GANGLAND GODFATHER

Darrius Eugene Spearman who took the stand Wednesday, claimed he was acting in self-defense when 19-year-old Marcus "Fish" Allen was shot on the dance floor at Tiffany's, a Port Arthur club located at Houston Avenue and 10th Street. The Nov. 25, 2007, shooting occurred as rap music filled with the sound of gunshots played in the background.Spearman and Allen were members of rival street gangs and their mutual hatred was part of what motivated the murder, Jefferson County prosecutor Ramon Rodriguez told jurors in his closing. In support of his contention, he noted that when asked by defense attorney James Makin to write the names of the two gangs on a dry-erase board, Spearman switched from red to blue. "Without anyone asking him, (when) asked about the Crips he writes it in blue," Rodriguez said in his closing. "That's the mindset. I'm red, he blue. We're red. Them other people- they blue." Spearman, a member of the Bloods-affiliated 4-2 P...

Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi announced today that a Burlington County Grand Jury indicted three men for the August 16, 2008 shooting of two brothers – one fatally – in the parking lot of the Mount Laurel, N.J., Marriott. The Grand Jury indicted the following individuals on charges of Murder, Attempted Murder, Aggravated Assault, and Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose: Daniel Cruz, age 24, of North 27th Street in Camden, N.J.Richard Martinez, age 34, of Gibbons Court in Atco, N.J.Antonio K. Streater, 26, of Vine Street in Camden, N.J.The investigation revealed that on August 16 at approximately 10:15 p.m., Gabriel Figueroa and Luis Pedroza, who are brothers, exited the Marriott and were shot after being confronted by Cruz, Martinez and Streater in the parking lot. Figueroa was pronounced dead at Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Cherry Hill. Pedroza was shot in the shoulder and survived after being treated at Cooper University Medical Center in Camden. Fig...

Colton gang member who shot and killed 19-year-old Michael McLeod outside a party was sentenced Wednesday to life in state prison without the possibility of parole. Andrew Robert Ramirez, 21, was convicted in November of murder and special allegations, including the use of a firearm, during a trial in San Bernardino Superior Court. The jury also found true a charge of special circumstances for committing a robbery to benefit a street gang. The special circumstance carried the life sentence, explained Deputy District Attorney Sharon Caldwell. Ramirez was also sentenced to 25 years to life for the murder and 10 years for the special allegations. However, Ramirez will not go to prison right away. He is awaiting trial as a defendant in another case for a home invasion robbery in June 2007 in Colton. Ramirez shot McLeod while he was leaving a party with a group of people in the 600 block of West L Street in Colton on April 20, 2007. McLeod was shot in the head and died at Arrowhead Regional...

Suspected Zeta gang leader Gregorio Sauceda Gamboa, One of Mexico's 24 most-wanted drug traffickers.Federal police say Sauceda Gamboa was detained in the border city of Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville, Texas.Sauceda Gamboa appears on a list of 24 alleged drug traffickers published by prosecutors in March. Authorities have offered rewards of up to $2.1 million for each suspect.Police said Wednesday that they also seized five rifles and more than 4,500 rounds of ammunition in the raid that netted Sauceda Gamboa.The Zetas are a violent drug gang based in the states along Mexico's Gulf coast, and have been involved in many of the killings that have taken more than 10,650 lives since 2006.

Self-proclaimed gang members shot and wounded a man in front of his home as he took out the trash Wednesday afternoon, authorities and witnesses said. The drive-by shooting occurred about 1:50 p.m. in front of a house at Amar Road and Melham Avenue in an unincorporated county area near La Puente. The wounded 20-year-old man was shot twice in the leg, said his uncle, who asked that his name not be published for fear of retaliation. The nephew and two of his friends were doing some cleaning at the home prior to the attack, the uncle said. "They were taking out some trash... and there were like five shots," he said. The assailants yelled out the name of a Bassett street gang during the incident, he added. The two or more attackers fled southbound on Melham Avenue in a dark-colored compact car, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Rico Sandoval said. The wounds did not appear to be life-threatening, he added. A minivan parked in front of the home had two bullet holes in it. The ...

Three men were charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a suspected high-ranking member of the Four Corners Hustler street gang.Reginald Royal, 32, Lonnial Rountree, 20, and Terrance Hilson, 29, were charged Saturday for the murder of 38-year-old Ray Washington who was shot dead at the 3800 block of West Flournoy in the West Lawndale neighborhood Thursday.A housing inspector with Washington was also shot but was expected to live. Washington was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead.The three men led police on a brief chase before being arrested shortly after the shooting.

