Gang-Related News Articles

Utah
Getaway driver in shooting gets jail (Salt Lake City, UT): The getaway driver for a 16-year-old boy who fired a gun into a crowd at Murray's Fun Dome was sentenced to one year in jail. The shooting, which sent four people to the hospital, was the result of a Laotian gang fighting with Hispanic young men. The girl, who denied being a gang member, said that she had no idea her friend was going to fire shots, but the prosecutor argued that she knew she was associating with Laotian gang members who had a reputation for carrying and using guns. She pleaded guilty to second-degree felony obstruction of justice and three counts of third-degree felony discharge of a firearm from a vehicle and was facing a potential prison term of up to 30 years. She received a break because she cooperated with police in their case against the 16-year-old shooter, who has pleaded guilty to attempted murder and aggravated assault in adult court and is to be sentenced next month. The judge also ordered the girl to complete 150 hours of community service and pay her share of at least $21,161 in medical expenses incurred thus far by a 4-year-old boy, who was injured during the shooting and may require additional medical care.
Source: Deseret News    Date: November 11, 2003
http://www.sltrib.com/...

Oregon
Mayor calls Portland leaders to talks on rising gang violence (Portland, OR): Portland officials are evaluating the possibility of implementing a gang model promoted by the U.S. Department of Justice and the National Youth Gang Center. Twice a month the mayor, police, probation and parole officers, youth gang outreach workers, city crime-prevention specialists, youth employment providers, and housing officials gather to discuss the latest on crime in the city and gang-related violence or graffiti in their districts. With an increase in shootings and 9-1-1 calls, officials are determined to get ideas on the table to reduce crime. Portland was one of four cities this fall that received federal training on a national model for combating gang violence. The Comprehensive Gang Model identifies the most violent gangs and areas where gang crime most often occurs and sets clear goals on how they plan to target the problem with a combination of enforcement, intervention, and prevention strategies.
Source: The Oregonian    Date: November 11, 2003
http://www.oregonlive.com

California
Three arrested in teen's slaying released (Richmond, CA): Police released three men, ages 19, 21, and 22, who were arrested on suspicion of killing a 15-year-old student. They were released after the Contra Costa District Attorney's Office would not prosecute for lack of evidence. The victim was killed during a shooting in which 14 bullets blasted through her family's home. Detectives say the killing was gang-related, and the girl's brother was the target. Two other men, ages 19 and 24, have already been charged with murder. Detectives say all five suspects are members of an Asian-American street gang feuding with a rival gang to which one or more of the girl's brothers belong.
Source: Contra Costa Times    Date: November 11, 2003
http://www.bayarea.com/...

California
Double shooting (Los Angeles, CA): Three teenage boys were shot in a gang-related incident in Watts, police said. The three victims, in their late teens, were walking on a sidewalk when two male suspects approached them on foot and fired several rounds, striking all three. No arrests have been made.
Source: City News Service    Date: November 11, 2003

New Mexico
Silver City man killed in drive-by shooting (Silver City, NM): One man was killed, and another man was arrested in what police say was a drive-by shooting. The 19-year-old suspect surrendered to police after telling them that the 23-year-old victim pointed a gun at him and his twin brother. Witnesses say the victim was riding in a truck in front of a car, and shots were fired when they pulled into the middle of an intersection. The suspect and victim are believed to be members of rival gangs.
Source: The Associated Press State & Local Wire    Date: November 10, 2003

Colorado
Poor records hide gang crime (Denver, CO): Official records kept by Denver police said gang members committed 89 crimes out of the city's total of 59,581 crimes last year. That equates to 17,000 gang members committing 89 crimes. Although the records suggest gangs have vanished since 1993's "Summer of Violence," members of the department's gang unit say the city's gangs are actually thriving. The record-keeping problems are caused by a system that does not require officers and investigators to go back and flag crimes they later learn are related to gangs. As a result, the department cannot define the city's gang problem with any certainty. The problem has created obstacles for the department's gang crimes unit, including the potential loss of federal support. For the last five years, an average of 50.4 murders were committed in Denver each year. The official record shows only an average of two of them were committed by gangsters. The official record blames one murder this year on gang members. Officers in the unit can recall at least six.
Source: The Denver Post    Date: November 9, 2003
http://www.denverpost.com/...

