcement agencies as actively involved in illegal-immigrant and drug smuggling. According to the ICE report, the attack occurred as the deputy responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle. The 15-year-old and two others, Carlos Alfredo Diaz De Leon, 17, and Lucino Guzman Guttierrez, 20, were later arrested by sheriff's deputies and members of the U.S. Marshals Service. Diaz De Leon and Guzman Guttierrez were charged with assault and battery with intent to kill. Deputy Xanthakis and his dog were in a marked patrol car at the time of the shooting.
The 15-year-old was taken to a pre-trial detention facility, where he was awaiting a hearing in family court. Prosecutors said they would recommend that the boy be prosecuted in family court on a charge of assault and battery with intent to kill. Under state law, law enforcement officials cannot identify the boy because he is a juvenile. Lexington County Sheriff James R. Metts told reporters that Diaz De Leon, Guzman Guttierrez and the 15-year-old illegally entered the United States from Mexico. He said Diaz De Leon and Guzman Guttierrez were living in West Columbia and a search of their house netted items thought to have been stolen in vehicle break-ins in Lexington County, including a Global Positioning System devices and car stereo systems. The sheriff also said that deputies recovered the shotgun that was used to shoot at Deputy Sheriff Xanthakis. ICE detainers have been lodged against the adults. The ICE report, made public Wednesday by the Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC), said interviews determined that the 15-year-old was the shooter and the incident was a gang initiation. It said gangs "have long posed a threat to public safety and law enforcement but the threat is now increasing in scope. ... Never before have the street gangs in South Carolina actively targeted law enforcement officers for gang initiation."
"In Mexico, things have deteriorated so much that police are demoralized and are being killed by these gangs of a weekly basis," he said. "That's what happens when your nation loses respect for the rule of law as we see with the effect of millions of illegal aliens in America." He said the U.S. needs to secure its border and enforce its immigration laws "or we will begin to lose more officers and as we loose officers, gang rule will replace the rule of law."
Hundreds of SUR-13 gangs operate in California and have spread to many other parts of the country. The paramilitary organization has been described by federal law enforcement agencies as actively involved in illegal-immigrant and drug smuggling. According to the ICE report, the attack occurred as the deputy responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle. The 15-year-old and two others, Carlos Alfredo Diaz De Leon, 17, and Lucino Guzman Guttierrez, 20, were later arrested by sheriff's deputies and members of the U.S. Marshals Service. Diaz De Leon and Guzman Guttierrez were charged with assault and battery with intent to kill. Deputy Xanthakis and his dog were in a marked patrol car at the time of the shooting.
The 15-year-old was taken to a pre-trial detention facility, where he was awaiting a hearing in family court. Prosecutors said they would recommend that the boy be prosecuted in family court on a charge of assault and battery with intent to kill. Under state law, law enforcement officials cannot identify the boy because he is a juvenile. Lexington County Sheriff James R. Metts told reporters that Diaz De Leon, Guzman Guttierrez and the 15-year-old illegally entered the United States from Mexico. He said Diaz De Leon and Guzman Guttierrez were living in West Columbia and a search of their house netted items thought to have been stolen in vehicle break-ins in Lexington County, including a Global Positioning System devices and car stereo systems. The sheriff also said that deputies recovered the shotgun that was used to shoot at Deputy Sheriff Xanthakis. ICE detainers have been lodged against the adults. The ICE report, made public Wednesday by the Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC), said interviews determined that the 15-year-old was the shooter and the incident was a gang initiation. It said gangs "have long posed a threat to public safety and law enforcement but the threat is now increasing in scope. ... Never before have the street gangs in South Carolina actively targeted law enforcement officers for gang initiation."
ICE agents, as part of a nationwide crackdown on gangs, have arrested members of SUR-13 in Tennessee and Georgia on charges ranging from felony theft and illegal re-entry after deportation to murder, attempted murder, carjacking, armed robbery and drug dealing.William Gheen, president of ALIPAC, described the attack as the "beginning of America's nightmarish future as we descend into the type of anarchy found in Mexico.
"In Mexico, things have deteriorated so much that police are demoralized and are being killed by these gangs of a weekly basis," he said. "That's what happens when your nation loses respect for the rule of law as we see with the effect of millions of illegal aliens in America." He said the U.S. needs to secure its border and enforce its immigration laws "or we will begin to lose more officers and as we loose officers, gang rule will replace the rule of law."
Deputies say the 900 Boys gang was behind a number of burglaries, robberies, shootings and assaults in the West Florence community, near West Dixie Street.federal judge has continued the cases of five Florence men, who police say were a part of a dangerous street gang.Tuesday in court, attorneys for two of the suspects indicated they maybe ready to strike a deal with federal prosecutors.The five suspects have been indicted on drugs and weapons charges.
1 million street gang members in the United States and in some communities they commit up to 80 percent of crimes, according to a report by the U.S. Justice Department's National Gang Intelligence Center released in January.The study warns that gang activity and gang membership are on the rise nationwide.But that does not appear to be the case here, said Lt. JT Turner, commander of the Tucson Police Department's Gang Interdiction Section.
He said that although Tucson is one of the major hubs in the country for marijuana distribution, gang violence here could be "much worse," even though 22 of 74 homicides in 2008 were gang related.Although fewer than 1 percent of Tucson's population of a half-million are gang members, they have a disproportionate impact on violent crime here.Turner said the motives for the 22 homicides represent a variety of circumstances:Two were robberies, one was a result of "disrespect," three were an altercation over drugs, three were drug ripoffs, two were fights, one was domestic violence, one was a family fight, one was two men fighting over a woman, one was a case of recklessness, three were self defense, one took place at a party, two have unknown motives and one was the result of a "true gang motive."Turner said there are an estimated 5,000 people in Tucson affiliated with about 100 gangs and gang "sets" - a group within a gang.But considering Tucson's proximity to the border, gang-related crime is "not as bad as it could be," he said.Stepped-up police enforcement and outreach efforts have put street gangs on notice that the officers and detectives in TPD's relatively new Gang Interdiction Section are on the lookout for them and for gang-related criminal activity.The section was created in early 2008 to centralize all anti-gang efforts in the Police Department.
Now two gang tactical squads with 10 officers and two sergeants "put boots on the ground" seven nights a week, looking for street gang members and rounding up criminal suspects with gang ties, Turner said.The TPD also has a Gang Investigations Unit that investigates all major crimes in which a gang member is involved, from aggravated assaults to robberies and homicides, Turner said.The department also keeps a database of known street gang members, using criteria set by state law.
Turner said gangs here aren't segregated by race but about 66 percent of gang members are Hispanic.Membership in street gangs in Tucson is fluid. Although it's not the norm, in some cases, members shift from one gang to another as members move from one neighborhood to another and allegiances change, he said.
Turner would not name any of the gangs operating in Tucson. Doing that would only give them prestige among gang culture here, he said.
Part of what the department has done is develop more expertise in local gang culture.Officers and investigators know that gang members live in a culture of violence spiked with impulsivity.
"They're much quicker to act out (than non-gang members). If there's a fight and you add a gang member into the mix, it's more likely to turn into an aggravated assault or a murder," Turner said.
And whether the gang member is a perpetrator or victim, "there's a higher likelihood of a serious, violent event coming out of it."
The Gang Interdiction Section, with Turner supervising 16 police officers and seven detectives, is "one of the most robust gang sections for a city of our size," Turner said."It's the reason we've been able to keep a handle on our gang crime to the extent that we do," Turner said.The officers work in the "known high-crime areas and go eye to eye" with gang members to prevent gang violence.
The Police Department began to take a more holistic approach to the street gang problem with the creation of a Gang Outreach Unit in mid-2007.Members of that unit mentor at-risk, middle-school-age youths referred to police by schools, religious organizations and community service groups.
They also teach youths "choice awareness," tips for minimizing the chances of becoming a victim of gang violence.
One is simple: Don't get involved in a high-risk lifestyle.
On one early February outing, they picked up a 15-year-old runaway on probation. He was hanging out in the early evening with other youths dressed in the red of the Southside Posse Bloods.