Prosecutors say more than 20 members of the "Chain Gang" and "Wolf Pack" are locked up. Federal agents busted a major Rochester gang Monday.It is a major takedown for Rochester. "I can tell you these individuals are responsible for a tremendous amount of violence that's taking place in our community," said Rochester Police Chief David Moore.Prosecutors tell us it's the first time in the city's history that the RICO statute is being used to bust up a gang. It's the same law that was used to bring down the mob. Monday, it was used to arrest two-dozen young people, mostly on the city's east side.Federal and local law enforcement teamed up Monday to make the arrests. Many of the arrests came in and around Grand and Garson Avenues. Gail Ashley has heard of the gangs. She's known as the church lady in her neighborhood and even knows some of the gang members. "They don't want to be out there selling drugs, and they don't want ...

Fifteen alleged members and associates of the Raza Unida prison and street gang were indicted in Houston, Texas for trafficking in significant quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine and possessing firearms unlawfully and during the commission of drug trafficking offenses.

German Torres, 29, was arrested in Mexico City on Friday. He is believed to be a founding member of the feared "Zetas" wing of the powerful Gulf cartel that dominates drug smuggling from northeastern Mexico into Texas.The public security ministry said Torres was also thought to be involved in the kidnapping of Batista, a Cuban-American credited with negotiating past releases of hostages held by Colombian rebels, in the northern city of Saltillo on December 10.Investigators ran DNA tests in February on charred bodies found in the surrounding state of Coahuila but have yet to confirm whether Batista was among them.The Coahuila state attorney general's office declined to comment on its investigation into Batista, who disappeared after he apparently stepped outside a restaurant alone after answering a cell phone call.Separately in Coahuila, suspected drug hitmen killed the police chief of Piedras Negras, a town on the Texas border, after less than three weeks in the job, loca...

Mexican drug cartels are entrenched in Oklahoma, casting an ominous shadow on the future of our cities and rural communities. "Oklahoma's No. 1 threat is the Mexican drug cartels," said Darrell Weaver, executive director of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control. "Make no mistake." gathered over the past 14 years has revealed a shadowy underworld of "second- and third-generation" Mexican drug smugglers who have gained a foothold throughout Oklahoma. They often operate in rural towns under the guise of a legitimate business such as a meat market or restaurant, and their connections have been traced to nearly all of Mexico's most notorious cartels — Sinaloa, Los Zetas, La Familia Michoacana, La Linea and Juarez. "At least 90 percent of the drugs we see here in Oklahoma are coming from the Mexican drug cartels," said one undercover state agent who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity. The agent, known as "...

Police arrested 29-year-old Jose Callehas-Alfaro, 23-year-old German Escobar and 22-year-old Pedro Escobar on suspicion of possession of meth for sale, conspiracy to commit a crime, participating in a criminal street gang and other charges.Police say a month-long investigation has led to the arrest of three high-ranking Salvadoran gangsters suspected of being major drug suppliers.On Friday, Santa Cruz police said they seized three pounds of methamphetamine and a loaded, stolen handgun in a drug sting coordinated with the Fresno County Sheriff's Office narcotics team.Police Capt. Steve Clark says officers purchased meth from the three men on Wednesday for $42,000. Police say the men are suppliers of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin and that this particular shipment was destined for Fresno County.Alfaro and Pedro Escobar are being held on $35,000 bail at the Santa Cruz County Jail. German Escobar's bail is $85,000. ___

Killed was Ray Washington, an alleged leader in the Four Corner Hustler gang, police said. The inspector with Washington also was shot, but he was expected to live.alleged high-ranking Chicago gang member with addresses on the North Shore and in a far southwest suburb was gunned down Thursday afternoon while standing outside a West Side residence with a housing inspector, authorities said. Washington and the inspector -- who works for a company contracting with the Chicago Housing Authority -- were shot at 1:30 p.m. Thursday while standing in the 3800 block of West Flournoy. Police think Washington was in the neighborhood because of property he is involved in there and was possibly shot over gang issues, Gang Enforcement Section Cmdr. Leo Schmitz said.Although investigators initially believed the property was being appraised, CHA officials said the inspector was there to do a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) inspection on a unit.Police arrested three suspects after a short chase and ...

Asian gangs are expanding and becoming more visible. The groups have typically been overshadowed by larger street gangs, like Crips or Bloods. As police investigate Wednesday’s firebombing of the home on N. Banks police are learning more about the gang that's reportedly behind the attack. The homeowner claims a Hmong gang is trying to recruit his sons through intimidation. They've vandalized cars, sprayed the house with bullets and now the violence. No one was hurt in the attack. "I think they are trying to scare me or give up and join them," he said. Threats and violence are common gang recruitment tactic. "That is that the way these gangs often work, is you join us or else, you are either with us or against us and using those intimidation factors brings other people in," Portland State sociologist Randy Blazak said. Experts say, Asian gangs often go unnoticed. Unlike other street gangs, they tend to prey on their own community. "Its a sort of insular ...

