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day after targeting a drug house linked to the United Nations gang, Abbotsford police have announced the arrest of eight more suspected dealers linked to the Red Scorpion gang.Const. Ian MacDonald said the Abbotsford police and bike squads conducted a two-day project in the downtown core of the city targeting the dealers and their drug lines.Project Christmas Crack - Down led to seizures of crack cocaine, heroin, marijuana, cash, weapons and cellular phones used in these drug operations, MacDonald said."The project also demonstrated that drug trafficking was taking place on or near school grounds and had clear connections to organized crime. Of the seven men and woman arrested the associations to the Red Scorpion Gang in particular were evident," he said."The intelligence gathered as a result of this project will be used for future police investigations and projects. The Abbotsford Police Department is expecting to make more arrests in the coming days."

day after targeting a drug house linked to the United Nations gang, Abbotsford police have announced the arrest of eight more suspected dealers linked to the Red Scorpion gang.Const. Ian MacDonald said the Abbotsford police and bike squads conducted a two-day project in the downtown core of the city targeting the dealers and their drug lines.Project Christmas Crack - Down led to seizures of crack cocaine, heroin, marijuana, cash, weapons and cellular phones used in these drug operations, MacDonald said."The project also demonstrated that drug trafficking was taking place on or near school grounds and had clear connections to organized crime. Of the seven men and woman arrested the associations to the Red Scorpion Gang in particular were evident," he said."The intelligence gathered as a result of this project will be used for future police investigations and projects. The Abbotsford Police Department is expecting to make more arrests in the coming days."

Torturer Martin Hamilton is preparing for early release after nine years of a life sentence. "There will be a few people dreading the day he walks out of prison a free man." Hamilton was flanked by two guards as he called on his mother for tea and biscuits on a home visit from Shotts Prison.He watched l ive coverage of the UK Snooker Championship at the old lady's Glasgow flat on Thursday before emerging at 3.15pm. He was then driven back to Kerr House, a low-supervision wing at Shotts. Ultra-violent Hamilton was jailed for life in 2000 for a catalogue of offences , including abduction, torture and drug-dealing.He was ordered to serve at least nine years before he could apply for parole.But the 49-year-old heroin baron and bank robber is now confident he'll be out soon after he was granted the right to enjoy two-hour home visits. he has been told he will train for his release at New Douglas Park, home of SPL club Hamilton Accies.Our source told us: "Hammy can

Eleven-year-old Aston Wise was shot and killed while sitting in a parked SUV with his dad, Ken Wise, who was critically wounded. Aston Wise was a passenger in a sport-utility vehicle parked on a South Shore street Friday night when a masked gunman opened fire with a shotgun, killing Aston and critically wounding his father.Aston, of the 6800 block of South East End Avenue, was shot in the head in the 7800 block of South Kingston, police said. He was pronounced dead on the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.Ken Wise was critically injured after a masked gunman fired into his parked SUV Friday night, killing his son Aston. Aston was a sixth-grader at Martha Ruggles Elementary School, 7831 S. Prairie, Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman Monique Bond said. Police Supt. Jody Weis said detectives are investigating if the shooting was connected to a relative with gang ties. Weis said Aston had a half brother in the Black Disciplines street gang and that there has

Arrested a 19-year-old Norteño gang member early this morning in Santa Rosa after he allegedly threw a .357-caliber revolver into some bushes near a park. Officers responded to the report of a fight at Pear Blossom Park off of Edgewater Drive at about 3:15 a.m. The fight had dispersed by the time they arrived. They checked the area around the park to try to find the people involved in the brawl. Officer Jesse Whitten found someone about a block away from the park walking along a sidewalk. When the suspect, Alexander Ian Rodriguez, a Santa Rosa resident, saw the officer he allegedly threw the revolver into the bushes in front of a house, police said. Rodriguez was arrested for allegedly being felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a concealed firearm and possession of a firearm with the serial number removed, according to police. Gang crime detectives identified Rodriguez as being a member of the Norteño gang and then also charged him with several gang enhancements

33-year-old man was killed by Parañaque cops responding to an alleged gang war that erupted early morning Sunday.SPO1 Reynaldo Arojado said Celso de los Santos, a construction worker and resident of Malugay Street, Barangay San Martin de Porres, was shot dead near his home after he allegedly fired at members of police community precinct 3 at around 2 a.m.Initial investigation showed that two groups of men were in a scuffle when the cops arrived on the scene.Armed with an improvised gun (sumpak), De los Santos reportedly shot at the officers who were forced to return fire.The suspect was rushed to the Parañaque Doctors Hospital but was declared dead on arrival for multiple gunshot wounds.Arojado said the shooting would be investigated further. He added that cops have been pursuing those who took part in the gang war.

