GANGLAND GODFATHER

Members of two gangs, a Bloods faction and a Crips faction, passed each other in a hallway and exchanged words.Then, "one coward sucker-punched a kid in the other group," he said.As a scuffle broke out, someone told police that a person in the pavilion had a gun, said Agent Donny Moses, a police spokesman.Before officers could arrive, a member of the Crips had fired a semi-automatic handgun, according to police.One victim lay bleeding on the ground. Another left and was found by police at a nearby amphitheater. Neither shooting victim was willing to give police information about the incident, Bealefeld said, noting that it took hours before the second victim admitted that he had been shot at the Inner Harbor.Law enforcement officials have struggled for decades over how best to monitor and combat gang activity in Baltimore and elsewhere in Maryland. State lawmakers have passed measures aimed at gang leaders in recent years, but prosecutors say the new laws are cumbersome and s...

Four defendants are members of the "Sureño Villains 13" street gang. Just before midnight Saturday they had argued with several members of the rival "Norte" gang at a South Park gas station. Apparently, the Sureños were angry that the Nortes had been marking out the Sureños' graffiti "tags."When the Sureños warned them to leave their tags alone, the Nortes just laughed, the documents say. The Sureños talked about shooting the Nortes right then and there but decided against it because a gas-station surveillance camera might record them.Meanwhile, the Nortes ran away, down an alley. But about 20 minutes later, the Sureños found their foes behind a house in the 1000 block of South Sullivan Street, the documents say.Gomez-Pablo parked the SUV, and Rapisura, Gomez-Cervantes and Santos got out and ran toward the Nortes. Several shots rang out, and Joshua S. Vanhalteren was hit once in the back, the documents say.Vanhalteren ended up at Harborview Medical Cen...

Suspected drug lord and 16 alleged members of his kidnapping and murder crew believed responsible for nine murders and the attempted slaying of a policeman, according to the San Diego County District Attorney's Office."This rogue group of individuals is responsible for a string of brutal murders and kidnappings that demonstrate the ugly reality of cross-border violence," said District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis."Thanks to extraordinary cooperation from several law enforcement agencies and the dedication of District Attorney investigators and prosecutors, we have essentially dismantled this dangerous organization," she said. The district attorney's office was assisted in its investigation by the FBI, California Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, San Diego Police Department, San Diego County Sheriff's Department and Chula Vista Police Department.The SDPD performed its largest DNA analysis during the i...

Agents arrested 31-year-old Derick Johnson on two charges, the sale of cocaine and trafficking cocaine. Berry says Johnson is a member of the Black Gangsters Disciples street gang. Berry would not disclose the specific location where Johnson allegedly sold the drugs, but the arrest was made at the corner of East Broad and North Central late Wednesday afternoon.“The transaction took place with us monitoring the undercover agent meeting Derick Demetrius Johnson, in making the buy and then setting up another buy, and then we got warrants and arrested him last night over on the east side,” said Major Berry.Agents say they seized just over 50 grams of cocaine. The drugs have a street value of about $5,000.

Union County authorities are hunting for a Bloods ringleader who they say keeps giving them the slip but operated an aggressive drug ring out of Elizabeth that netted about $700,000 a week. The elusive Luqman Abdullah, 27, has an extensive criminal history that includes 15 arrests and seven felony convictions for burglary, resisting arrest, manufacturing and distributing drugs, possession of an assault firearm and aggravated assault, authorities said.He is believed to be armed and extremely dangerous.Abdullah rose to prominence on the streets of Elizabeth after he helped kidnap a rival drug dealer in 2003, stuffed the man into the trunk of his car and shot him, according to Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow. He and three other Bloods members sprayed bullets into the trunk, shut it and left the Dodge Intrepid parked on the street, authorities said.The victim survived and was discovered the next day by a truck driver who heard cries from the trunk. Abdullah served jail time in c...

Police Capt. Jody Suit says 27-year-old Marcello Jones was found shot to death about 5 a.m. Saturday inside a unit at the Oak Ridge Apartments.Del City police are investigating an apparent gang-related killing on the city's southwest side.Suit says investigators are questioning two men who were detained at the complex with a gun in their vehicle, but he says its not known if the men are connected to the shooting.He says officers were called to the complex several times late Friday and early Saturday to reports of fighting and shots fired.

The men are accused in the fatal shooting of Andres Chavarin on Tuesday night outside his house in the 700 block of Yucatan Way.Defendants usually enter a not-guilty plea during arraignment hearings.This is the second time this year that the District Attorney's Office has charged a teenager as an adult.In April, 17-year-old Ezekiel Lopez-Figueroa was charged as an adult in the death of 11-year-old King City resident Esther Rubio.Lopez-Figueroa pleaded not guilty in June to murder, attempted murder, gang enhancements and conspiracy charges.Esther and her older brother were shot after a soccer match Dec. 2 at King City High School.