Ten young Albany men, most 19 or 20 years of age, were indicted Wednesday on 45 counts of aggravated assault, firearm crimes, and street gang activity. Prosecutors say they are members of the Southside Bloods, East Side Bloods, Southside Rattlers, or West Side Rattlers gangs.Prosecutors say December 27th in the 11-hundred block of West Gordon Avenue they opened fire with shotguns and pistols. 17 year old John Greene and 19 year old Jonathon Williams were both wounded."From an earlier incident where there had been a brief altercation, and then this retaliatory incident. And that's what this involved," said Dougherty District Attorney Greg Edwards.Both Greene and Williams are recovering, and were not charged in the indictment. Edwards said the Grand Jury message is clear, that gang violence will not be tolerated in Albany."This type of gang warfare endangers everybody and this is a clear instance of this. They just opened fire and two people were hit," Edwards sai...

Clayton Roueche is scheduled to enter a guilty plea Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Seattle. It wasn't immediately clear Friday if he would plead to all or just some of the charges against him. No plea agreement has been made public, and his lawyer, Todd Maybrown, did not immediately return calls seeking comment.Roueche, of Vancouver, British Columbia, had long steered clear of the U.S. because he feared arrest - telling one woman in a monitored conversation he couldn't drive her to Bellingham, Wash., because he'd spend the next 20 years in a U.S. prison.But he was finally caught last year after he tried to attend a wedding in Mexico. Mexican authorities wouldn't let him enter the country, and at the request of the Americans, they put him on a flight home that landed first in Dallas.U.S. authorities immediately arrested him based on a then-sealed indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana and to launder money.The charges against him st...

Harvey Lewis, 15, a cadet with the police Explorers program, and his friend Dominque Smith, 18, both of South Philadelphia, each suffered a gunshot wound to the back of the head as they walked home from a friend's house.Police say they believe three assailants, possibly in their teens, ran up behind Lewis and Smith on 26th Street near Morris Street and shot them. Several 9mm casings and a 9mm gun were recovered there."They were just walking home, walking down the street," Homicide Capt. James Clark said yesterday. "We believe somebody in the neighborhood knows who did this. . . . We really need the public's help finding the people who killed these two very innocent people." Neither Lewis nor Smith had a criminal history or was involved in activities that would make him a likely victim, police have said. Clark, who has called the victims "good kids," said detectives had ruled out robbery as a motive.The task force will be made up of investigators fr...

The operation against the 36th Street Bang Squad was carried out Friday morning, Hampton police spokeswoman Cpl. Paula Ensley said.Hampton and Newport News police officers, with the assistance of federal and state investigators, have busted 13 members of a street gang, bringing more than 100 charges, police said Friday. She said warrants were obtained for 15 members of the gang. Police eventually picked up 13 people."The Hampton Police Division, along with the assistance of the Newport News Police Department, Virginia State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigations conducted a warrant operation in reference to serving 103 felony and misdemeanor gang related warrants," Ensley said.The gang is a sect of the criminal street gang Bloods, according to previous affidavits for search warrants."The Hampton Police Division would like to thank the Hampton Commonwealth Attorney's Office, Newport News Police Department, the Virginia State Police and the FBI for their assis...

Shots were fired from a van at Sarto Street and Cambridge Avenue in Carlisle.Sheriff David Taylor said the violence stemmed from a dispute between gangs in Union and Carlisle.A vehicle deputies said was connected to the shooting was pulled over at Highways 215 and 72 in Union County.Deputies said that the shooting was connected to drug deal last week at the Union County alternative school. Investigtors said that 11 adults and 15 juveniles have been charged, with more arrests expected.

Former Gangster Disciples enforcer Wallace “Gator” Bradley sued a former Death Row inmate today, claiming he was not paid for his services as an “urban translator.” In a lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court, Bradley says Aaron Patterson owes him $100,000 for consulting and investigative work. Patterson received a $5 million settlement from the city in a false-imprisonment lawsuit. He is back in prison on a federal weapon conviction.