The police took him home to his father.Gang Outreach Unit officers have also developed an "education component" delivered to schools and community groups.Its curriculum teaches adults how they can steer children from gang life. It also teaches school-age children the pitfalls of becoming involved in the gang lifestyle and tools and strategies to avoid it.Young people who join gangs are typically not full-time students, Turner said.They are young teens who come from families that don't provide much supervision, structure or support.Gangs give them status and respect when they don't feel they get respect or love in any other element of their life, he said.
Twenty alleged members of a Hispanic gang believed to be one of the nation's largest and most violent have been indicted in Colorado on drug and firearm charges, authorities said Tuesday.
This grafitti in North Denver is the work of the gang MS-13, the Department of Justice says.Of the 20 alleged MS-13 members named in two indictments, eight were arrested Tuesday morning in Denver and in Los Angeles, California, authorities said. Another eight were already in custody, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado. Four remain at large, the office said."The arrests were the culmination of a three-year investigation into one of the most notorious street gangs in the country," the release said.Jeff Dorschner, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office, said the indictments stemmed from a multiple-agency and multiple-state effort.Some of the defendants are accused of drug dealing activity that prosecutors said reached all the way into a California prison. In the course of the investigation, police seized 10 pounds of methamphetamine, 2.3 kilograms (5 pounds) of cocaine, a small amount of heroin, 12 firearms and $3,300 in cash, according to the release.Police said they believe the gang members "conspired to distribute, and possessed with intent to distribute, quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and marijuana," federal prosecutors said. "The conspiracy, and other related drug distribution charges included the distribution of the illicit drugs on the streets of metro Denver, as well as in a facility in California called the High Desert State Prison."Other defendants are charged with illegal firearm possession, authorities said.Nine defendants in addition to the 20 named in federal indictments are being prosecuted in Colorado state court, according to federal prosecutors.The defendants face maximum sentences of life in prison, depending on the offense, as well as fines up to $2 million, authorities said in the news release.MS-13 has long been regarded by law enforcement agencies as one of the deadliest gangs in the United States and beyond. It is estimated to have up to 50,000 members worldwide, about 10,000 of whom are believed to be active in at least 38 states, according to an attorney general's report to Congress on gangs in April 2008. In 2004, the FBI created a task force to focus on MS-13.Federal authorities have said that most MS-13 members are immigrants from El Salvador or the children of Salvadoran immigrants. The gang originated in Los Angeles, authorities have said, and it has spread across the United States and into Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.
This grafitti in North Denver is the work of the gang MS-13, the Department of Justice says.Of the 20 alleged MS-13 members named in two indictments, eight were arrested Tuesday morning in Denver and in Los Angeles, California, authorities said. Another eight were already in custody, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado. Four remain at large, the office said."The arrests were the culmination of a three-year investigation into one of the most notorious street gangs in the country," the release said.Jeff Dorschner, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office, said the indictments stemmed from a multiple-agency and multiple-state effort.Some of the defendants are accused of drug dealing activity that prosecutors said reached all the way into a California prison. In the course of the investigation, police seized 10 pounds of methamphetamine, 2.3 kilograms (5 pounds) of cocaine, a small amount of heroin, 12 firearms and $3,300 in cash, according to the release.Police said they believe the gang members "conspired to distribute, and possessed with intent to distribute, quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and marijuana," federal prosecutors said. "The conspiracy, and other related drug distribution charges included the distribution of the illicit drugs on the streets of metro Denver, as well as in a facility in California called the High Desert State Prison."Other defendants are charged with illegal firearm possession, authorities said.Nine defendants in addition to the 20 named in federal indictments are being prosecuted in Colorado state court, according to federal prosecutors.The defendants face maximum sentences of life in prison, depending on the offense, as well as fines up to $2 million, authorities said in the news release.MS-13 has long been regarded by law enforcement agencies as one of the deadliest gangs in the United States and beyond. It is estimated to have up to 50,000 members worldwide, about 10,000 of whom are believed to be active in at least 38 states, according to an attorney general's report to Congress on gangs in April 2008. In 2004, the FBI created a task force to focus on MS-13.Federal authorities have said that most MS-13 members are immigrants from El Salvador or the children of Salvadoran immigrants. The gang originated in Los Angeles, authorities have said, and it has spread across the United States and into Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.
Tiara Billie Gosney, 26, had been accused of making threats against a woman who had agreed to testify against Mikal Mustafa Mix, a leader of the gang, a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office says. Gosney was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court.woman has been sentenced to nine years in prison on charges of witness tampering in connection with the trial of a member of the Bounty Hunter Bloods gang last summer.Gosney was the girlfriend of Mix, according to court records.Gosney threw an iced coffee on the woman and threatened to commit a home invasion at the woman’s home, according to court documents cited in the release. Gosney also was accused of grabbing the woman and stealing her purse. Mix, who was convicted in August, was sentenced late last year to life in prison, plus five years on gang-related charges, the release says.
Gangs are getting a terrifying X-Men-style weapon that can rip the guts out of its victims. Customs have intercepted several parcels from the US containing “handspikes” like those worn by the film’s mutant character Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman. The £40 Tomahawk Skull Gauntlet comes with three razor-sharp foot-long steel blades attached to a glove. The most recent seizure was at Coventry Airport last week. Two weapons were being imported from the US to gang-ravaged Peckham, South London. An internet review of the weapon says: “With this gauntlet strapped to your arm there is no question you are the man in charge. This monstrous handspike will not only protect your grip but will send your foes running in the other direction.” Another adds: “Great for disembowelling enemies of all kinds. Just don’t get too carried away.” A police source said: “The gangs see the weapon as the last word in one-upmanship. They say, ‘You’ve got a knife, I’ve got something more fearsome.’” The find was revealed after four days of violence in London that saw six murders. Three victims were teenagers knifed to death. Last night the dad of Damilola Taylor, who was murdered in Peckham in 2000, called for the Government to jail anyone caught with the weapon. Richard Taylor, 60, said: “There is no justification for this weapon on Britain’s streets.”
Thirty-three-year-old Bryan Campbell has been the target of a nationwide manhunt since January. He's one of eight people charged in connection with a joint investigation between the FBI and Chicago police.
The FBI says Campbell is reportedly a gang leader and should be considered armed and dangerous.His last known address was in the 6400-block of North Claremont.
On Tuesday, five members of what police call the "Evonnie Boyz & Gyrlz" street gang pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute crack cocaine.Arrests of several members of a Jackson street gang could cut down on the amount of crack cocaine being distributed in Washtenaw County.Special Agent John Felton, who runs the Ann Arbor office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said the gang had a "drug pipeline" from Detroit to Jackson. He said some of the drugs were distributed in Washtenaw County, and one suspect lives in Ann Arbor but has not yet been charged in the case.A total of eight people have been charged and face sentences of 10 to 27 years in prison, depending on prior convictions.Authorities said several of the defendants sold crack cocaine to undercover officers.
Those who pleaded guilty Tuesday included gang leader Deondre Mullen, 33; Dwight Fullilove, 22; Jarrell Fullilove, 24; Dionte Reed, 20; and DeShawn Sweet, 21. Other defendants who previously entered pleas were Sharonda Bailey, 23; Jamie Wagner, 20; and Delano Tarpley, 19
Those who pleaded guilty Tuesday included gang leader Deondre Mullen, 33; Dwight Fullilove, 22; Jarrell Fullilove, 24; Dionte Reed, 20; and DeShawn Sweet, 21. Other defendants who previously entered pleas were Sharonda Bailey, 23; Jamie Wagner, 20; and Delano Tarpley, 19
Biggest mass murder in modern Ontario history and the biggest known biker mass murder in the world. The eight victims were all connected to the Bandidos Motorcycle Club Worldwide. The size of the jury pool is roughly the size of the Bandidos club, and more than six times the size of downtown Shedden, the hamlet a half-hour's drive west of here, where the bodies of eight men were found shot to death in vehicles abandoned on a muddy farmer's field on April 8, 2006.The Bandidos are the world's second biggest outlaw motorcycle club, behind only the Hells Angels.Justice Heeney is presiding over more than a dozen defence lawyers and a half-dozen prosecutors in the trial of Winnipeggers Brett (Beau) Gardiner, 24, Michael (Taz) Sandham, 39, Marcello Aravena, 32, and Dwight (Big D) Mushey; Wayne (Weiner) Kellestine, 59, of tiny Iona Station, outside London; and Frank (Frankie) Mather, 35, of no fixed address. There were so many potential jurors that lawyers for the Crown and defence teams won't even begin questioning them until next week.This week is expected to be spent organizing the jurors into groups and scheduling their return to court.Heeney told potential jurors that if they are selected to the jury panel, they can expect a "challenging and rewarding experience ... one which they will never ever forget."Among the defence team are Tony Bryant and Clay Powell. Bryant, who is the former lawyer for sex killer Paul Bernardo, is representing Aravena. Powell, who successfully prosecuted former Toronto Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard for fraud in the early 1970s and who also defended Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards on heroin charges, is representing Kellestine.