Arizona
Gang task force launches raids in El Mirage and Surprise (El Mirage and Surprise, AZ): During a recent raid, a state law enforcement task force in Arizona targeted suspected gang members in El Mirage and Surprise. One person was taken into custody, and many more arrests were expected. The goal of the task force is to gather intelligence on gang activity, then saturate a community and arrest known gang members.
Source: The Arizona Republic    Date: November 8, 2003
http://www.azcentral.com/...

California
Judge extends order against Oceanside gang (Oceanside, CA): A judge extended a temporary order against an Oceanside street gang, barring its members from associating with one another, wearing gang clothes, and displaying gang hand signs within a specific area. This is a preliminary injunction against 21 members of the Varrio Posole Locos. The civil injunction, requested by the district attorney's office, makes it a misdemeanor for anyone named in the suit to carry weapons, sell drugs, paint graffiti, fight, trespass, litter, or harass anyone within the designated area. The injunction includes other prohibitions, such as blocking any person or vehicle from passing freely on the sidewalk or street and acting as a lookout to warn others of approaching police officers. Violators can be punished with jail terms, fines or both. This is the second civil injunction the district attorney's office has filed against the Varrio Posole Locos. The first complaint was filed in 1997 against 28 known gang members.
Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune    Date: November 8, 2003
http://www.signonsandiego.com/...

California
Man slain, two others stabbed in separate attacks (Fillmore, CA): A 21-year-old man was fatally shot and two others were wounded in gang-related incidents, police said. The 21-year-old victim was a local gang member and was shot while standing in the carport area at his family's home in west Fillmore. Police suspect the killing was in retaliation for the stabbing of two rival gang members that occurred about 30 minutes earlier. Detectives are trying to determine if the man was involved in the stabbings or targeted because of his documented gang membership.
Source: Los Angeles Times    Date: November 8, 2003
http://www.latimes.com

California
Robberies may be related (Salinas, CA): Salinas police suspect that at least some of the recent string of robberies are part of an organized operation, possibly gang-related. There have been at least 20 robberies and attempted robberies since October 29, 2003. Targets have included banks, convenience stores, and people simply walking down the street. In some cases, the robbers have been armed, but no injuries were reported. Police have arrested a 29-year-old man, but the investigation continues.
Source: Monterey County Herald    Date: November 8, 2003
http://www.montereyherald.com/...

Florida
Police chief talks about recent gang-related crime (Plant City, FL): A recent crackdown on gangs in Plant City netted about 20 arrests, most being for graffiti, police said. The arrests included three teenagers caught in the act of spraying graffiti, and another boy was charged with shooting someone at Courier Field. The city had a gang problem about 10 years ago, but police were able to effectively drive them out.
Source: The Tampa Tribune    Date: November 8, 2003
http://www.tampatrib.com/...

New Mexico
Man slain in Luna County (Deming, NM): The body of a 25-year-old-man was found in a field west of Deming. Officials say the body appeared to have a bullet wound to the torso. Police later responded to a domestic violence call, and a male is being held after a weapon, consistent with information recovered at the crime scene, was found. The incident is believed to be gang-related, but the motive is not known.
Source: The Associated Press State & Local Wire    Date: November 8, 2003