Two mobsters called to testify in a Palermo trial didn't corroborate the testimony of a Mafia hitman who last week said Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and a close associate gave the mob political reassurances in the early 1990s.The mobsters appeared Friday at the trial of an Italian senator and a former business associate of Mr. Berlusconi. Giuseppe Graviano, a Mafia boss who, along with his brother Filippo, is serving multiple life sentences for bombings and murder, declined to testify.Filippo Graviano told the court through a video link that he had never had any direct or indirect contact with the Italian senator on trial.The case is the appeals trial of Marcello Dell'Utri, a member of the Italian Senate. Mr. Dell'Utri was an employee of Mr. Berlusconi when the Italian billionaire ran his family's media empire.Prosecutors on Friday were expected to ask Giuseppe Graviano whether he could corroborate testimony given last week in the trial by hitman Gaspare Spa

Scott Robert Sutton, Santa Barbara Chapter of the Hells Angels pleaded guilty Monday to being a felon in possession of a firearm and is expected to be put on five years probation when he is sentenced in January, according to prosecutor Derek Malan. Scott Robert Sutton, 41, could get as much as three years behind bars if he fails to comply with the terms of his probation, said Malan. Sutton, of Ojai, will be sentenced Jan. 6.On Sept. 24, 2009, an officer with the Ventura Police Department saw a vehicle being driven by Sutton commit several traffic violations, according to Malan. Sutton failed to stop for five blocks, even after the officer had turned on his patrol car siren and lights. The officer said Sutton thew an “object” from his car. Officers later recovered a .32 caliber automatic handgun, a handgun magazine and six .32 caliber bullets, according to Malan.Sutton had been convicted of felony insurance fraud in 2002.

"The Rock Machine outlaw motorcycle gang, like all outlaw motorcycle gangs represent a real and present threat to the Australian community," he said.new drug-peddling Canadian bikie gang called Rock Machine is threatening to establish its presence in Western Australia, beginning with a national run through Perth this weekend.Detective Superintendent Kim Papalia from the gang crime squad said Rock Machine - whose members are renowned for their violence and extortion - was re-emerging as a force in the USA and Australia after being absorbed by the Bandidos gang about nine years ago.Detective Papalia would not say how many members were in WA or how many would be embarking on the run, but he said Rock Machine posed a "significant public safety risk" and could lead to an "increase in tensions" with rival gangs. He was also tight-lipped about where Rock Machine would base itself in Perth.He said police had begun approaching people believed to be involved with th

Dominic Anderson, 22, and Abdullah Omar, 21, are charged with first- and second-degree attempted murder in the beating of 19-year-old Raymond Woodland, who is accused of shooting their friend in the face during an argument at a birthday party at the Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel.According to charging documents, Anderson wrestled a TEC-9 semiautomatic firearm away from Woodland, then stood on the bed and struck him repeatedly with it in the face and head while Omar held him in a "sleeper hold." Omar was accidentally struck in the temple during the altercation, and both men stayed on the scene with their friend until police arrived. Police said Anderson and Omar, who each have a handful of minor arrests but no convictions, face serious charges because they went too far. But at a bail review hearing Monday, a District judge disagreed and did not require the men to post bond, releasing them on their own recognizance. Woodland was in critical condition at Maryland Shock Tra

London home of the Outlaws biker gang was razed yesterday, seven years after it was raided and boarded up in a province-wide sweep by police. Yesterday, as neighbours and police officers looked on, an excavator with a massive claw first knocked down a garage and then the clubhouse that's been a fixture at 420 Egerton St. since the 1980s. "It's become a real eyesore and I'm glad it's being torn down before somebody burns it or gets killed in it," said neighbour Cathy Cadman, 50, who's lived a few doors from the clubhouse since the summer of 1982. Once a popular neighbourhood variety store, the bikers moved into the building shortly after the store closed. The chapter's London president, Thomas Hughes, moved into an adjacent house at 434 Egerton -- it's also slated for demotion this week. Cadman said the bikers were never a problem, noting a shooting in January 2002 of a rival gang member outside the clubhouse just months before it was raided was the