Eight first degree-murder charges were laid against each of the six accused after the discovery of the bodies of George (Pony) Jessome, 52; George (Crash) Kriarakis, 28; Luis Manny (Chopper, Porkchop) Raposo, 41; Frank (Bam Bam, Bammer) Salerno, 43, all of Toronto; John (Boxer) Muscedere, 48, of Chatham, Ont.; Paul (Big Paul) Sinopoli, 30, of Sutton; Jamie (Goldberg) Flanz, 37, of Keswick; and Michael (Little Mikey) Trotta, 31, of Mississauga. The trial had earlier been scheduled to begin last September, but was postponed. There is a publication ban on the reasons why it was postponed.
Eight first degree-murder charges were laid against each of the six accused after the discovery of the bodies of George (Pony) Jessome, 52; George (Crash) Kriarakis, 28; Luis Manny (Chopper, Porkchop) Raposo, 41; Frank (Bam Bam, Bammer) Salerno, 43, all of Toronto; John (Boxer) Muscedere, 48, of Chatham, Ont.; Paul (Big Paul) Sinopoli, 30, of Sutton; Jamie (Goldberg) Flanz, 37, of Keswick; and Michael (Little Mikey) Trotta, 31, of Mississauga. The trial had earlier been scheduled to begin last September, but was postponed. There is a publication ban on the reasons why it was postponed.
Ten foreign-born gang members with ties to local violent street gangs were arrested Charlotte, NC, Wednesday following an Immigration and Customs Enforcement led operation, according to reports obtained by the National Association of Chiefs of Police's Liaison Committee.The operation, dubbed Community Shield, was a multi-agency effort spearheaded by ICE. Among the participating agencies were the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD); the United States Marshals Service and the North Carolina Department of Crime Control and Public Safety's Alcohol Law unit (NC-ALE).The operation targeted foreign-born members and associates of MS-13, Surenos, Brown Pride, SUR-13 and Latin King street gangs. Those arrested were illegally present in the United States and are now in ICE custody; however, four of them, although administratively arrested, were referred to the United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina for possible criminal prosecution due to criminal offenses that include possession of marijuana, re-entering the United States after deportation, and possession of a firearm."We will continue teaming with our law enforcement partners to target those terrorizing our communities," said Joan Nash-Scavazzon, acting assistant special agent in charge of ICE's Office of Investigations in Charlotte."Through these partnerships, we will use all of our combined law enforcement tools to thwart the criminal efforts of street gangs."
Transnational gangs pose a growing public safety threat to communities throughout the country. It is estimated that there are over 900 different criminal gangs in the United States. These gangs no longer own turf in just the inner city but have spread their criminal networks throughout suburban and rural communities.
These transnational street gangs have a significant number of foreign-born members and are frequently involved in human and contraband smuggling, immigration violations and other crimes. Like any street gang, these transnational gangs also have a propensity toward violence. Their members commit a myriad crimes including robbery, extortion, assault, rape and murder.Operation Community Shield is an ongoing national initiative in which ICE partners with other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to address the significant public safety threat posed by transnational street gangs. Partnerships with local law enforcement agencies are essential to the success of the initiative, and they help further ensure officer safety during the operations.Since ICE began Operation Community Shield in February 2005, more than 11,800 gang members belonging to more than 700 different gangs have been arrested nationwide.
Graffiti for the Insane Blood Piru - featuring a five-pointed star or other designs associated with the number five - started appearing in North College Hill 18-24 months ago, said Officer Michael Henn.Henn, an eight-year veteran of the department, said there have been small splinter gang groups in the city for as long as he can remember.With the IBP, "this is the first time they've really started becoming a genuine threat," Henn said.The word "Piru" is popular in gang culture and is mentioned in some rap music, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office.
The Bloods, a gang that has engaged in violence, drug trafficking and other criminal activity, were founded on Piru Street in Compton, Calif., in 1972.The IBP has been implicated in at least one recent assault in North College Hill.Henn said that with help from the North College Hill City School District, 13 gang members have been identified. The actual number is likely higher, he said.Gary Gellert, superintendent of the district, said school officials are aware of the gang's presence and that issues related to the IBP have been "minimal" during the school day.Gellert did say he was concerned about what happens between 3 and 7 p.m., when some students have unstructured and unsupervised time, leaving them open to influence from people outside of the community that come to North College Hill during those hours.To combat that, Gellert said the district is working with police and school staff in increasing its presence on school grounds after school.On the police side, Henn said the department is stepping up enforcement activities and trying to raise community awareness in addition to asking for the public's help."If they see groups congregating, if they see graffiti popping up, if they see anything that's suspicious, notify police," Henn said.
The Bloods, a gang that has engaged in violence, drug trafficking and other criminal activity, were founded on Piru Street in Compton, Calif., in 1972.The IBP has been implicated in at least one recent assault in North College Hill.Henn said that with help from the North College Hill City School District, 13 gang members have been identified. The actual number is likely higher, he said.Gary Gellert, superintendent of the district, said school officials are aware of the gang's presence and that issues related to the IBP have been "minimal" during the school day.Gellert did say he was concerned about what happens between 3 and 7 p.m., when some students have unstructured and unsupervised time, leaving them open to influence from people outside of the community that come to North College Hill during those hours.To combat that, Gellert said the district is working with police and school staff in increasing its presence on school grounds after school.On the police side, Henn said the department is stepping up enforcement activities and trying to raise community awareness in addition to asking for the public's help."If they see groups congregating, if they see graffiti popping up, if they see anything that's suspicious, notify police," Henn said.
suspected street gang member was arrested late Friday night by the North Shore anti-gang squad. Police made the arrest after receiving an anonymous tip last week.
The 28-year-old man was pulled over while driving his car in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district. He was armed with a loaded 357 magnum pistol, and officers discovered rocks of crack cocaine in the vehicle. The suspect's arrest was followed by a search of his residence in Laval, where he lives with his parents and a sister.
Police discovered nearly $5000 in cash, along with a large quantity of cocaine, several ounces of marijuana, and a number of BlackBerries and cell phones. The suspect will appear in court on Monday to face weapon and drug charges.
The 28-year-old man was pulled over while driving his car in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district. He was armed with a loaded 357 magnum pistol, and officers discovered rocks of crack cocaine in the vehicle. The suspect's arrest was followed by a search of his residence in Laval, where he lives with his parents and a sister.
Police discovered nearly $5000 in cash, along with a large quantity of cocaine, several ounces of marijuana, and a number of BlackBerries and cell phones. The suspect will appear in court on Monday to face weapon and drug charges.
Tri-City Bombers, the Texas Chicano Brotherhood, the Texas Syndicate and the Hermanos Pistoleros Latinos - are believed to be competing with each other to become the designated South Texas enforcers for the Tamaulipas-based drug trafficking organization, according to reports from gang informants fielded by federal and local police agencies.To earn the job, the gangs need to show they have the infrastructure to stash drugs, an ability to protect them and the prison network to pressure detained smugglers into keeping their mouths shut, law enforcement officials said.
More importantly, they need to edge out their competition. Some fear violence could erupt as the gangs try to prove their mettle and exert control over their turf.
