Gang-Related News Articles

California
Series of gang fights (Newbury Park, CA): Two men and a teenage boy were arrested in connection with a series of gang-related street fights in Newbury Park, authorities say. According to reports, the initial confrontation occurred when the three males challenged a group of five people, including two females. Later, a confrontation between two groups of young men, including one group with strong ties to a local street gang, turned into a series of fistfights, pursuits, and vandalism. A 30-year-old man was booked on suspicion of challenging others to a fight, participation in a criminal street gang, felony vandalism, and possession of methamphetamine, deputies said. The other two males, ages 17 and 23, were booked for all of the same offenses, except possession of narcotics.
Source: Ventura County Star    Date: October 8, 2003

Texas
San Pat studies how to combat gang problems (San Patricio County, TX): Two Corpus Christi gang officers recently went on record saying that good documentation, evidence collection and research, and getting to know gang members will be the key to combating increasing gang problems in San Patricio County. This comes after a San Patricio County attorney recently discussed the prevalence of gangs recruiting juveniles in the county with law enforcement, city government leaders, and school officials. So far this year, four people have died in San Patricio County in homicides that authorities suspect are gang-related. Officials believe that Corpus Christi, Robstown, Alice, and Taft are hot spots for gangs because gang leadership operates from each city. Furthermore, drug sales controlled by gangs such as the Mexican Mafia, the Texas Syndicate, and La Raza Unida have contributed to murders, robberies, and violence. A district attorney said most of the cases prosecuted by his office are tied to substance abuse, which in turn is often tied to gangs.
Source: Corpus Christi Caller-Times    Date: October 8, 2003

California
Boy hurt in two drive-by shootings (Hayward, CA): Police are looking for the suspects who targeted a teenage boy during a drive-by shooting. The boy, a suspected gang member, has been shot twice recently but has not suffered any life-threatening wounds. In the most recent shooting, the boy was walking down a driveway when he was shot. Witnesses say that five to six shots were fired from someone in a passing van. Almost a month prior, the boy was shot and wounded by three males in a car.
Source: Alameda Times-Star    Date: October 7, 2003

New York
Four charged in gang beating (Queens, NY): Four alleged members of a Queens street gang called the Little Neck Boys have been charged in a baseball bat attack that injured two 16-year-old boys and an 18-year-old man. Officials said the beating was motivated by a drug-turf battle. The suspects were charged with attempted murder, gang assault, assault, and weapon possession. The suspects, ranging in age from 15 to 20, got out of three cars, surrounded the victims, and swung bats repeatedly.
Source: Daily News    Date: October 7, 2003

New York
Suspect arrested in Main Street shooting (Poughkeepsie, NY): Police arrested a 24-year-old man in connection with a possible gang-related shooting. The man was charged with attempted murder and criminal use of a firearm. The 30-year-old victim remains in the hospital with gunshot wounds. The suspect is believed to be a member of the Bloods gang, while the victim may be connected to the Crips gang. According to reports, the shooting was in retaliation for a problem between the rival gangs.
Source: Poughkeepsie Journal    Date: October 7, 2003

Utah
RICO Act gets gang leader life prison sentence (Salt Lake City, UT): A gang leader, who was convicted of directing the King Mafia Disciples from behind bars in a series of violent crimes, is slated to spend the rest of his life in prison. The case marked the first attempt in Utah to use the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, the federal racketeering law, to take down a street gang member. He was convicted in federal court in May of conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering activity, and use of a firearm in a murder aiding racketeering activity. Prosecutors claim that the man, who was in state prison for a 1993 drive-by shooting, ordered fellow King Mafia Disciples to kill a rival gang member. On February 22, 1996, his followers went to a home where they believed their target lived and mistakenly shot and killed a 19-year-old man as he slept.
Source: The Salt Lake Tribune    Date: October 7, 2003

California
Madera drive-by leaves two injured (Madera, CA): A father and son were shot outside their home, and a group of children were shot at in a park during two separate drive-by shootings. Neither the father nor his son suffered life-threatening wounds. None of the children in the park were injured. Police have information on the suspects but have not made any arrests.
Source: Fresno Bee    Date: October 6, 2003

California
Fatal shooting (Los Angeles, CA): A 25-year-old man was fatally shot in a possible gang-related, drive-by shooting in South Los Angeles, authorities said. The man was walking down the street with a friend when he was shot twice by someone in a vehicle. No further information was available.
Source: City News Service    Date: October 6, 2003

Illinois
Gunman in car kills man on far West Side (Chicago, IL): Police are investigating the death of a 24-year-old man after he was chased down and shot in a West Side parking lot. The victim and a 26-year-old woman were walking across a parking lot when a van approached them. Two masked men with guns got out of the van, confronted them, and began firing. Police said the crime could be gang-related.
Source: Chicago Tribune    Date: October 6, 2003