Sentenced Jamal Shakir, leader of the Rollin' 90s Crips street gang, to life in prison without the possibility of release on Monday for his role in the woman's death. Shakir was convicted of running a drug ring and money laundering operation that stretched from Tennessee to California. Between 1994 and 1997, authorities said, Shakir killed or was involved in the murder of nine people, including Walker, who was 24 when she was shot in October 1996. For his crimes, U.S. District Court Judge John T. Nixon handed Shakir 16 sentences of life without parole and nine more sentences of life without parole to be served consecutively with the first 16. He also got four additional sentences totaling 95 years. If, for some reason, Shakir is released from prison, Nixon ordered that Shakir be placed on probation for the rest of his life. Federal prosecutors said Shakir, 34, orchestrated the criminal acts from his East Nashville home. Some of the killings were intended to silence potential w

Punko will be sentenced the week of Jan. 18 and Potts will be sentenced Jan. 25. Last month, Leask dealt a devastating blow to the Crown’s case at the pending drug trial when he ruled the Crown was prohibited from proceeding on criminal-organization charges against two Hells Angels members. Justice Peter Leask granted a defence application that the Crown cannot proceed at trial on charges that allege the East End chapter of the Hells Angels is a criminal organization. The defence argued that a jury at another trial that ended last summer acquitted Potts and Punko of the criminal-organization charges, so they should not be punished twice. Crown prosecutor Martha Devlin Devlin argued that the criminal-organization charges should not be dropped because the judge could not speculate on why the jury came to the verdict it did on the criminal organization charges. The judge agreed with the defence. “My decision is the Crown is estopped from leading evidence that the East End charter Hells An

Twenty-six people have been arrested and eight others are being sought in connection with a massive police sting targeting members and associates of the Zig Zag Crew and Manitoba's Hells Angels chapter, police say.So far, 24 have been formally charged, primarily with drug trafficking and proceeds of crime offences.It's the third time in less than four years Manitoba's largest police forces have conducted a project resulting in the arrests of local Hells Angels members and associates. The Zig Zag Crew is aligned with the local chapter.This investigation, led by the Manitoba integrated organized crime task force, is called Project Divide.So far, police have seized 165 ounces of cocaine, 12 ounces of methamphetamine, 12,000 tablets of ecstasy, one ounce of heroin, and seven pounds of marijuana.Firearms have also been seized.Today, members of the RCMP, Winnipeg police and other agencies raided several homes and businesses in Winnipeg and other communities, including a clubhouse

Raj Soomel was gunned down, a worker at his Vancouver halfway house mistakenly wrote in a log book that convicted kidnapper Randy Naicker had gone out to the corner store.Vancouver police officials said last month they believe the Independent Soldiers gang founder was the intended target of the killers who executed Soomel on Sept. 29.The gangster was convicted of kidnapping a gangster in the Vancouver suburb of Surrey in 2005, after $400,000 worth of pot went missing and two gangland associates were murdered.He was sentenced to five years behind bars

Delvin "D-Luv" Ward, 33, and Demichael "Mikey P" Burks, 25, pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to engage in a racketeer-influenced and corrupt organization, Bogden said.Playboy Bloods pleaded guilty in federal court today to racketeering and drug conspiracy charges, said U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden of Nevada.Sebastian "Rock" Wigg, 33, and Fred James "June P" Nix, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of drug conspiracy.All four men admitted that they are members of the Playboy Bloods, a criminal gang that operates in the Sherman Gardens Annex housing complex at H and Doolittle streets, Bogden said.The men admitted that members of the gang are involved in criminal racketeering acts, including murder, attempted murder, robbery and drug trafficking. They also said that the chief financial activity of the gang is narcotics trafficking.They also admitted that gang members distribute drugs from apartments and hotel rooms in their neighborhood,

Drug source for Latin King gang members who controlled cocaine sales in parts of Hartford was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday at U.S. District Court in New Haven.Federal prosecutors said that Hedric "Edrik" Velez, 35, of Vernon, received about 44 pounds of cocaine by mail from Puerto Rico between March 2008 and April 2009 and made about $40,000 in profit selling to gang members.Velez, who was arrested in April, is one of 55 people charged by Hartford police, state police and the FBI following a yearlong investigation of drug sales and violence in the Hartford area. He pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to distribute and distribution of 5 kilograms or more of cocaine.In addition to the prison sentence, Senior U.S. District Judge Peter C. Dorsey ordered Velez to submit to five years of supervision by the federal probation department upon his release from prison.Federal prosecutors said that Velez received kilogram packages of cocaine from Puerto Rico by U.S. mail.