Jackie Tran could remain in Canada for up to another year, with his lawyer today applying for a federal review of his deportation order.Raj Sharma, who is representing Tran, said they are seeking a review of last week’s decision by the Immigration and Refugee Board tribunal, which dismissed Tran’s appeal of the five-year-old deportation order.The Federal Court likely won’t be able to hear the review for another six months to a year, said Sharma.In the meantime, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) won’t be able to remove Tran to his native Vietnam, said spokeswoman Lisa White.“We can’t enforce (the removal order) until all levels of appeal and right to due process have been fully accorded,” she said.Last Friday, the tribunal accepted the testimony of Calgary Police Sgt. Gavin Walker and ruled that Tran is a member of an organized gang, which he denies.Tran had appealed to the tribunal on humanitarian grounds, arguing he is the sole source of support for his young sister and mother....

Marcel Perry, 20, is charged with murder and the sentencing enhancement clause that the killing was gang-related in the slaying of Vincent ScottMarcel Perry, suspected of being a member of the Acorn drug gang in West Oakland is scheduled to enter a plea May 4 to charges he killed a 16-year-old rival with an assault rifle in November, authorities said Friday.Sgt. Gus Galindo said Friday that Perry, who has been in custody on an unrelated gun charge since Jan. 6, has admitted his involvement in the killing.Scott, a Fairfield resident who grew up in West Oakland, was shot Nov. 20, while driving in the 3100 block of San Pablo Avenue. The car then crashed into a building. Scott died of his wounds Nov. 22.Galindo said Perry claimed to be an associate of the Acorn gang but officers with the police gang unit say he is a member.Galindo said police have information that Scott was associated with the Ghost Town gang that claims turf in another part of West Oakland. He said the killing was another...

Jury will decide whether to sentence Patrick Albert Byers Jr., who ordered the hit while incarcerated on murder charges, to death. His co-defendant, Frank Keith Goodman, acted as Byers' agent on the outside and faces life in prison; he will be sentenced July 17. Both men are 23. Lackl's mother and his longtime girlfriend sobbed as the guilty verdict was read. "Carl wins, God bless America," his stepfather said on the way out of the courtroom. The late afternoon verdict came as surprise at the end of the day and was read before supporters of Byers and Goodman had a chance to reach the U.S. District Court House. Byers' face remained unchanged as the foreman repeated the word "guilty" again and again, with few of the jury members looking his way. He was found guilty on all counts having to do with Lackl's murder as well as on a count of being a felon in possession of a handgun. The jury found him not guilty on a ninth count of using a gun in an unrelate...

Raid targeted "Inland Empire Skinheads," a white racist street gang that sheriff's officials said was wanted for a myriad of race-related crimes, weapons charges, witness intimidation, home invasion robbery, murder and parole violations.The sweep took place in Hesperia, Perris and Winchester. Officials said they arrested at least one female skinhead in a hospital, where she had gone to induce labor in hopes of birthing her child on Hitler's birthday. Arrested were Thomas Mason of Hesperia; Joseph Mason of Hesperia; Mark Goslyn of Hesperia; Carrie Goodwin of Hesperia; Ronald Proffitt of El Monte; Raymond Williams of Perris; and Jeremy Brower of Winchester.The gang was first documented in November 2002 by Riverside police. The gang's sign is two red crossed battle axes and the number "95." The 9 represents "Inland" and the 5 represents "Empire." The skinheads wear red suspenders steel toe boots with red laces, officials said,

Mexican war wagons Powerful .50-caliber weapon bolted to the bed of a truck. Reports vary on what kind of weapon it was: Mexican Federal Police General Rodolfo Cruz said it was a .50 caliber Browning machine gun -- a Ma Deuce -- while the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms said it was an unmodified semi-automatic weapon built by U.S. manufacturer TNW Firearms. But either way, it sounds like an effort to build a "technical" -- an improvised fighting vehicle of the kind favored by Somali warlords and developing-world armies. Coverage of Mexico's drug war has become mixed up with a debate in the United States over gun control. But as the Associated Press reported yesterday, traffickers are now tooling up with more military-grade weaponry. "Stockpiles captured by Mexican soldiers show that warring traffickers are now obtaining military-grade weaponry such as grenades, launchers, machine guns, mortars and anti-tank rockets," the report said. More worryingly...

Hells Angels leaders in the US have ordered their Australian counterparts to restore the gang’s tough reputation by shooting at any rival Comanchero member “on sight”, according to a report. A demand from the bikie gang’s US headquarters also specified that their Australian chapters would be banned from their annual world run next month, the Herald Sun reports.