Carlos "Flaco" Espinoza was arrested Friday, along with Juan Nunez, Antonio Gayosso, both 19; and Julio Montoya, 21. They are accused of obtaining a gun, driving around in separate cars in search of rival gang members and shooting at them, according to court papers filed by the Monterey County District Attorney's Office.Prosecutors say Espinoza pulled the trigger in the shooting death of Jose Manuel Perez, 15. All four defendants are charged with murder and related crimes, and prosecutors said they were acting on behalf of the Sureno street gang.Perez played football for Salinas High and was described Monday by Salinas Police Chief Louis Fetherolf as "an innocent bystander." Perez was fatally wounded at 2:15 p.m. Thursday on the 500 block of Terrance Street. He was walking to football practice at the time. Nunez, Montoya and Gayosso appeared before Superior Court Judge Adrienne Grover on Monday, but their arraignment was delayed until 1:30 p.m. today because Esp...

Alex Estudyo-Herrera, 30, and Carlos Alberto Reyes, 23, both described as suspected gang members, face weapons charges after they were linked to three handguns found in a car and in Reyes' home, police said. The arrests come as police have stepped up pressure on residents to report weapons and drug dealing after a string of shootings in recent weeks.Police approached the men at 6:30 p.m. Saturday outside a home on Commercial Avenue and Redmond Street after learning they might be at that location, police Sgt. David Martella said. They allegedly tried to flee and got into a Ford Explorer, but were cornered by police.Inside the car, police found a defaced .32-caliber revolver that Estudyo-Herrera is suspected of dropping to the floor of the passenger's side, Martella said. Police also found a chrome .380-caliber handgun in Reyes' front pocket, he said.Both were arrested at the scene with the loaded semiautomatic weapons. A later search of Reyes' home at 823 Nassau St. in N...

Jorge Luis Meza Ruiz, 22, and Raul Lopez, 19, both of Salinas, made their first appearance in court following their arrests in the fatal shooting Tuesday night of Andres Chavarin outside his home in the 700 block of Yucatan Way.Chavarin's death marked the 20th homicide in the city this year and the sixth gang-related killing in a string of street violence that began July 27. The city saw its 21st homicide of 2009 on Thursday afternoon.Monterey County Superior Court Judge Adrienne Grover continued the arraignment to 1:30 p.m. Monday. Defendants typically plead not guilty during these initial court hearings.Ruiz and Lopez are charged with first-degree murder and acting for the benefit of a criminal street gang. Ruiz is additionally charged with the personal use of a firearm.At 8 p.m. Tuesday, officers found Chavarin lying in the front yard of his home. The teen, who had suffered several gunshot wounds, was taken to Natividad Medical Center and pronounced dead.Witnesses told police th...

charged 21 individuals who were part of an organized criminal enterprise that committed bank robberies and armed robberies around Genesee County over the past few years. The names and birthdates of those charged are: Dwayne Dejuan Alexander, 5/02/90 Raymond Louis Brown III, 4/28/90 Jequillian Tyran Chandler, 5/18/89 Sharron Frederick Criss, 9/07/90 Demetrius Damon Earl, 6/15/88 Denell Dequan Jenkins, 6/28/88 Quavone Corandas Jenkins, 5/29/91 Troy Mackner Jiles, 4/15/89 Robert Lee Lewis, 9/17/90 Shukariya Loetrian Mason, 10/27/91 Javonte Tyreece McMillian, 1/04/90 Isaac Ryan Moore, 4/04/85 Datwain Lee Perkins, 5/16/90 Darrius Jequan Robinson, 1/23/1989 Devonta Montez Smith, 4/24/90 Kalien Kenard Stubbs, 3/21/90 Michael Courtney Wilbon, 12/05/91 Rashulae Alola Wilbon-Streeter, 12/27/90 Eric Darnell Williams, 8/31/89 Tashuan Cortez Woodley, 11/25/89 Prosecutor Leyton said that his office began receiving reports around 3-4 years ago involving a group of young criminals who called themselve...

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Monday arrested three men living above the Big Apple Restaurant & Lounge on Route 9 on charges of illegal immigration, and two of them were found to be "associated with the MS13 gang," ICE spokesman Harold Ort said. The criminal gang is known formally as Mara Salvatrucha, and its members have been involved with contract killings, human trafficking, home invasions, assaults and other crimes. It typically has operated in the Southwest and on the West Coast.Two El Salvador nationals arrested in Saratoga Springs are members of the violent international gang MS13, and police are investigating whether a Salvadoran from Corinth who is charged in the kidnapping of a 24-year-old woman is part of the group, authorities said Wednesday.Two of the men who were arrested worked at the restaurant. Noting that most of the gang's members are Salvadorans, Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III said they ''have a r...