Ladarrius Rogers, 17, of 3711 Dunlop St., Monroe, was booked into Ouachita Correctional Center on charges of possession of a firearm by a street gang and illegal weapon possession. The other suspect, 16, was booked into Green Oaks Detention Center. Because of his status as a minor, his identity and charges were not revealed. According to an arrest affidavit, as police were investigating the shooting, they learned it involved three different gangs, Underground Soldiers, Black Out Boys, and 3 Unit. On Monday, Rogers about the incident. Police asked the suspect if he had ever held or fired a gun. Rogers told police he had and described it as, "long and black." Police showed Rogers a picture, supposedly taken Oct. 24 of him holding a sawed-off shotgun with members of the 3 Unit gang and showing gang signs with his hands. Rogers told police he had held two guns with his friends from the gang but said the guns were not his. Rogers also told police he was with the 3 Unit gang on the

The profile piece highlights how gang members, ambivalent to the fact that their tweets may be watched, are not only using Twitter() to purposefully and openly stir the pot with rival gangs, but are also using it to coordinate fights. These Twitterers attempt to avoid detection by using street lingo, but their activities are constantly being monitored by police and investigators.The story follows a recent incident where, according to the piece, “a boy shot in the leg … may have been targeted because of a battle the Original Young Gangsters crew started on Twitter.” As mentioned, Manhattan police are aware of the gang members’ activities and are keeping a vigilant eye on Twitter in the hopes of finding evidence or preventing brawls. There have even been Twitter success stories, but just as gang members have adapted to a new medium, we’d expect them to adapt to the surveillance measures as well.New York City police officers have a hard time controlling violent gang crime, and they are in

19-year-old suffered a gunshot wound to the hip early Saturday morning in what police call a gang-related fight outside a rented party hall. Police were called to 808 Main Street about 1:13 a.m. on reports that shots were fired and a person hit by gunfire.The injured man was transported to Legacy Emanuel hospital. The suspect in the shooting fled the area. A gun was seized at the scene but it wasn't known right away whether it was the weapon used in the shooting. Police said the party was at a venue called the Vancouver Ballroom. In a prepared statement, police wrote "It is rented out for dances ranging from polka groups to hip hop DJ events. This particular night the location was rented out to "Iparty hard entertainment" This was a DJ hip hop / Rap event also themed a black and white party."

Some of the alleged gang members were already in custody on other charges; the others were arrested in El Paso this week. All have been indicted on charges that they conspired to sell more than 500 grams of cocaine. Two people were also indicted on a charge of possession with intent to distribute the drug ecstasy.FBI Special Agent in Charge David Cuthbertson said the arrests make a "significant" dent in the Bloods' operations in El Paso.All 13 people arrested are being held in various local, state and federal jails, including the El Paso County Jail. It is unclear if any of them have lawyers.

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Tyshaun Riley, Philip Atkins and Jason Wisdom -- members of the notorious Galloway Boys, an east-end gang named for their 'hood at Galloway Road and Kingston Road -- could be heard kicking the sides of the armour-plated court services truck bringing them to court on Wednesday morning. They were also found guilty of attempted murder and participating in a criminal organization in connection with the shooting of two people in March 2004 in Toronto's Malvern neighbourhood. The three did not react well to this news. They started banging loudly on the door of the prisoner's box and yelling at the judge when the jury pronounced them guilty while family members began screaming and crying."I didn't kill anybody," Riley -- the purported leader -- shouted over and over again. The other two accused the judge of bias. The judge ordered the men out of the courtroom when the hysteria broke out. "It was a scene of pandemonium inside the courtroom," said CTV Toronto

Alton Reid, 35, had been attending a birthday party at the Atlanta banquet hall on 1240 Ellesmere Rd. in Scarborough on the weekend when someone walked in and started shooting sometime after 3 a.m. on Sunday.Four people were found wounded at the scene, and Reid showed up later at hospital. He died of his injuries on Monday. Reid's autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.

Sara Villella, 27, was convicted of 13 charges, including smuggling firearms across the Windsor border for the "Malvern Crew." Crown prosecutors asked for a 10-year prison term, calling her a "merchant of death" who had a split personality.The judge, however, felt that was too high. He scolded Villella for the poor choices that have ruined her life and shamed her hard-working parents, who live in Hamilton. Villella's lawyer Randall Barrs blamed her fall from grace on her boyfriend, who received a sentence about twice as long for his criminal lifestyle, which included smuggling 23 guns across the border. Villella was arrested in May 2004 during sweeping raids by Toronto police. More than 500 charges were laid against 65 people involved with the street gang. Twenty-eight firearms were seized, along with drugs such as ecstasy, marijuana and cocaine. Members of Scarborough's Malvern Crew are responsible for several shootings throughout the GTA. The gang's No