"It's like a bidding war for a contract," said one local gang investigator. "It's not something you just get. You have to prove yourself."But other law enforcement officials question those recent reports, saying that while they have tracked a growing relationship between Mexican drug traffickers and U.S. gangs in recent months, the extent of their connection remains unclear."We haven't confirmed anything detailed," said Will Glaspy, head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's McAllen office.Traditionally, the cartel has relied on local smugglers to move their product north of the border but lacked the control over those routes that it had established within its home country.As recently as last October, however, law enforcement intelligence suggested that top cartel leaders sought to expand their control by taxing traffickers operating in the Rio Grande Valley.Known in Mexico as "el piso," the taxes serve as a type of toll. Those who pay gain the privilege of moving their product with impunity through cartel-dominated areas. Those who refuse face threats of violence and even death.Last fall, the reported former head of cartel operations in Reynosa - Jaime "El Hummer" González Durán - reportedly sent out orders to kidnap and extort taxes from U.S. smugglers operating in the Valley, federal and local law enforcement officials said.Two men arrested in connection with a broad-daylight shooting Oct. 3 at a San Juan medical plaza later told police they had been sent by González and opened fire when their intended target resisted.
But since González's arrest Nov. 7 by Mexican authorities in Reynosa, authorities have noted an ebb in cartel-related violence on this side of the border.Some law enforcement officials believe that new quiet may have more to do with local gangs taking the reins.As kidnappings and attacks linked to the cartel have quieted down, investigators have charted an increase in gang-related violence.
At least three separate gang-on-gang attacks have erupted across the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo area in the past month - the most recent of which shows signs of a direct link between local gangs and the Zetas, the Gulf Cartel's paramilitary wing.On Jan. 31, an unknown individual tossed a live grenade into the Pharr nightspot, El Booty Lounge. The ordnance failed to explode and no injuries were reported.But the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives has since linked the grenade to a cache of South Korean weapons uncovered in a suspected Zeta stash house near Monterrey, according to a report the agency distributed to local law enforcement.
Investigators don't suspect the Zetas of direct involvement in the attack on the Pharr bar. Instead, they believe members of the Tri-City Bombers gang may have been targeting top leaders of the rival Chicanos gang.Sheriff Lupe Treviño said Monday that he had seen no indication that the gangs were fighting over Cartel work, but that the Booty Lounge incident has made one thing clear."It's become very obvious that there is some sort of relationship between the cartel and our local gangs," Treviño said.
Two men were shot to death outside a Northwest Side bar early Saturday after a fight began between two groups of people, police said.The double-homicide occurred around 12:40 a.m. at the Extreme sports bar on West Avenue near the Frost Street intersection.The victims appeared to be in their early 20s but their exact ages and their identification was not known immediately following the shooting.
San Antonio Police Sgt. Michael Starnes said when police arrived the bodies of the two men were in the parking lot. One man had been shot multiple times. It was unclear if the other man was shot more than once, he said.Witnesses told police the shooting started after one group of people at the bar began fighting with another group that had just arrived. However, Starnes said because so many people were at the bar at the time of the shooting, police were getting conflicting statements.
Starnes said it wasn't clear if the two men shot were even involved in the disturbance or if they just happened to be in the parking lot at the wrong time.
Police also received differing descriptions of the shooter and conflicting accounts of what type of vehicle the shooter used to flee the scene."There's a combination here of a lot of witnesses and a lot of confusion when it actually happened," he said.
San Antonio Police Sgt. Michael Starnes said when police arrived the bodies of the two men were in the parking lot. One man had been shot multiple times. It was unclear if the other man was shot more than once, he said.Witnesses told police the shooting started after one group of people at the bar began fighting with another group that had just arrived. However, Starnes said because so many people were at the bar at the time of the shooting, police were getting conflicting statements.
Starnes said it wasn't clear if the two men shot were even involved in the disturbance or if they just happened to be in the parking lot at the wrong time.
Police also received differing descriptions of the shooter and conflicting accounts of what type of vehicle the shooter used to flee the scene."There's a combination here of a lot of witnesses and a lot of confusion when it actually happened," he said.
ex-convict from Trenton lied about his criminal record to join the firing range in Bristol Township, Pa., that he brought Blood gangsters from the city to for practice with a dozen different kinds of handguns.Former champion bodybuilder Marvin Ward, 37, was charged in a federal indictment made public yesterday that outlined how he was able to connect gangsters with the wide variety of guns for practice at a range off Route 13 called Ready, Aim, Fire.It started with Ward not admitting on a RAF membership form that he had felony convictions making it illegal for him to own or even handle a gun. As a member, the indictment alleged, Ward was free to bring gangster friends, including other felons, to the indoor firing range to rent guns for target practice at $10 an hour.An RAF employee said there is no requirement for a background check on gun renters. RAF is required to run background checks on gun purchasers, he said, but not those who rent weapons for use at the range. No rented guns can leave the building, which is on Ellwood Avenue behind a motel on 13 at the entrance to the Pennsylvania Turnpike.Yesterday’s federal bust occurred the day after township police and the Bucks County district attorney made an arrest in the 2006 murder of scholar-athlete Ahman Fralin in part due to investigation of gun purchases by qualified buyers who turn the weapons over to criminals.In addition, Ready, Aim, Fire has been the subject of past news reports, the first in The Trentonian a decade ago, about how the 11-lane indoor firing range is popular with cops as well as gangsters looking to sharpen their shooting skills.U. S. Attorney Laurie Magid announced the indictment of Ward, saying a federal grand jury in Philadelphia handed it up Wednesday. He’s charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.“Ward has two 1992 convictions in New Jersey for narcotics felonies, and in 1996 he has a conviction on drug charges in Trenton and later in 1996 he was convicted of resisting arrest in Harrison Township,” said Patty Hartman, Magid’s press aide. If convicted, she added, Ward faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.Five-foot-one and 125 pounds in his days as a bodybuilder a decade ago, Ward was charged with inciting a riot in September of 1994 for allegedly screaming out for friends to surround the cops trying to arrest him on drug charges.An investigation by federal ATF agents and New Jersey troopers showed that Ward continually broke the law at RAF between July 25, 2005, and March 3, 2006.
Ward and his gangster buddies reportedly took videos of themselves shooting at the range, including one in which they joked that a Blood who couldn’t hit the target had killed a bunch of innocent bystanders.The Ready Aim Fire Training Center, which opened in 1998, also once had a firearms training simulator that showed real-life situations to help shooters improve their reaction time and aim — the skills needed by today’s gangbangers.The life-size video shooting game, which uses lasers, is no longer at RAF, but was used by Ward and his friends and now has become a common training tool for law-enforcement groups, including the FBI and the CIA.The RAF worker, who would not give his name, said CEO Joe McGinty was not available for comment yesterday. He did report, however, that certified gun instructors work for RAF and that all shooting safety procedures are followed at the range.
“You need only a driver’s license, a valid identification and must sign waivers to use the guns in the facility,” said the anonymous employee. “We can only do a background check on someone when they buy a gun. That’s the state law.”
Magid said the Ward case was of Project Safe Neighborhood, a federal initiative aimed at identifying and prosecuting firearms offenders in federal court so they can be hit with more severe punishment when convicted.
Ward and his gangster buddies reportedly took videos of themselves shooting at the range, including one in which they joked that a Blood who couldn’t hit the target had killed a bunch of innocent bystanders.The Ready Aim Fire Training Center, which opened in 1998, also once had a firearms training simulator that showed real-life situations to help shooters improve their reaction time and aim — the skills needed by today’s gangbangers.The life-size video shooting game, which uses lasers, is no longer at RAF, but was used by Ward and his friends and now has become a common training tool for law-enforcement groups, including the FBI and the CIA.The RAF worker, who would not give his name, said CEO Joe McGinty was not available for comment yesterday. He did report, however, that certified gun instructors work for RAF and that all shooting safety procedures are followed at the range.
“You need only a driver’s license, a valid identification and must sign waivers to use the guns in the facility,” said the anonymous employee. “We can only do a background check on someone when they buy a gun. That’s the state law.”
Among the RAF guns used by Ward and his Blood colleagues were, according to the indictment, a Smith & Wesson 45-caliber pistol, and .50-caliber revolver; Glock and Heckler & Koch brand 9-mm automatics; a Glock 40-caliber pistol; and Sig Sauer pistols with calibers of .40 and .45.
Magid said the Ward case was of Project Safe Neighborhood, a federal initiative aimed at identifying and prosecuting firearms offenders in federal court so they can be hit with more severe punishment when convicted.