Gunfire erupted in the food court at Eastland Mall as members of the Hidden Valley Kings gang attempted to mow down drug dealer Juan Lawrence while shoppers at the troubled mall ducked for cover. Later that night, still hot on Lawrence's trail, cars full of HVK gangsters traded shots with Lawrence by car, weaving in and out of traffic."There was a rolling shootout going up North Tryon Street," U.S. District Attorney Kevin Zolot told the History Channel. "They were literally driving down a main thoroughfare in Charlotte and shooting at each other. It was almost like the Wild West."According to the documentary currently airing on the History Channel about Charlotte's Hidden Valley Kings gang, after Lawrence crashed his car, gang members carrying guns hunted him street by street, at times running through people's homes. They eventually caught up to him and executed him with a high-powered rifle.high-ranking members of the Kings were eventually busted though...

Jackie Tran, whose deportation saga began in 2004, had his appeal denied Friday by the Immigration and Refugee Board.Tran is "disappointed" with the decision, and is considering taking advantage of his 15 days to appeal."That's something that we're definitely looking at,"said Ram Sankaran, Tran's lawyer.In the latest step of a process that has been ongoing for five years, the board concluded that Tran--whose full name is Nghia Trong Nguyen-Tran -- is a member and associate of the FOB Killers gang, referred to as FK, a factor that was held against him in the decision."His ongoing association with the members of this gang is not demonstrative of rehabilitation. It also undermines the credibility of the appellant and his witnesses' evidence regarding the genuineness of his effort to rehabilitate," reads the decision from board member Renee Miller.Tran denies belonging to the criminal gang, but admits to social contact with members.Tran's f...

John Phillip Hernandez was one of the main members of an organization of 23 people who purchased 339 weapons in a 15-month period. At least 40 of these weapons have been recovered in Mexico and three have been found in Guatemala, according to court documents.Hernandez was sentenced after pleading guilty in July to one count of making a false statement to a federal firearms licensee.Buying weapons is legal in Texas, but the purchaser must fill out a government form that indicates whether the purchaser plans to keep the gun for himself or give it to a third party. Hernandez claimed the guns were for himself.U.S. District Judge David Hittner said Hernandez, 26, merited a stiffer sentence. “The defendant’s actions strengthened the drug cartels by arming them with arsenals that let them continue their criminal conduct,” Hittner said, and led to the killings of eight people in Mexico.

Matthew "King Red Dog" Robey was sent to prison for ordering younger members of the gang to kill fellow gang member, 19-year-old Luis Quiroz, in December 2007. Quiroz was shot inside his car on Trailwood Lane and later died at UK Hospital. Latin Kings gang member was sentenced Thursday morning to a total of 21 years in prison for his part in a deadly shooting. Two others reputed gang members, Adrian Buenrostro and Isais Manual, were sentenced to three years each for their roles in the crime.

Black Guerrilla Family smuggled drugs, weapons, cell phones and luxuries into Maryland prisons, where members continued to operate the drug ring.The U.S. Attorney's office announced indictments Thursday against two dozen people associated with the gang.Prosecutors say the 16 men and eight women were members or associates of the Black Guerrilla Family, which is active in prisons nationwide.Prosecutors say those charged include guards and other prison employees who helped smuggle contraband.

Aurele Brouillete, apprehended last night in an exclusive residence in the tourist town Cabarete, Puerto Plata province (north). Dominican authorities arrested another Canadian member of the Hell’s Angels biker gang allegedly implicated in drug trafficking and murders in his country and who hid in Dominican soil, which brings to three the number of detainees from that country in less than 24 hours.The Drugs Control Agency identified the Canadian as Aurele Brouillete, apprehended last night in an exclusive residence in the tourist town Cabarete, Puerto Plata province (north). Brouillete’s detention occurs just hours after the arrests of the alleged Hell’s Angels Marc Readman and Steve Rainville, also in Cabarete, as part of a simultaneous sweep in Canada, Mexico, France and Dominican Republic against members of the criminal group, on charges of murdering at least 22 bikers of a rival gang.

Arrested two members of the Sangra street gang suspected in the slaying of two teens and attempted killings of four others outside a Rosemead motel room, authorities said Tuesday. Vincent Casio, 27, of El Monte, and Sean Martinez, 18, of Perris, were jailed in connection with the Saturday shooting at the Knight's Inn motel on Rosemead Boulevard, said Lt. Dan Rosenberg of the Los Angeles County sheriff's Homicide Bureau. Detectives suspect Casio and Martinez attempted to deliver speed or cocaine to a lone partygoer. Someone at the party, which occurred inside a motel room, said something that offended the killers. Detectives suspect Casio pulled out a gun. Then, "(Casio) actually corralled the males (at the party) on the balcony and opened fire," Rosenberg said. Gustavo De La Torre, 27, of Temple City and Angel Guerrero, 15, of Palmdale died at the scene of the shooting, said Jerry McKibben, an investigator with the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner. Three other...