Deputy District Attorney Victoria Weiss spent more than 2 hours during closing arguments telling jurors why Miguel Najera should be found guilty. Weiss says Najera, a confessed gang member, was a month and a half out of jail and had something to prove to his gang, the Barrios Cathedral City gang. "He was back on gang turf. He was back hanging out with BCC homies. And he was back in the gang lifestyle," says Weiss.Police arrested Najera in 2006 for killing Adrian Cedeno. He's also accused of stealing Cedeno's wallet and watch. Prosecutors say he wanted to kill another man, but instead he shot Cedeno. His defense attorney told the jury his client wasn't in the gang in 2006 and was just looking for drugs. "He didn't go there for the glory of the gang. He went there to satisfy his craving, his drug addiction," says Defense Attorney Jeff Zimel.Najera told police he accidentally shot cedeno during an argument. The defense says the victim was on drugs at th

Toronto's 54th homicide victim has been identified as someone who had belonged to the notorious Malvern Crew street gang.Alton Reid, 35, had been attending a birthday party at the Atlanta banquet hall on 1240 Ellesmere Rd. in Scarborough on the weekend when someone walked in and started shooting sometime after 3 a.m. on Sunday. Four people were found wounded at the scene, and Reid showed up later at hospital. He died of his injuries on Monday.Reid's autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday. He had been arrested in 2004 as part of Project Impact, a police crackdown on the gang following a vicious war between the Malvern Crew and the Galloway Boys. Police charged Reid with a number of offences: •aggravated assault •discharging a firearm •participating in a criminal organization •related conspiracy charges Project Pathfinder targeted the Galloway Boys. Three Galloway Boys were found guilty in the March 3, 2004 murder of one men in Malvern. The court heard the trio were allegedly looking

From federal prosecutor to accused violent gangster, pimp, and drug-dealer...That's the unusual career trajectory taken, say the Feds, by Paul Bergrin, who was indicted earlier this month in a 39-count racketeering indictment. In a drama that could have been made for HBO, Bergrin -- a white-collar defense lawyer who once represented, pro bono, a solider accused of abusing Abu Ghraib detainees -- seems to have allowed his gangster clients to drag him into a world of violent crime. And he may have gone a lot further than Maury Levy ever did for Stringer Bell.

Shane Kelter of Vancouver, 32, was shot several times outside an upscale Bay Street condo tower after he exited a white limousine just after 3 a.m. Sunday. An autopsy Monday concluded he died from gunshot wounds to the chest. Homicide investigators believe the slaying is drug-related. "The evidence to me suggests this person was targeted," Det. Graham Gibson, a homicide squad officer, told CTV News. A discarded revolver was found near Queen's Park shortly after the shooting. Video surveillance is being gathered as Toronto Police look for suspects. Kelter, who was said to be visiting a friend in Toronto, has a lengthy criminal history in British Columbia and the United States. A man by the same name and born in the same year was facing conspiracy charges in the U.S. for alleged involvement in an ecstasy and methamphetamine drug smuggling ring between B.C., Ontario and California. Kelter was one of six Canadians charged in September 2008 as part of a massive two-year intern

Defendants from the Maryland branch of the “Latin Kings” gang, a group with thousands of members largely based in Chicago and New York, face a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted, the US Justice Department said in a statement. “Today’s indictment alleges that the Latin Kings gang is an organized criminal enterprise with leaders and members who commit violent crimes,” said US Attorney Rod Rosenstein.The indictment charges that “from a date unknown to the present, the Latin Kings members conspired to commit attempted murders, robberies, witness tampering and arson to further their racketeering scheme,” the Justice Department said.The group is alleged to have been started in Maryland from the spring of 2007 by Miguel Cruz and Erick Roman, who named their “tribe” of the main gang the “Royal Lion Tribe of Maryland.”Thousands of members affiliated with the gang — officially named “Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation” — are said to be spread throughout the United States and Latin

Las Vegas Police Officer Trevor Nettleton, 30, was mortally wounded by several assailants, while standing in his garage. His wife, two children, and his mom were in the house, only a few feet away. Officer Nettleton died in his mother’s arms that night.Las Vegas police Officer Chrissie Coon told reporters: "He was standing in the garage with the garage door open when he was attacked by multiple suspects. It looks like it was an attempted robbery. There was an exchange of gunfire."Officer Nettleton was in the garage that night, after working his shift, building a toy for his 2-year-old son. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps for ten years, before joining the police department three years ago.In addition to his son, Officer Nettleton leaves behind a wife, and an infant daughter.His brother, Ryan Nettleton, is also in the military and was in Iraq when he heard that his brother had been murdered.Ryan told KING 5 News: "He wanted to be a cop so bad when we were kids, and I wa