Gang tensions on the city's Southeast Side ended in a hail of bullets Friday as three Chicago teens died in an attack that included at least one assault rifle, according to police and witnesses. It's unclear whether the victims—ages 13, 15 and 17—were targets or whether they were caught in the crossfire as bullets were fired from a moving car. At least one— 15-year-old Raheem "Chiko" Washington—had been waiting on the street corner for a friend when the shooting began, his friend said.
The other victims included Johnny Edwards, three days shy of his 14th birthday, and Kendrick Pitts, 17, who spent three months in juvenile detention for gang-related activity.Pitts and Washington attended Bowen High School. Edwards was a 7th grader at Mireles Academy, located about three blocks from the crime scene.So far this school year, at least 24 Chicago public school students have been slain. Last year, there were 26. "It's just tragic, that based on the guns that are on the streets, that three young men have lost their lives today," Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis said. No one was in custody as of late Friday, police said.
Martin, who was waiting to meet another teen, said he saw gang signs being flashed from the car. "Chiko, I really think we should go," he said, urging Washington to come with him. When Washington refused, Martin took off. He made it only a block from the intersection when he heard the shots ring out.He tried to reach his friend on his cell phone, but got no answer. He ran back to the scene. "I see tape everywhere, I see blood everywhere, in [a] gangway, and then I see his jacket," Martin said.The gunman fired several rounds with what is believed to be an AK-47 before fleeing in a dark-colored car with as many as two other occupants, a law-enforcement source said. Police are investigating whether there was more than one gunman.The shootings came after a week in which gang members battled for control of their Southeast Side neighborhood, residents said. "The last couple days, there's been a lot of gang activity," said Martin, who described himself as a gang member. "We've had to fight a lot of people." The skirmishes escalated Friday when gang violence disrupted classes at Bowen. Students said tensions ran high on campus following a large brawl on the school's breezeway Friday afternoon. "Security tried to break it up, but people just kept fighting," said LaTrace Thompson, 16. "I saw a guy punch a girl. It was crazy."Police say they are investigating what role, if any, the melee played in the shootings. Officials hope surveillance video cameras near the crime scene will lead to clues, said Chicago Police Cmdr. Eddie Welch.
The other victims included Johnny Edwards, three days shy of his 14th birthday, and Kendrick Pitts, 17, who spent three months in juvenile detention for gang-related activity.Pitts and Washington attended Bowen High School. Edwards was a 7th grader at Mireles Academy, located about three blocks from the crime scene.So far this school year, at least 24 Chicago public school students have been slain. Last year, there were 26. "It's just tragic, that based on the guns that are on the streets, that three young men have lost their lives today," Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis said. No one was in custody as of late Friday, police said.
Witnesses say the shootings occurred after a boy was beaten up by teens flashing gang signs near 87th Street and South Exchange Avenue around 3 p.m. Friday. The boy left the scene after the fight, but quickly returned with armed friends, said Deonte Martin, 14, who was standing on the street corner with Washington.
Martin, who was waiting to meet another teen, said he saw gang signs being flashed from the car. "Chiko, I really think we should go," he said, urging Washington to come with him. When Washington refused, Martin took off. He made it only a block from the intersection when he heard the shots ring out.He tried to reach his friend on his cell phone, but got no answer. He ran back to the scene. "I see tape everywhere, I see blood everywhere, in [a] gangway, and then I see his jacket," Martin said.The gunman fired several rounds with what is believed to be an AK-47 before fleeing in a dark-colored car with as many as two other occupants, a law-enforcement source said. Police are investigating whether there was more than one gunman.The shootings came after a week in which gang members battled for control of their Southeast Side neighborhood, residents said. "The last couple days, there's been a lot of gang activity," said Martin, who described himself as a gang member. "We've had to fight a lot of people." The skirmishes escalated Friday when gang violence disrupted classes at Bowen. Students said tensions ran high on campus following a large brawl on the school's breezeway Friday afternoon. "Security tried to break it up, but people just kept fighting," said LaTrace Thompson, 16. "I saw a guy punch a girl. It was crazy."Police say they are investigating what role, if any, the melee played in the shootings. Officials hope surveillance video cameras near the crime scene will lead to clues, said Chicago Police Cmdr. Eddie Welch.
only member of a rival gambling security group to survive a shooting unharmed at the Pali Golf Course in January 2004 testified in federal court on Friday about the events surrounding the attack.The families of two men killed in a shooting at the Pali Golf Course are finally hearing what happened to their loved ones.Families of lepo Taliese and Romelius Corpus Jr. went to federal court on Friday to hear something they have waited for the five years since the two were gunned down at Pali Golf Course. "I feel good that the truth is coming out," Taliese's brother Moevao Utu said.Testimony in the racketeering trial of two defendants is now coming from the targets of the shooting. Ethan "Malu" Motta and Rodney Joseph Jr. are charged racketeering and the slayings.Nixon Maumalanga was the only one of the rival gambling security men to escape the golf course unharmed. Tino Sao was shot in the face and left for dead.Maumalanga said on Friday that he drove to the golf course expecting a friendly meeting until Joseph refused to shake hands. As Tino Sao walked up to Motta, Maumalanga said, "I saw Malu (Motta) going into his car and coming out of his car with a gun in his hands… I ran for my life."Maumalanga said he heard shots. He said he heard Taliese clearly name Motta and Joseph as his killers.
These eyewitness accounts are crucial to the prosecution's case because they make the shootings sound not like a confrontation, but like an ambush, KITV reported.
"I feel that he was totally innocent," Utu said. "They were unexpectedly gunned down… This is the moment I've been waiting for. I've I really want to know what happened and what really went happen."
These eyewitness accounts are crucial to the prosecution's case because they make the shootings sound not like a confrontation, but like an ambush, KITV reported.
"I feel that he was totally innocent," Utu said. "They were unexpectedly gunned down… This is the moment I've been waiting for. I've I really want to know what happened and what really went happen."
Alleged gang plot to start another riot at Stony Mountain Institution and kill prison officials was thwarted this week in what justice sources say is the latest example of inmates trying to run the volatile penitentiary.
Federal correctional officials and RCMP are continuing their investigation and believe they've negated the latest threat by putting several high-ranking members of a Winnipeg-based street gang in 24-hour segregation.The threats were taken seriously, considering Stony was the scene of a bloody brawl last month that left six inmates seriously injured and prompted a sweeping lockdown that only ended earlier this week.Some of the same gang members involved in the Jan. 10 riot were allegedly involved in the most recent plans, which are believed to have been triggered by resentment and anger over being confined to their cells for the past five weeks."This time the focus was going to be staff members, not rival gang members," a justice source told the Free Press Friday.Guy Langlois, a spokesman with Corrections Services Canada who works at Stony Mountain, wouldn't comment on the specific allegations."That's still under investigation and information is still being collected," he said. "We do have a segregation area and do utilize that as needed."No charges have been laid to date.
It's believed Native Syndicate gang members, involved in last month's riot, were behind the latest plot. Those inmates were recently put on a separate range with members of two of their rival gangs -- Hells Angels and Zig Zag Crew -- and tensions were strained, the source said.
According to the source, gang members began stockpiling knives "for a hostage-taking spectacle in order to make their dissatisfaction known to all.
"Basically, they were willing to do an extra five to 10 years (behind bars) to get a range of their own."At least one of the gang members refused to go through with the plan and revealed all to staff earlier this week, the source said. The gang leaders were later separated."From all initial information this was close to happening," said the source.It's been 25 years since the prison just north of the city exploded with lethal violence toward corrections officers.In July 1984, two Stony Mountain guards were killed during a premeditated riot planned by prisoners unhappy with new rules at the federal institution.Joseph Wendl, 54, and 34-year-old Werner Friesen were locking up prisoners for the night when they were attacked by a group of inmates who'd been drinking homebrew in their cells. Friesen was grabbed from behind while another inmate stabbed him in the chest with a pair of scissors. Wendl was stabbed in the back and pushed down a flight of stairs.The inmates then grabbed a set of keys dropped by one of the guards and began opening range doors.