Modesto Police Department William Rodriguez, a 29-year-old Modesto resident and known gang member, was arrested and several other known gang members were detained during the investigation and warrant service.The search warrant was a result of an investigation into the sale of illegal narcotics and gang activity at the home. An assault rifle, a sawed-off shotgun, and other firearms were found in the home. In addition to the seizure of eight firearms, investigators discovered over half an ounce of methamphetamine, approximately an ounce of marijuana, and over $2,000 in cash at the home.Rodriguez was arrested for his involvement in the March 29 assault on a Modesto police officer. During that incident the officer was surrounded by a group of gang members after attempting to break up a street fight.Rodriguez was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, lynching, and false imprisonment of a police officer for his involvement in the March incident.Rodriguez, out on bail from the...

war zone as rival gangs fight for territory and power. Gulfton area is the headquarters for a gang known as the Southwest Cholos. Three weeks ago, outside of a nightclub on Clarewood, Houston police say a Southwest Cholo gang member was shot several times in the parking lot. Carlos Rogue, 17, died at the hospital. Witnesses said the shooter was Eric Hernandez, an MS-13 gang member. Police found him three days later, and now he’s sitting in jail, charged with murder. 11 News has learned that in recent months, MS-13 gang members have been coming into the Gulfton area, looking to take control. Just last Friday, paramedics and police were called to another scene where an alleged Southwest Cholo was severely beaten by a group of MS-13 affiliates. The victim went into seizures, but survived. Reverend Alejandro Montes of the San Mateo Iglesia Episcopal has witnessed the gang wars firsthand in Gulfton. He’s a member of P.A.C.T., a police and clergy team fighting the violence. “When I see kid...

Mith Phakdy, 30, of Newark, and John Seuasoukeng, 23, of Weed, were arrested just after midnight on Ninth Street and Newville Road in Orland, the Glenn County Sheriff's Department reported.The men were stopped in a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee by a Glenn County Sheriff's deputy who believed the driver, Phakdy, may have been intoxicated, according to a statement from Sheriff Larry Jones.Phakdy, a registered gang member on probation in Alameda County, was not intoxicated. Seuasoukeng is a registered gang member on probation in Siskiyou County, Jones said.Deputies found two concealed handguns – a loaded Taurus .45-caliber semi-automatic and an unloaded .40-caliber Glock – in the back seat during a subsequent vehicle search. The serial numbers on both weapons were partially removed. Both guns were sent to the state Justice Department for analysis, the sheriff reported.Jones said it was not clear why they were in the area, but added there was evidence the two were gambling at Rolling Hi...

Cars came and went at all hours at the homes of Daniel Perez, 27, accused of leading the Westside gang, and his brother David Perez, 25. The brothers disappeared for days at a time. Nobody seemed to work.drug agents raided five homes and businesses, confiscating cars, guns and cash. Sixteen people were arrested. Most remain jailed. Two more are on the run.Most are charged with conspiracy to traffic cocaine. Daniel Perez could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted of directing the activities of a criminal gang.Like many other gangs, Westside used fronts to wash cash, investigators said.Members operated the hot-dog shop and a secretarial service elsewhere in Winter Garden, arrest papers show. Although they didn’t do much business, a steady flow of money was deposited into corporate accounts. Investigators said it came from drug profits.“It gives it the appearance of legitimacy,” said the lead case agent, Brent Harrison of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.The arrests stemme...

The Northwest Side man who goes by the name "TK," or "True Killer" was involved in last summer's murder of Alfonso Cintron, 33, and Mario Arteaga, 36 but is not believed to be the shooter, police sources said.Edwin Figueroa was so intent on proving he left the Cobras, he helped kill two of its alleged members to prove his allegiance to his new gang, Cook County prosecutors said.Figueroa, 22, was ordered held without bail Thursday for the July 28, 2008, murders.Figueroa and an uncharged man nicknamed "Smurf" wanted to switch from the Cobras street gang to the Young Latin Organization Disciples, Assistant State's Attorney George Canellis said. So, to show devotion to their new gang, the pair allegedly announced they would go out looking for Cobras to shoot.The two, along with some other Disciples, were around the 4300 block of West Wrightwood when they noticed the two victims sitting in a Lincoln Continental, authorities said. That's when Cintron...