California
Neighbors watch as gang fight leaves three men bloodied (Fresno, CA): Three men were wounded after an apparent gang fight in southeast Fresno. The victims were attacked by a dozen members of a rival gang armed with crowbars, knives, bottles, and nunchucks. According to police, the fight began after the three gang members walked in front of a rival gang's hangout. Nine members of one gang were arrested on suspicion of assault with deadly weapons, police said. If convicted, they could face long prison sentences because officers filed gang enhancements with the arrests.
Source: Fresno Bee    Date: November 7, 2003
http://www.fresnobee.com

California
Drive-by shooting outside cybercafe injures boy (Garden Grove, CA): A 17-year-old boy suffered multiple wounds in a drive-by shooting outside the Net to Net cybercafe. According to police, the boy was standing outside the cybercafe when a vehicle drove up, and the passenger fired several shots. Police said the shooting may have been gang-related. Garden Grove has enacted stricter rules for cybercafes in response to complaints that they are gang hangouts and the scene of frequent violence. Calls to police regarding the cybercafes have dropped by at least half since 2001, and the number of cybercafes in Garden Grove has dropped from 22 a year ago to 16.
Source: The Orange County Register    Date: November 7, 2003
http://www2.ocregister.com/...

California
Proposed court action designed to cut off gang's capital (Los Angeles, CA): A Los Angeles judge will be asked to cut a major revenue stream for the 18th Street Gang by barring members from selling drugs in Hollywood, city officials said. This action is a way to keep the gang from using illegal substance sales to finance its other activities. In August 2002, a permanent injunction against 18th Street was passed, which created a "safety zone" in the Rampart area, barring gang members from associating there.
Source: City News Service    Date: November 6, 2003

California
Teen admits assaulting boy in stabbing (Ventura County, CA): An 18-year-old man pleaded guilty to charges of assault with a deadly weapon in the gang-related stabbing of another youth outside a church in May, authorities said. The gang member faces up to nine years in state prison, prosecutors said. Furthermore, a special enhancement for a gang-related crime was tacked onto the existing charge.
Source: Ventura County Star    Date: November 6, 2003
http://www.insidevc.com

Virginia
Arlington police chief bolsters unit combating gangs (Arlington County, VA): An increase in gang activity in Arlington County has prompted the police chief to expand the department's gang unit from one full-time officer to five. At the same time, a state gang task force is proposing harsher penalties and anti-gang lessons in schools as early as kindergarten. According to police, about a dozen gangs are active in the region, and gang members have been linked to at least five killings in Northern Virginia in recent years as well as numerous assaults with baseball bats and machetes. Police point to MS-13 as the most violent and fastest growing in the area.
Source: The Washington Post    Date: November 6, 2003
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...

California
Slaying suspect arrested in Fresno (Fresno, CA): Police arrested an Armenian gang member suspected of killing a rival at a Hollywood auto repair shop. The 44-year-old suspect was part of a group that had gathered at the auto shop to discuss a murder contract with another group. A struggle broke out, and gunfire ensued. Police are looking for at least three other men in connection with the shooting.
Source: Los Angeles Times    Date: November 5, 2003
http://www.latimes.com

California
Gang program (Los Angeles, CA): A gang intervention program pairing mentors with at-risk youth and gang members was unveiled in hopes of reducing the number of gang members in Los Angeles County from 96,000 to less than 10,000. The Sheriff's Department and the football coach of the University of Southern California are taking part in the program, which consists of 32 steps and will involve 200 mentors, 40 in law enforcement.
Source: City News Service    Date: November 5, 2003

California
Arrests total five in shooting of Richmond girl (Richmond, CA): Detectives arrested the final two of five alleged gang members they say shot and killed a 15-year-old girl last month as she answered a knock on the door of her family's home. All five men, ages ranging from 19 to 24, belong to a violent Asian-American street gang with roots in Richmond, San Pablo, and North Richmond, police said. Police do not believe the girl was the target of the attack, but they think a brother, who police say is affiliated with a rival gang and was not home during the shooting, was the likely target.
Source: Contra Costa Times    Date: November 5, 2003
http://www.bayarea.com/...