Three 20-year-old men were convicted last Wednesday and sentenced to a combined total of 44 years after a seven-week crime spree through Melbourne’s West, including the brutal bashing of former Australian Medical Association head Dr Haikerwal. Ringleader, Alfer Azzopardi, 20, of Coolaroo, received a cumulative sentence of 18 years and six months for a total of 46 offences.Michael Baltatzis, of Glenroy, 20, received a cumulative sentence of 16 years and six months.Sean Gabriel, 20, of Hoppers Crossing, was sentenced to a cumulative maximum of nine years and nine months.Azzopardi will be eligible for parole in 2022, Baltatzis in 2019 and Gabriel in 2014.Dr Haikerwal said that he didn’t take great comfort that people would be locked up.“None of us will be happy about people being behind bars, but we’re comfortable that justice has been done, and that there is a strong message that violence won’t be tolerated,” he said.On AFL Grand Final night last year, Dr Haikerwal was brutally beaten wi

Shane Kelter, 32, was just getting out of a white limousine when he was sprayed by gunfire near Wellesley and Bay just after 3 a.m. Sunday."The post-mortem examination determined the cause of death as gunshot wounds to the torso," Const. Tony Vella said in a news release.Kelter was well-known in B.C. and charged last year in a massive undercover investigation along with 17 others for allegedly moving marijuana, ecstasy and cocaine between B.C., Ontario and California. Kelter and Vancouver residents Walther Edgardo (Sharky) Orellana Aguilar and John (Keith) Wark were facing extradition. They were allegedly working with another B.C. man, Jason I. Ming Wei, who was arrested in Los Angeles in September 2008.Two other Toronto men, Jagmohan Singh Dhillon, 35, and 32-year-old Paramijt (Pumma) Singh, allegedly helped facilitate the transportation of Wei's drugs between Canada and the U.S., according to the U.S. indictment. Kelter had a lengthy criminal record in B.C. and was faci

white supremacist gang member in Orange County was sentenced to death Monday for his involvement in the murder of a fellow gang member who had divulged gang secrets on television, authorities said.Billy Joe Johnson, 46, was convicted last month of assisting two other men in the March 2002 murder of Scott Miller, a founding member of the gang, the Orange County district attorney's office said. Miller was featured in a Fox News broadcast a year earlier that focused on a criminal case against known leaders of the gang.Michael Allen Lamb, 35, and Jacob Anthony Rump, 34, were also convicted for their role in the murder. Last year Lamb was sentenced to death, and in 2007 Rump received life without the possibility of parole.Johnson was charged with this murder Aug. 23, 2007, after the conviction of two previously charged co-defendants. Co-defendants Michael Allen Lamb, 35, and Jacob Anthony Rump, 34, (Case #03CF0441) were convicted by a jury on July 10, 2007, of murder, conspiracy to comm

The 17-year-old male was shot at 7:30 p.m. during a gathering with other young people at a home in the 3900 block of Thomason Avenue near Dyer Street, police said. The shotgun was fired when an argument began when another group arrived at the gathering, police spokesman Officer Chris Mears said.The wounded teen was taken to Beaumont Army Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.Ambulance transmissions indicated the man had buckshot wounds to the torso and neck.Red and yellow crime scene tape sealed off the area late Monday night."We do have reason to believe it is gang related," Mears said.Police would not confirm comments by residents that the teen was a student at nearby Chapin High School.There had been no arrests. Late Monday night, investigators were talking to neighbors, with the police mobile command center parked on the street.

Return of graffiti markings from the Barrio Williams Street gang whose presence has been almost nonexistent since the mid- '90s."When we do have something that's gang related it's generally going to be something in the library, or something off campus," Laws said. "For a couple of years we were having some gang activity in the teen center on the third floor of the King Library."It took a lot of directed patrol on the part of the library security staff and the officers working in the King Library to minimize and diffuse that problem."Anh Thu Tran, a junior hospitality and management major, said she has not seen any gang activity on campus. "Around my old neighborhood, yes, my brother has been jumped twice at Independence High, but around campus I haven't heard much about any gang violence," she said. "I'm not here on campus often. I'm here for classes, then I leave." Tran said she has noticed graffiti tagging on the fe