Five Wichita gang members guilty of conspiracy to engage in racketeering and other charges.A sixth man was acquitted of murder, racketeering and conspiracy.Those convicted included Jonearl Smith, Lonnie Wade, Corey Cornelius, Darryn Frierson and Calvin Williams.The verdicts were announced Wednesday after 11 days of deliberations in the second federal case against the Crips gang being prosecuted in Kansas under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO.The jury acquitted Jermall Campbell of all but a count of unlawful possession of ammunition after a felony conviction.

Curtis Brown, 26, died March 29 in the parking lot of the McDonald's/Circle K on Lake Bradford Road after he was shot during a gun battle between the Holton Street or West Side gang and the North Side gang. The shooting broke out about 4:30 a.m. that Sunday, scattering a crowd of about 150 people.Family members have said Brown, who was not a gang member, was shot in the back of the head at close range. They suspect he was targeted. Leon County deputies said Brown was an innocent bystander.Hundreds of people in the packed sanctuary of the St. Mark Primitive Baptist Church, 5820 N. Monroe St., waved their arms in the air, clapped and danced to the booming gospel music the choir and live band played throughout the two-hour funeral.Several sitting in the pews had to be fanned by ushers as they were overcome with emotion.The grandmother of 15-year-old Michael Jackson, slain in a gang-related shootout on Holton Street more than one year ago, served as an usher.The funeral began with an o...

Monterey County Sheriff's deputy has been released from a Bay Area trauma center after police say a known gang member attempted to kill him.Salinas Police report that just before 8 p.m. Friday, a deputy and a Salinas police officer assigned to the Monterey County Joint Gang Task Force attempted to contact Raymond Campos, a known gang member, in the parking lot of 57 Natividad Road, Salinas. While the officers were approaching, police say, Campos accelerated his vehicle backwards, knocking the deputy to the ground. Campos then accelerated forward and the Salinas police officer fired his handgun to protect himself and his injured partner, police said. Campos fled in his vehicle, which police said was located minutes later abandoned in the area of Highway 101 and Market Street. Campos escaped and is wanted for attempted murder of a police officer. The deputy was flown to a Bay Area hospital, where he was treated for a broken collarbone and separated shoulder before being released.

Arthur Basaldua pleaded guilty this week in New Iberia to attempted murder of Valerie King of Breaux Bridge and Eddie Mackenzie of Youngsville, and to state drug charges from 2004. Sentencing is scheduled June 3.On Wednesday, a federal judge is to sentence Basaldua and eight others indicted with him last year on drug charges. Prosecutors said they were linked to the Cuatro Flats gang of east Los Angeles.He was the first of 5 to plead guilty; the others were convicted Jan. 29.Basaldua admitted one count of continuing criminal enterprise, which carries a minimum 20-year sentence.

Shootings were planned and executed by members of the Sureno 13 gang, also known as SUR 13.William VanEyck, 24, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a .357 Magnum revolver and using it to commit one of the shootings. He will serve four and a half years in prison.Gonzalo Venegas, 22, the gang’s operational leader, will serve three years and one month after he pleaded guilty to the same possession charge and admitted he frequently drove the vehicle and supplied the weapon to be used.Rigoberto Rubio-Castillo, 22, admitted to taking possession of a stolen Norinco rifle and providing it to Venegas for safe-keeping and will serve four years. No one was injured in the shootings.

Jonathan Cabrera, 27, was arrested on charges of murder and attempted murder after he allegedly fired numerous shots striking 20-year-old Rodrigo Vasquez and 31-year-old Samuel Castro last week outside La Escondida, 5524 14th Street W. Vasquez died a few hours later after he was taken to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg. Castro remains in critical condition at Tampa General Hospital. He had surgery Friday. Cabrera told detectives he turned himself in after reading about the shootings in the Bradenton Herald. He went to a sheriff’s office substation located in Oneco to contact authorities.When questioned about the shootings, he said he didn’t pull the trigger.At about 1 a.m. April 4, there were about five men inside the nightclub, including Cabrera, Castro and Vasquez, who were acquaintances. Cabrera allegedly became upset with one of the men because he did not like one of the people in the bar. He reportedly kicked the chair of Albert Morales, who he was upset with, and said, ...