Langlois confirmed Friday that inmates at the medium-security prison are no longer confined to their cells and are back in educational and work programs and exercise routines. Visitation will resume on Monday.The lockdown began on Jan. 10 after approximately 100 inmates, mostly representing two rival aboriginal street gangs, barricaded themselves inside one of the living areas and began fighting.Inmates -- including some wearing masks -- set fires, stabbed other prisoners, and threw garbage cans at corrections officers who battled back with pepper spray and displayed their shotguns during a melee that lasted almost six hours and marked the worst outbreak of Manitoba prison violence since the 1996 Headingley riot.Six inmates were taken to hospital, including one in critical condition. Langlois said Friday they have all been treated and released and returned to Stony while the investigation continues."At some point there will be the laying of charges," he said.
Hells Angels Motorcycle Club takes to the courts in a bid to force police to return its vests, jewellery, calendars, scarves, T-shirts, belt buckles, rings, pins, posters, a cuckoo clock, bumper stickers and anything else they have seized bearing the bikers' trademarked logo of a winged skull. Those items were seized in dozens of police raids since the club came to Ontario eight years ago – including the Project Tandem raids on the Toronto chapter's Eastern Ave. clubhouse and the Oshawa chapter's Ortono Ave. headquarters.The bikers' appeal to the Ontario Court of Justice is believed to be the first such legal action for the world's largest outlaw motorcycle club, considered a criminal organization by Ontario courts. But in the past, they have jealously protected the copyright of their winged-skull logo, successfully suing an author over the use of the logo on a book cover and even forcing Disney Pictures to change a movie script.While it is a unique case, it should not be shocking that the bikers are so defensive about their logo, says Prof. Ken Hardy of the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario in London."This is basic marketing: you define yourself," said Hardy, who teaches business students the importance of brand identification – or "branding" – in mainstream marketing.If they lose the power of their trademarked logos, Hardy says, "they're diminishing their stock as a badass." That stock helps them recruit members, conduct business and feel special, the professor says.
The trademark issue will be addressed on March 16 at the University Ave. courthouse, when Gerald (Skinny) Ward of the Hells Angels Niagara chapter will be sentenced for cocaine trafficking.Lawyers representing the Hells Angels have already notified the court that all items bearing the Hells Angels' winged-skull logo are the property of the club's headquarters in Oakland, Calif., and not individual bikers.They have filed an affidavit with the Ontario Court of Justice that includes a contract signed by Windsor Hells Angel Giuliano Raimondo with the international club on Aug. 31, 2006, on becoming a member.
The opening clause of the contract for new members reads: "The right to ownership of any and all articles bearing the name "HELLS ANGELS" and/or the winged skull insignia/logo known as a "DEATH HEAD" (both of which are registered with the United States Patent Office) ... are the sole and legal property of HAMC (Hells Angels Motorcycle Club)."The contract further states that Raimondo and others in the club wear their Hells Angels vest and other items bearing the logo only at the discretion of the club and that their right to do so "is subject to revocation at any time and for any or no reason at the sole option and discretion of the HAMC."The contract further states that the name "Hells Angels" and the logo are copyrighted with the club in the United States, Canada, Austria, Australia, Britain, France, Brazil, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan.
The final clause of the contract states that if Raimondo dies or leaves the club, he agrees that all material bearing the club logo "shall immediately be relinquished to a duly appointed representative of the HAMC, by either myself or my surviving heirs."
A Whitby court heard last year that if a tattoo bears the name "Hells Angels" or the death head logo, then even the skin of a member is considered club property.Members who leave the club in good standing are expected to tattoo an "expiry date" under any club tattoos, indicating the date he became a non-member.Members who are kicked out of the club are expected to immediately remove the words "Hells Angels" and the club logos from their skin. Steven Gault, the former secretary of the Oshawa Hells Angels who became a police agent, told a Whitby court this winter that he has heard of a cheese grater being used to forcibly remove a logo from a reluctant former member.Raimondo and Craig McIlquham of Oakville, also of the Windsor Hells Angels, were arrested in September 2006. They were each sentenced to five years and six months in prison for trafficking a kilo of cocaine, 10,000 ecstasy pills and two kilograms of methamphetamine. They also jointly forfeited $139,500 seized as proceeds of crime.A police brief filed as part of a recent biker trial states that wearing the name "Hells Angels" and a death head patch commands immediate brand recognition among criminals."The Hells Angels name and Death Head logo being worn by a member ... indicates to other Hells Angels members and the criminal subculture that they can deal or do business with him knowing that they will not be `ripped off' and that the Hells Angels member would not make any statements to the police," the police brief states. "They do, however, know that if they rip off the Hells Angels member, it is as if they have ripped off the whole club."Minutes from a Hells Angels world officers' meeting held on June 9, 2006, in Ashfield, England, note a suggestion that the club study the efforts made by large corporations like Coca Cola and Nike to deter trademark infringements, "as they combat similar problems ..." Each member is charged with the responsibility of maintaining copyright protection.
An April 2004 club memo seized from the gang's Eastern Ave. clubhouse says that Larry Pooler of the Downtown Toronto chapter was in charge of overseeing logo protection for Central Canadian Hells Angels chapters.
Alexis Aguilar's second trial for first-degree murder. Aguilar is accused of gunning down 25-year-old Jose Mexicano in March 2007 in front of Mexicano's then-10-year-old son. Aguilar was 17 at the time of the killing. The shooting has been characterized by Salinas police as gang related. According to testimony, Aguilar is an admitted member of the Acosta Plaza subset of the Norteños criminal street gang.
Mexicano, who had recently been released from prison, was affiliated with the rival Sureños gang. The first trial ended in a mistrial when the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict, voting 11-1 for conviction. Aguilar was convicted of one count of street terrorism. According to the police investigation, Mexicano and his son were walking through the Acosta Plaza neighborhood of East Salinas—which has been identified as Norteño territory—when he was confronted by Aguilar. Aguilar ordered Mexicano to remove the blue baseball cap he was wearing and to tell his son to run.
Mexicano and his son ran in different directions, and police say Aguilar opened fire, striking Mexicano once in the arm and once in the back. The second wound proved fatal. In his closing argument, prosecutor David Rabow emphasized testimony in the first trial by the victim's son, who identified Aguilar as the person who
confronted and attacked his father. Rabow also pointed to the eyewitness testimony of a Sureño gang member who placed Aguilar at the scene. He recounted statements by two fellow Norteños, identified in court as Israel and Rey, who testified that Aguilar took credit for the shooting. Rey said Aguilar gave him the murder weapon on the night of the incident, and pleaded with him later to stay quiet about the crime, saying, "If you don't testify, I'll walk." Rabow reminded the jury of evidence found on Aguilar's home computer that included a newspaper account of the murder and a photo of somebody wearing a T-shirt memorializing Mexicano. The prosecutor characterized both as "trophies" of the killing. Aguilar's motives, Rabow said, could have included revenge for an alleged burglary by Sureños, perceived disrespect by Mexicano for wearing a blue cap—Sureño color—in Norteño territory, or a desire to raise his own status within the Norteño gang by committing a high-level crime.
Defense attorney Allen Kleinkopf countered by saying the prosecution's argument for conviction was based entirely on two false premises: that the Acosta Plaza subset of the Norteños gang is a tight-knit organization with a well-defined hierarchy, and that Aguilar was the shooter. Kleinkopf assailed prosecution witnesses Rey and Israel as notorious criminals and liars who gave false statements about Aguilar in court in exchange for the prosecution's offer to reduce their own prison sentences in unrelated cases. He discounted the eyewitness testimony of Mexicano's son because the shooter reportedly had raised the hood of the sweatshirt he was wearing, so only his eyes, nose and mouth were visible to the boy, who was standing about eight feet away. He noted that the boy initially failed to identify Aguilar in court during the first trial. Kleinkopf said Aguilar had no previous arrests on weapons charges, and that bullets recovered did not necessarily match the alleged murder weapon.
He also assailed the prosecution's evidence of multiple cell phone calls made in the minutes after the murder between Aguilar, Israel, Rey and a Norteño named Juan, whom Rabow called "The Big Homey" and identified as the leader of the Acosta Plaza group. Kleinkopf argued that if somebody is shot in the Acosta Plaza neighborhood, everyone is spreading the word rapidly via cell phone. Kleinkopf attacked the computer evidence by noting that Aguilar's brother, who is not a gang member, also had access to the computer and conceivably could have downloaded the article and photo. The jurors have a choice of convicting Aguilar of first- or second-degree murder, or acquitting him. Because one juror had a scheduling conflict Friday afternoon, the jury only had about 30 minutes to deliberate.