Bronx gang members whose beef led to the accidental shooting of passing schoolgirl Vada Vasquez complained Monday they are being hassled in jail.Lawyers for four of the five men asked for protective custody at an appearance in Bronx Supreme Court, saying their clients fear for their safety behind bars. "He's faced a fair amount of abuse in custody. He's been having a tough time inside," said Matthew Kluger, lawyer for Cleve Smith, 20. "They be bothering him - even the correction officers," said Scylestina Smith, the suspect's mother. "They threw him in the cold shower. It's f----- up." The fifth defendant, 16-year-old Carvett Gentles, charged with pulling the trigger that put an exploding bullet into the 15-year-old Bronx Latin student's brain, is already in protective custody as part of standard procedure. The men might be getting the cold shoulder in prison, but they got a boisterous and warm welcome at their court appearance. While a

The latest incidents, which occurred early Monday morning, bring to eight the number of café-bars targeted since Oct. 28. Like the other incidents, there was little damage to the premises, but a lot of rattled nerves. The Café Nouba on St. Laurent Blvd. in the heart of Little Italy, and the Café Vegas on Rue Jean Talon east, were both hit with Molotov cocktails, one at 6:18 a.m., the other at 7 a.m. As with the other firebombing attempts, the windows were broken and the flaming device thrown inside, only to quickly go out. The owner of Café Vegas, who would not identify himself, told La Presse that his café does not have a problematic history. "I got no warning, and before this morning, nothing ever happened here. I have no idea who did this. It's a simple café where people come to play ... and drink." It's the second time the Café Nouba has been targeted, the first time being Nov. 15. Police have arrested no suspects and say they're trying to determine if the fir

One person was killed and two wounded about 11:30 p.m. Thursday in a shooting outside a liquor store in the 3600 block of Santa Fe Avenue in Long Beach, according to city police spokeswoman Jackie Bezart. The murder is believed to be gang-related, and the victim’s identity is being withheld pending notification of his family. [Updated at 11:28 p.m.: The victim was identified as 19-year-old Frank Castro Jr. of Long Beach. A man approached him and the two other victims on foot and shot all three of them. Castro was hit multiple times in the upper body and torso and pronounced dead at the scene. The two other victims, ages 18 and 40, were treated at a local hospital and released.]At about the same time, a driver in the 6400 block of Rosemead Boulevard in Pico Rivera saw a body in the street and called police, who found a Latino with gunshot wounds in the upper torso, said Dep. Aura Sierra of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The victim, whose identity is being withheld until hi

Set Free Soldiers where arrested for attempted murder after they allegedly got into a bar fight with the Hells Angels. Seven members of the biker gang remained in custody on $1 million bail after their arrest for allegedly stabbing two Hells angels. In what is mostly thought of as an upper middle class naborhood in Newport Beach California late last month. Three members of the Hells Angels were also arrested.

Jean Joseph Violette, 58, was sentenced in B.C. Supreme Court to four years in prison for being the ringleader in the beating of Glen Louie, who Violette believed had been using the Hells Angels name while dealing drugs on Squamish Nation reserve.Violette got an additional two years for weapons offences. In handing down the sentence, Justice Selwyn Romilly described the assault as "a particularly callous, vicious, brutal and unprovoked attack" on Louie, who had no opportunity to defend himself.Romilly said Violette used his power and status as a full patch member of the Hells Angels to inflict the beating and intimidation. He also noted that in wiretapped conversations after the beating, Violette showed a total lack of remorse."This type of hooliganism must be deterred," said the judge. At the time of the beating, Louie was loosely associated with low-ranking members of the East End Chapter of the Hells Angels. A police informant who had infiltrated the chapter told

Estimates put the number of gang members in the Westside United Crips at 20 to 30 individuals, mostly juveniles. The gang is one of about 40 gangs that call Pueblo home. One of its suspected leaders, Louie Romero, also known as "Gooey," was arrested along with four other members of the gang near the end of October by a special task force. The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Gun Task Force is made up of two ATF agents and two Pueblo Police Department detectives. They work in conjunction with Pueblo Police Departments Gang and Narcotics units to infiltrate gangs, make arrests, and take guns and drugs off the streets. They've been doing this in Pueblo for 13 months, and they've been successful.With at least five arrests resulting in Federal charges, and each of them resulting in convictions, as well as several other arrests on state charges, the task force has been quietly busy. Now, as word has spread through Pueblo's gang world of their exis