Steed Dennis, 30, of Wichita Falls, pled guilty in February to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and is scheduled to be sentenced in June. On January 9, 2009, Dennis was stopped in his vehicle by a Wichita Falls Police Officer. The officer, who knew Dennis to be a known member of Puro Lil Mafia of Wichita Falls, and a convicted felon, was in possession of a .22 caliber firearm in his vehicle. According to documents filed in Court, the Officer also observed Frederick Trujillo, also a known member of Puro Lil Mafia, in the back seat of the vehicle.Dennis Bachman, Chief of the Wichita Falls Police Department, said, “These arrested persons have posed a danger to the city for some time. We're happy to support the Safe Streets Task Force with the cooperation of all agencies involved. We expect these partnerships to continue and believe the result will be safer communities in Wichita Falls.” In one indictment, Edward Buck Izaguirre, Miguel Antonio Martinez and Joe McDo...

West Drive Locos, now with about 60 members, takes its name from a main north-south street through a tough neighborhood in the middle of the city.Police say the gang's reputed founder, Emilio Avalos, came to the desert from the San Fernando Valley shortly before the gang's founding.“He brought some of the background and knowledge of the L.A. gangs he knew out there to form the gang as we know it today,” Monis said.Avalos, 31, is currently jailed awaiting a May murder trial for the Dec. 19, 2001, drive-by slaying of Marine Cpl. Henry Lozano, 20, in Desert Hot Springs. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.Lozano was dating Avalos' ex-girlfriend. As Lozano left his girlfriend's home on Third Street, Avalos was lying in wait in a car at the corner, police say. As Lozano turned to head north on Palm Drive, slowing for a drainage channel in an intersection, Avalos allegedly pulled alongside Lozano's Ford Focus and riddled it with gunfire.The Marine's death shocke...

Red Scorpion Gang Leaders are Jonathan, Jarrod and Jamie Bacon These 3 brothers are believed to be in the top ranks of a drug-trafficking group which has running links to the Red Scorpions. In the last few months hey have been targeted by the UN gang, who they used to align with. Jonathan, 27, has survived two attempted murders, including one in the driveway of his parents’ Abbotsford home in 2006. Other gangsters tried to kill Jamie, 22, on Jan. 20 during a shooting at a Abbotsford intersection in the middle of the day. Somphavanh Chanathabouala Chanathabouala was charged in Victoria alongside a 16-year-old youth for murder and attempted murder after a shooting outside the Red Jacket nightclub killed Truong and left two wounded. Chanathabouala’s younger brother, Kevin, is a known Red Scorpion drug dealer who, used to live in the same condo where the Surrey Six were killed Dennis Karbovanec, associateKarbovanec was the target of a gang hit on New Year’s Eve, however thanks to his bulle...

'Fat' Freddie Thompson, Dublin gangster was spotted at a District Court sitting in the city this week where he accompanied a young defendant, who is himself facing serious charges.The accused, in his late teens and from south Dublin, is believed to have 'hired' Thompson as security during his court appearances, after an incident a number of weeks ago in which he was attacked with a knife -- in court."Freddie was riding shotgun for this kid," said a source."It looks like Fred has gone into the bodyguard business," the source added.The young man, who is free on bail despite the serious nature of the charges he is facing, had a narrow escape as he waited for his case to be called. Another man pulled a knife and attempted to stab him, but was apprehended by gardai and removed from the court.Gardai believe that members of the young man's family contacted Thompson to ask him to appear in court this week as 'security', to intimidate other crimin...

James Kyle (Jamie) Bacon, a member of the Red Scorpions gang, was charged Saturday in B.C.'s worst gang slaying. His co-accused, Cody Haevischer, appeared in court Monday to face charges in the deaths of six men who were gunned down inside a Surrey apartment in October 2007.Bacon is charged with one count of first-degree murder in the death of Corey Lal, and one charge of conspiracy to commit murder in Lal's death.On Oct. 19, 2007, Lal, his brother Michael Lal, Ryan Bartolomeo and Eddie Narong were shot in the head in a targeted hit. The four men who had ties to the drug trade were killed along with Chris Mohan and Ed Schellenberg, who happened to be in the apartment building the night of the murders.Crown counsel Wendy Dawson on Tuesday asked Justice Jean Lytwyn for a direct indictment, which would skip a preliminary hearing and push the murder trial straight to B.C. Supreme Court. Bacon is scheduled to appear in court again on May 15.The 23-year-old was also in court facing w...