North Carolina
Gangs of Charlotte (Charlotte, NC): The Charlotte Observer ran a special series called "Gangs of Charlotte" in the beginning of October. Please visit the link below to access all of the articles. NOTE: Registration is required to read the articles, but there is no charge to sign up for an account.
Source: The Charlotte Observer    Date: October 5, 2003

California
How cops pin on the gang label (Sacramento, CA): A 15-year-old boy was fatally shot near McClatchy High School in what police say was a gang-related incident. According to police, the boy was a confirmed member of the Norteno street gang. Family members disagree, but according to police, the boy clearly met two of the 10 criteria required to be a validated gang member in Sacramento. These criteria range from having a gang logo tattoo, wearing gang colors, or involvement in gang-related crimes. Statewide, police track gangs and their activities through a system using guidelines set by the California Department of Justice. In Sacramento, the police and sheriff's departments and the district attorney's office worked together to adapt the DOJ guidelines to their own criteria.
Source: The Sacramento Bee    Date: October 4, 2003

Kentucky
Jail seeks to move inmates suspected of gang activity (Paducah, KY): Four inmates from the McCracken County jail may be moved into a prison system at the state's Corrections Department after their part in two gang-related incidents. In the first incident, an inmate was beaten by at least four other inmates. In the second incident, an inmate covered with a blanket suffered minor burns to his feet when another inmate set the blanket on fire. Both inmates were treated for their injuries and returned to their cells.
Source: The Associated Press State & Local Wire    Date: October 4, 2003

Minnesota
Two men charged in slaying of boy waiting for bus (Minneapolis, MN): Two men, ages 19 and 23, were charged with murder in the April gang-related shooting death of a 16-year-old boy as he waited for a school bus in North Minneapolis. Both men are members of the Purple Brothers street gang and were charged with first-degree murder and crime committed for the benefit of a gang. The victim was a member of the rival Oroville Mono Boys gang.
Source: Pioneer Press     Date: October 4, 2003

New Jersey
Two arrested and one sought in gang attack (Englewood, NJ): Two 18-year-old men were charged with attempted murder in connection with a gang attack that injured two men and sent a third to the hospital with stab wounds. According to the victims, they were walking down the street when they were approached by two men who asked if they belonged to the Bloods street gang. When they said they were not members, as many as eight other men approached, then kicked them, punched them, and hit them with bats.
Source: The Record    Date: October 4, 2003

Texas
Three-year-old killed (Weslaco, TX): A 3-year-old girl was killed, and two relatives were injured in a drive-by shooting at a trailer park in Weslaco. The girl's uncle and aunt, ages 23 and 22, respectively, were in serious but stable condition. The family was outside their home when people in a car drove past and opened fire with a shotgun, police said. "We believe the target of the shooting was in fact a rival gang member," an officer said. "We do have suspects in mind."
Source: The Associated Press State & Local Wire    Date: October 4, 2003

California
Bayview residents call for anti-gang initiatives (San Francisco, CA): Bayview-Hunters Point residents and city officials are seeking more government funding for anti-gang efforts after a seven-week-old boy was killed in an alleged gang-related shooting. The monies will go towards jobs and crime-fighting organizations for young people in the working class district, which has one of the highest rates of gang violence in the city.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle    Date: October 3, 2003

Arizona
Tucsonan sought in shooting death (Tucson, AZ): Tucson police have charged an 18-year-old man with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder in a June 27 shooting. A 22-year-old man was killed, and a 23-year-old man was wounded in the gang-related shooting. Both the 22-year-old victim and the suspect are believed to be members of different Tucson street gangs.
Source: Tucson Citizen    Date: October 3, 2003

California
San Diego stabbing (San Diego, CA): A 23-year-old man was stabbed and fired upon in what may have been a gang-related attack, police said. The victim was standing on a sidewalk when he was approached by two men who asked him where he was from. The two assailants stabbed the man after he denied any gang affiliation. As he ran away, several shots were fired at him, but he was not hit. Gang detectives are investigating the attack.
Source: City News Service    Date: October 3, 2003

Minnesota
Boy will stand trial as adult in two shootings (Minneapolis, MN): A 15-year-old Minneapolis boy was certified to stand trial as an adult in connection with two unrelated shootings. One incident resulted in a man's death, and the other wounded a youth. The boy and a 20-year-old man were indicted in July in connection with the fatal May 16 shooting. Each was charged with first- and second-degree murder and with first-and second-degree murder for the benefit of a gang. The shooting was allegedly gang-related; however, the victim was not a gang member. In an incident less than two weeks prior to the fatal shooting, the teen was also charged for shooting a boy as he was riding his bicycle. The victim identified the assailant as a Bloods street gang member.
Source: Pioneer Press     Date: October 3, 2003

California
Drive-by shooting injures teen (Salinas, CA): An 18-year-old man was shot while standing on a street corner, police said. The victim was talking to friends when a vehicle occupied by several males drove by and several shots were fired. The man's wounds were non-life threatening. No arrests have been made.
Source: Monterey County Herald    Date: October 2, 2003