Patrick “Big Pat” Broughton; David “Demont” Ward, also known as “Black David”; Demario “Mazo” Baker; Demario “dee” Hasty; Marlon “Fish” Hasty; Lokheim Campbell; and James Luther “Nitty” McLean, also known as “Little Nitty.” Deputies, along with police, SLED agents, U.S. Marshals and S.C. Department of Probation, Pardon and Parole Services agents made the arrests in Bennettsville, Florence and Lumberton, N.C.Investigators said they believe the suspects are members of the “Down West Boys” street gang, based in Bennettsville, and affiliate themselves with Folk/Crip gangs, according to a sheriff’s office press release. It’s thought the suspects have acted together since 2004 to commit several violent crimes, robberies and drug conspiracies.“We feel that we have made a huge impact of violent crime today in Marlboro County and anticipate the development of new information and more arrests related to this case and other cases in the near future,” sheriff’s Lt. Jamie Seales said in the release...

Leroy Frasier, who oversaw the Michigan and Indiana Outlaws, will be sentenced Oct. 27 by U.S. District Judge Julian Cook.The original indictment alleged that the Outlaws Motorcycle Club is an enterprise whose members allegedly committed, attempted to, and threatened to commit acts of violence to protect and expand the gang’s criminal operations. Several of the defendants were charged with allegedly assaulting various members of the rival Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, in some cases with dangerous weapons including a hammer, motorcycle parts and a cane. Several defendants allegedly dealt narcotics, including methamphetamine, marijuana, hashish and cocaine, while others were charged with various firearms offenses.The gang as chapters in Indiana, Detroit, the Downriver area and Bay City, officials said. The 13 other defendants began pleading guilty last year. "The guilty pleas by a large number of leaders and members of this illegal motorcycle gang are a good example of the success t...

Confrontations between rival gang members led to one teen being shot and two others jailed on charges that they both fired handguns at him and another youth, according to police reports.The victim, identified in court records as "Raul H.," 17, of Nashua, was shot in the pelvis and right forearm, and remains in stable condition at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center, Detective Lt. Jeff Bukunt said Wednesday.The victim knew one of the suspects, Jeffrey Ramos, 17, of 75 Lock St., and detectives found and questioned Ramos Tuesday evening, according to police reports filed Wednesday in Nashua District Court.Ramos admitted to shooting in the direction of Raul H. and another youth with him, Cesar Walteros, 18, of 2 Friar Tuck Lane, but said he meant only to scare them, police reported. Ramos is accused of firing four rounds toward the youths. Ramos and another witness also implicated Silvio "Carlos" Torres, 20, of 43 Chestnut St., who is accused of firing a single round....

La Familia Michoacana targeted arrests the cartel operates in its namesake state of Michoacan in southwest Mexico.Armando Quintero Guerra, who federal police said was in charge of the cartel's expenses, was among six people arrested Tuesday, said Ramon Eduardo Pequeno, head of the anti-drug unit of the public security ministry. Also arrested was Lourdes Medina Hernandez, who is in a relationship with La Familia's top boss, Servando Gomez, Pequeno said at a news conference.The string of arrests followed the killing of 12 off-duty federal police officers whose bodies were found with signs of torture off a remote highway on July 14. Hit men for La Familia Michoacana linked to the killings were arrested last week, authorities said. Authorities more than tripled the number of federal police officers patrolling Michoacan in response to the killings. The killings were among a series of reprisals by La Familia after federal police captured one of the group's top leaders, authoritie...

Alexander Aguilar, 18, of Deer Park, pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the July 20 slaying of Edgar Villalobos. The case has sparked criticism of Suffolk police cutbacks because Villalobos' body remained on a Brentwood street for at least nine hours.Jose Gomez Amaya, 20, of Central Islip, and Edwin Ortiz, 19, of Brentwood, also pleaded not guilty to killing Villalobos, 28, of Bay Shore. Assistant District Attorney Denise Merrifield said Gomez Amaya was the one who stabbed Villalobos, while Ortiz was the driver and later went back to the scene "and made sure he was dead by kicking him."Aguilar held Villalobos down during the attack, Merrifield said. All three are members of the MS-13 street gang and targeted victims based on race and suspected rivalries, Merrifield said. Aguilar is also charged with felony assault for shooting Wilson Batista in the face on June 15. Batista, 13, is still hospitalized, said his father, Wilson Batista Sr. "He's up and dow...

Leichhardt man presented himself at Glebe Police Station this morning and was taken to Newtown Police Station where he was charged with riot and affray. 37-year-old man has become the latest alleged bikie charged in connection with a fatal brawl between rival gangs at Sydney airport. Police allege he is a member of the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang and that he was among those fighting with Hells Angels gang members at the airport's domestic terminal on March 22. Anthony Zervas, 29, was bashed and stabbed with scissors during the fight and died as a result. On Monday, the 37-year-old suspect was refused bail to appear in Newtown Local Court.