Gilbert Sanchez was taken to Kern Medical Center, where he died as a result of his injuries. Homicide detectives arrived and continued the investigation. As information began to be developed, members of the Sheriff’s Gang Suppression unit were called in to assist in the investigation. Two men were identified as being involved in the killing of Sanchez, the KCSD reported.They were identified as Angel Cruz and Jerry Mendoza.Both are believed to be members of a local criminal street gang. Both men were located and arrested without incident, the KCSD reported.Two weapons believed to be used in the homicide have been recovered, the KCSD reported.Angel Cruz, 19, was booked into the Kern County Jail on the following charges: murder, robbery, conspiracy, and participation in a criminal street gang. Jerry Mendoza, 18, was booked into the Kern County Jail on the following charges: murder, robbery, conspiracy, and participation in a criminal street gang

Jarrod Bacon had to go through heavy security checks to get into the courthouse. Bacon is facing several gun-related charges. He was accompanied to court by his father David, and his mother Susan. Bacon seemed to enjoy the attention of the cameras. His arrival was in sharp contrast to the arrest of his co-accused and brother Jamie, who was picked up by police on Friday outside his Abbotsford home. Jamie is facing first-degree murder charges in relation to the Surrey six slayings that occurred in October of 2007. After the brief court appearance, Jarrod and his parents had nothing to say to reporters. Both Jarrod and Jamie are back in Surrey Provincial Court May 15th. The family was picked up by third brother, Jonathon, who is also before the courts.

Thomas Crawford, who Kamloops Mounties used to believe was second-in-command in the local chapter of the Independent Soldiers, had his bail revocation overturned in B.C. Supreme Court. "I'm satisfied that the order that I made revoking Mr. Crawford's bail was an order made without any jurisdiction," said B.C. Supreme Court Justice Bruce Preston, who pulled the 27-year-old's bail on Monday after he pleaded guilty to breaching his conditions."Mr. Crawford, you should take the order of revoking your bail as a preview of what's going to happen if you breach your conditions again."In pleading guilty, Crawford admitted to breaching bail conditions on which he was placed in 2007 after he was arrested and charged with a number of drug- and weapons-related offences.On March 20, he was out past his curfew with two other men, who are alleged to have been waving guns around at a pair of Sahali restaurants.He was also prohibited from being inside one of the resta...

Cody Haevischer, a member of the Red Scorpions gang, was charged Saturday in B.C.'s worst gang slaying.Haevischer appeared in court for two minutes Monday amid tight security, as prosecutor Wendy Dawson told provincial court Judge Harvey Field the Crown intends to proceed by direct indictment, meaning the murder case will bypass a preliminary hearing and go straight to B.C. Supreme Court. Nanaimo RCMP say Haevischer is known to regularly visit the city to see family or party but prior to his arrest, according to Cpl. Dale Carr of the Integrated Homicide Investigative Team, Haevischer did not live in Nanaimo.Police have monitored his whereabouts when he is in the city.He charged with executing Ryan Bartolomeo, Eddie Narong and Corey and Michael Lal -- along with Chris Mohan and Ed Schellenberg, who happened to be in the apartment building the night of the murders.Jamie Bacon, 23, and Matt Johnston, 24, are also charged with murder in the so-called 'Surrey Six' slaughter. Hae...

Lycrtis Sutton, 22, of Ray Street, was arrested Tuesday night and charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury with intent to kill. Police believe he and two men are responsible for shooting Darryl Mullins Jr., 18, in a yard in the 300 block of Dyer Street around 5 p.m. Police have identified one of the other men as Jamil Sylvester Hall, 18, of Liberator Street, and are working to identify the third suspect. Hall has not yet been arrested. Police said the three assailants, who were in a small Ford Ranger pickup, pulled up in the street near Mullins and shot him at least twice, once in the hand and once in the side. Mullins was treated and released from Albemarle Hospital Tuesday evening, police said. Investigator Jerry Boyce would not go into detail about what may have spurred the shooting, but he said that a small-caliber handgun was used in the attack. Boyce said Sutton is believed by police to be an associate of the Bloods street gang. Hall and the third assai...

L.A. gang The Avenues has long been a threat to Northeast L.A. As a branch of the Mexican Mafia, which has several divisions, The Avenues is the most powerful of the groups and calls Drew and Estara its home turf. "The Avenues have been ranked as fourth out of the top five most dangerous gangs in Los Angeles," President of the City Council, District 13 representative, and former Oxy Professor Eric Garcetti said.Murder, hate crimes, robbery, narcotics trafficking, intimidation, racketeering, illegal immigrant smuggling, and vandalism are just some of the charges Avenues gang members have been convicted of over the years. The very terrain of the Drew Estara neighborhood has contributed to the danger it has posed to police as well as the substantial difficulty law enforcement has had in this area. Drew Street runs straight for almost half a mile, increasing in elevation from its dead-end on the west side of the neighborhood until it hits Weldon Road. Only two streets intersect i...