Bacon brothers of Abbotsford protect themselves with bulletproof vests and armoured vehicles and are trailed by police even as they dodge bullets wherever they go..The once rural town, 45 minutes east of Vancouver and a short distance from the U.S. border, has become an epicentre of criminal activity in the region. Police have taken the unusual step of warning the general public and even friends and family of Jonathan, Jarrod and James Bacon not to get too close to them in case they are caught in the crossfire. At least three innocent people have killed by being in the wrong place in the past 16 months.
Alleged to be in a gang known as the Red Scorpions, the brothers might not be directly responsible for the dozen or so shootings in Metro Vancouver in the last month that have left seven people dead, but their presence has cast a shadow of fear and intimidation in their hometown of Abbotsford
Jonathan Barber was installing a car stereo in the Porsche Cayenne that belonged to one of the brothers when he was shot dead last May. Abbotsford man Ed Schellenberg, a gas fireplace technician, was killed inside an apartment when four gang associates were murdered in October 2007. Another innocent bystander, Chris Mohan, who lived next door, also died. Schellenberg's brother-in-law, Steve Brown, said Abbotsford residents have learned they are not immune to the gang violence taking place in the bigger cities of Vancouver and Surrey.
"Abbotsford was galvanized by the death of Ed," said Brown. "We have morphed into the big city because of the number of criminals on our streets."
Brown said there is palpable anger among residents who believe too many criminals are getting charges stayed or are released on bail.Hugh Stansfield, chief judge of the provincial court in B.C., said he understands why people say the justice system is too lenient. "There has been an alarming outbreak of violence in the last month, disturbing violence," he said. "People are strongly motivated to try and make sure their community ... is safe." Stansfield points out, however, there have been few gang cases that make it to trial and police haven't made any arrests that have brought suspects before the courts in the recent string of shootings.The two younger Bacon brothers, Jamie, 23, and Jarrod, 25, are on bail for weapons charges and the eldest, Jonathan, had weapons and drug charges thrown out in 2005 because of improper search procedures. The Red Scorpions and the United Nations are two of the most high-profile gangs to have emerged in the Metro Vancouver area. Both gangs have roots in Abbotsford.Although police have made no arrests in the 2007 "Surrey Six" slayings, in which Mohan and Schellenberg were killed, many believe the two gangs were involved.Federal Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan, who met with officials in Abbotsford, Surrey and Langley this past week to discuss strategies for combating crime, said the proximity to the U.S. border had led to the emergence of gangs.
"Frankly over the years there has been a bit of a tolerance of a certain level of drug activity there," Van Loan said. "It's now gotten to the point where Vancouver and that area have the largest number of organized criminal outfits in the country."
A decade ago, there were 10 gangs operating in the region, said criminologist Darryl Plecas at the University of Fraser Valley in Abbotsford. Two years ago, there were 50 and police officials say there are now more than 139 active criminal organizations operating in B.C. The number of customers for drugs hasn't changed significantly, but violence is up because there is more jostling among the suppliers. Border security is tighter than ever but penetrable, and the potential gains are worth the risks. Plecas calculates that an average grow op can net $500,000 a year. With that much earnings from marijuana, even new players have easy access to guns and cash.
"These are rinky-dink criminals who are not sophisticated, not organized," said Plecas. "They're vying for power and position whether it's within their own group or rivals and because they're small it's not like the established organizations where you need permission from above to bump someone off."The Abbotsford connections are time-honoured mafia culture, he said."It's like the Sicilian mafia. It started in Sicily but they moved from there," said Plecas. "That's like these guys. They grew up here, they have long-term friends, people they grew up with who are now part of the organizations."Abbotsford Deputy Police Chief Rick Lucy said by alerting the public of the criminal associations in their community, residents know there is a local connection to the shootings that are going on throughout the region. Police are urging businesses in the community to stop conducting transactions with gang associates and are asking neighbours and family and friends of gang members to turn them in."People are now seeing that Abbotsford is no longer a small quiet location," said Lucy.
Policeman accused of helping alleged gang boss Bradley "Kleinkop" Parkins to escape from custody appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court on Thursday and was released on bail. Raymond Jantjies, 27, is charged with corruption. Prosecutor Matthew Johnson told the court the State would not oppose bail.Jantjies has no previous convictions but faces a pending case of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm in Robertson.He is out on warning on this matter and has to return to court next Thursday.Jantjies was arrested on Tuesday after Parkins escaped from the Cape Town Magistrate's Court holding cells on Monday.Meanwhile, police last night re-arrested Parkins, after tip-offs from Kewtown residents.
Today magistrate Vusi Mhlanga granted Jantjies bail and warned him to stay away from witnesses. The case was postponed until March 18.
Parkins had failed to appear on charges of illegal possession of firearms after Jantjies allegedly helped him to escape.He also faces murder and attempted murder charges in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate's Court.Police spokesman Randall Stoffels confirmed that Parkins is in custody and is expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court tomorrow. He will be charged with escaping from custody. Parkins had been evading capture for close on a year before he was arrested last year in his Parklands home.
Today magistrate Vusi Mhlanga granted Jantjies bail and warned him to stay away from witnesses. The case was postponed until March 18.
Parkins had failed to appear on charges of illegal possession of firearms after Jantjies allegedly helped him to escape.He also faces murder and attempted murder charges in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate's Court.Police spokesman Randall Stoffels confirmed that Parkins is in custody and is expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court tomorrow. He will be charged with escaping from custody. Parkins had been evading capture for close on a year before he was arrested last year in his Parklands home.
‘Champagne’ Johnny Carroll (33) was gunned down as he drank in Grumpy Jack’s pub in the Coombe at 9.35pm last night. He was hit by up to six rounds from a 9mm handgun by a masked gunman who strolled into the bar and singled him out. Dublin's gangland is braced for further bloodshed after the murder of a major drug dealer in a city pub.The victim, from french Mullen flats, Charlemont Street area of the south inner city, was a leading figure in a Coolock and Baldoyle based criminal gang suspected of importing large amounts of heroin into the country in horse boxes from the UK. Gardai believe that his killing, in full view of other drinkers, could be linked to a dispute between the gang and the Dublin unit of the INLA over drug money. The INLA’s Dublin unit it is widely suspected of extorting money from drug dealers, and members have clashed with criminal gangs in the city in the past. But officers also examining any links between the killing and any recent drug seizures, which may have been overseen by Carroll, and which may have led to the loss of a significant amount of drugs and cash. A source said: “It’s early days but the motive was definitely drugs related. Carroll was very active in the Baldoyle and Coolock area on the Northside and we’ll be looking at any conflicts he had with INLA figures in that part of the city.” The murder was the sixth gangland killing this year. Carroll was initially hit in the stomach and backside with a single round, and tried to stumble for his life from the bar, before the killer fired five more rounds at him. Two of his terrified pals, both in their 30s, dived for cover as Carroll was gunned down. His killer, wearing a balaclava, then walked from the bar, as Carroll lay fatally injured on the floor at the rear of the pub. Gardai say that the killer may have made his escape, with the help of an accomplice, on a black motorcycle, along Dean Street. Local officers from Kevin Street were on the scene in less than a minute, and Carroll was rushed to St James’s Hospital to undergo emergency surgery. He died at 11.30pm, despite medics’ best efforts to save him. The chief of detectives in the south inner city, Det Supt PJ Browne, said tonight: “This was a discriminate and deliberate shooting, which put the lives of innocent people at great risk. “We need to speak to anyone who was in the Park Terrace area from 9pm onwards. They can contact our team in complete confidence.” Carroll was known to gardai, and was a focus of attention for local detective units at Kevin Street, along the Garda National Drugs Unit, under Operation Abalone.
Gardai suspect he was involved in the supply of drugs to areas of the north city, importing heroin in horse boxes from the UK. He is believed to have worked with a number of gangs, mostly on the Northside. He had come under major garda pressure in recent months as officers moved in on his alleged operation, but he did not have previous convictions. Grumpy Jack’s has been the scene of violence in the past, and a high profile incident outside the bar almost two years ago saw members of the INLA involved in a street fight with local criminals. That row, in June 2007, led to a number of tit-for-tat attacks between the INLA unit and a Southside gang.
Gardai suspect he was involved in the supply of drugs to areas of the north city, importing heroin in horse boxes from the UK. He is believed to have worked with a number of gangs, mostly on the Northside. He had come under major garda pressure in recent months as officers moved in on his alleged operation, but he did not have previous convictions. Grumpy Jack’s has been the scene of violence in the past, and a high profile incident outside the bar almost two years ago saw members of the INLA involved in a street fight with local criminals. That row, in June 2007, led to a number of tit-for-tat attacks between the INLA unit and a Southside gang.
GOODFELLAS star FRANK SIVERO had links to real life mafia bosses and hitmen, a mob informant has testified in court.
On Wednesday (18Feb09), a New York court was shown photographs of Sivero posing with Charles Carneglia, who is on trial charged with five murders, including the slaying of an off-duty cop.
Prosecution witness Kevin McMahon claims Sivero - who played Frankie Carbone in the 1990 movie - was a regular visitor at the Brooklyn junkyard where cops believe Carneglia dissolved the bodies of his victims in acid.And he suggested the 57-year-old actor, who is not accused of any crime, used his underworld connections to settle vendettas. McMahon, a former associate of jailed New York crime boss John Gotti, told the court, "(Sivero) had some kind of problem with somebody in jail, I am not exactly positive."
On Wednesday (18Feb09), a New York court was shown photographs of Sivero posing with Charles Carneglia, who is on trial charged with five murders, including the slaying of an off-duty cop.
Prosecution witness Kevin McMahon claims Sivero - who played Frankie Carbone in the 1990 movie - was a regular visitor at the Brooklyn junkyard where cops believe Carneglia dissolved the bodies of his victims in acid.And he suggested the 57-year-old actor, who is not accused of any crime, used his underworld connections to settle vendettas. McMahon, a former associate of jailed New York crime boss John Gotti, told the court, "(Sivero) had some kind of problem with somebody in jail, I am not exactly positive."
ICE officials say the operation targeted members and associates of the MS-13, Surenos, Brown Pride, SUR-13 and Latin King street gangs. Those arrested were in the United States illegally, authorities say, and they are in federal custody. But authorities say four suspects were referred to the U.S. Attorney's office for possible additional charges, including possession of marijuana, possession of a firearm, and re-entering the United States after deportation.Federal agents have arrested 10 foreign-born gang members with ties to Charlotte-area street gangs, according to federal officials.The arrests took place Wednesday in the Charlotte area, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
ICE agents were supported by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police, North Carolina's Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) agency, the N.C. Department of Crime Control, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
"We will continue teaming with our law enforcement partners to target those terrorizing our communities," said Joan Nash-Scavazzon, acting assistant special agent in charge of ICE's operations in the Charlotte area.
ICE agents were supported by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police, North Carolina's Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) agency, the N.C. Department of Crime Control, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
"We will continue teaming with our law enforcement partners to target those terrorizing our communities," said Joan Nash-Scavazzon, acting assistant special agent in charge of ICE's operations in the Charlotte area.
Suad Karic, 20, was one of two people charged in connection with the shooting April 22 at the Roy Watson Youth Sports Complex, 854 Essex Parkway N.W. Police said two gangs gathered to fight. Shots were fired, and a 20-year-old man was wounded in the arm and stomach. Officers learned that rival gang members met in the parking lot so an individual from each group could fight.
Police were unable to pinpoint who fired the weapon so only gross misdemeanor third-degree riot charges were filed. Karic pleaded guilty to the charge Tuesday. Judge Joseph Chase stayed execution of a one-year jail sentence and gave Karic credit for 128 days already served in jail. No additional jail time was ordered. He was put on probation for two years and fined $132. Co-defendant Ahmed Omar Abukar, 24, pleaded guilty to the gross misdemeanor charge in January, and a felony first-degree aggravated robbery charge stemming from an unrelated incident was dismissed.
Police were unable to pinpoint who fired the weapon so only gross misdemeanor third-degree riot charges were filed. Karic pleaded guilty to the charge Tuesday. Judge Joseph Chase stayed execution of a one-year jail sentence and gave Karic credit for 128 days already served in jail. No additional jail time was ordered. He was put on probation for two years and fined $132. Co-defendant Ahmed Omar Abukar, 24, pleaded guilty to the gross misdemeanor charge in January, and a felony first-degree aggravated robbery charge stemming from an unrelated incident was dismissed.
Deshawn Broadnax, 22, was found guilty in December of two counts of first-degree murder and other charges, plus special-circumstance allegations including multiple murders. He and another man identified as the getaway driver were arrested and later indicted by a grand jury in the deaths of Brandon Hammond and Marcelles McElvaine, both 19. The victims were shot Dec. 6, 2006 in a Bay Terraces neighborhood cul-de-sac. They were not gang members, authorities said. During an emotional hearing Thursday in San Diego Superior Court, Judge John Thompson denied a motion for a new trial, noting the jury heard “overwhelming evidence” that Broadnax fired the fatal shots. Taking each crime separately, the judge sentenced Broadnax to two terms of life without parole, and an additional 57 years to life. Prosecutors argued in trial that Broadnax committed the murders in rival gang territory as retaliation for another killing the day before. Ahmad Lewis, 19, was gunned down Dec. 5, 2006 on Gwen Street in Valencia Park.
“He did, in fact, go hunting,” said Deputy District Attorney Mark Amador in court Thursday, referring to Broadnax. “He assassinated Mr. McElvaine and Mr. Hammond.” According to court documents, Hammond lived on Deep Dell Court where he was killed. The spot is near the Meadowbrook Apartment complex, a known stronghold of a Skyline-area gang. The getaway driver, Anthony Torian, testified in trial that Broadnax approached him the night of the murders, showed him a gun, and asked for a ride to the Meadowbrook complex. When they got there, the two men smoked cigarettes and waited by one of the entrances.
At one point, Broadnax walked around a corner and Torian heard gunshots. He then ran back to Torian's car and the two men drove off. Broadnax boasted later about how he duped the victims into lighting a cigarette for him, then shot them, Torian said.
Torian, 23, pleaded guilty to two counts of voluntary manslaughter and could be sentenced to a minimum of 13 years in prison or a maximum of 26 years and fours months.
Several members of the victims' families attended the Thursday hearing. Hammond's uncle, Wilfred Jackson, spoke about his nephew's plans to move to San Francisco and his dream of designing clothes and shoes. “He was at a point in his life where he was trying to do something. He was trying to make those changes,” Jackson said.
Broadnax's mother spoke angrily to the judge, saying the witnesses who testified in trial had lied and that her son is not a gang member.
“He did, in fact, go hunting,” said Deputy District Attorney Mark Amador in court Thursday, referring to Broadnax. “He assassinated Mr. McElvaine and Mr. Hammond.” According to court documents, Hammond lived on Deep Dell Court where he was killed. The spot is near the Meadowbrook Apartment complex, a known stronghold of a Skyline-area gang. The getaway driver, Anthony Torian, testified in trial that Broadnax approached him the night of the murders, showed him a gun, and asked for a ride to the Meadowbrook complex. When they got there, the two men smoked cigarettes and waited by one of the entrances.
At one point, Broadnax walked around a corner and Torian heard gunshots. He then ran back to Torian's car and the two men drove off. Broadnax boasted later about how he duped the victims into lighting a cigarette for him, then shot them, Torian said.
Torian, 23, pleaded guilty to two counts of voluntary manslaughter and could be sentenced to a minimum of 13 years in prison or a maximum of 26 years and fours months.
Several members of the victims' families attended the Thursday hearing. Hammond's uncle, Wilfred Jackson, spoke about his nephew's plans to move to San Francisco and his dream of designing clothes and shoes. “He was at a point in his life where he was trying to do something. He was trying to make those changes,” Jackson said.
Broadnax's mother spoke angrily to the judge, saying the witnesses who testified in trial had lied and that her son is not a gang member.
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