Ian Grant was eligible for accelerated day parole because he has served one-sixth of his first federal sentence for what are considered non-violent crimes. But the National Parole Board quickly rejected his bid earlier this month, according to documents obtained by the Winnipeg Free Press.“The board is satisfied there are reasonable grounds to believe that, if released, you are likely to commit an offence involving violence before the expiration of your sentence,” the board wrote. Police arrested Grant and 12 other biker associates in February 2006 based on the work of career criminal Franco Atanasovic, who was paid $525,000 to infiltrate the Hells.Grant wasn’t even an original target when police began their investigation in early 2005, but he quickly came on the radar when he began extorting an old drug debt from Atanasovic. Police ended up giving their agent thousands of dollars to pay to Grant to buy him more time. Grant eventually sold two kilograms of cocaine and one kilo of cryst

William Hynes and John Mangan were key figures in the organised crime group run by Martin 'Marlo' Hyland, who was shot dead in Finglas. Two senior members of one of the country's biggest criminal gangs have been sentenced to 12 and 14 years in prison after they were caught overseeing the delivery of over €2m worth of drugs.Mangan was on bail when he was caught, so today's 14 year sentence is consecutive to another 14 years he was given last year for drug trafficking.Hynes also has a previous conviction for drug trafficking and was only out of jail one year when he was caught for this offence.The two are among 28 people targeted by the garda operation 'Oak' who have been brought before the courts.At the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today Judge Pat McCartan congratulated the gardaí on the success of what he called 'a very carefully orchestrated undercover operation'.

Jason Brown, 35, and his girlfriend Terra George, 24, are facing numerous drug and weapons-related charges following a co-ordinated police raid on Brown's Aldergrove residence Nov. 12, but so far the two have not surrendered to police.The multi-jurisdictional bust took place in the 26900 block of 26A Avenue and nabbed a 9mm handgun, a loaded magazine, boxes of ammunition, $80,000 worth of cocaine, $12,000 in cash, body armour and an RS-logoed jacket along with one kilogram of methamphetamine valued at $25,000.George and Brown are charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking methamphetamine, possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine, possession of a restricted weapon and the additional charge against Brown of possession of a firearm while prohibited.Brown has a 10-year-ban from owning a firearm following his arrest in a 2007 police biker investigation dubbed "E-Pandora," and was pegged as an associate of the Angels.He was convicted for conspiracy to commi

gang member who escaped from a Sunnyside jail in 2006 has been captured in Manzanillo, Mexico.The U.S. Marshals Service said Saturday that Aaron Lopez Garcia, 31, was arrested Friday at an ice cream factory by Colima State Police, assisted by U.S. Marshals.Garcia and three other inmates escaped from the Sunnyside city jail in November of 2006. Garcia's accomplices were captured soon afterwards. He was in jail for illegally possessing a firearm.Garcia is a member of the Nortenos gang with a long history of convictions, the Marshals Service said.He has been flown back to the U.S. to face charges.

Several people were arrested Friday after an alleged kidnapping and dispute about gang affiliations took place last month at Red Hawk Casino.The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office said on Oct. 14, several Hispanic men and women confronted two white men and one woman at the casino and asked them if they were “Placerville Peckerwoods.”The group told the others that they weren’t part of a gang, the office said. Investigators said they didn’t find any gang ties to that group.Officials said one of the Hispanic men insulted the woman from the other group, and she got angry and attacked him. When one of the white men tried to break up the fight, deputies said he was punched and hit with a beer bottle.As casino security guards broke up the fight, some members of the Hispanic group went to an elevator and grabbed a woman who wasn’t involved in the fight, officials said.According to the sheriff’s office, the group “told the victim that she was going to get them out of the casino (using her vehicl

Salisbury police investigators believe Height associates with West Main Chain Gang members and its affiliates and that the bus and cafeteria fights were part of an "ongoing gang war" between two rival gangs in the city: Bloods and Crips. Police allege the planned shooting by Heist was 48 assaults in Wicomico County public schools this school year, according to the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office. Last year there were 259 assaults and one firearm incident.About seven hours before the bus left Thursday, several students were involved in a fight in the school cafeteria. By the afternoon, a sheriff's deputy learned the fight wasn't going to stop with the cafeteria brawl and informed city police that bus No. 70 was going to be "shot up" in the Delaware Avenue and West Main Street area by the same males who seized the bus and assaulted a student, according to court documents.By 3:30 p.m., two city officers were on a stakeout close to a convenience store locat

Hells Angels, converged on the scene as paramedics tended to the injured 45-year-old man and his 46-year-old female pillion passenger. The pair, both from Craigieburn, were travelling north along La Trobe Tce at the intersection of Roebuck St in Geelong just after 4pm, when witnesses say the man was catapulted above the height of the purple Honda, which was heading east through the intersection. It is believed the pair had been travelling as part of a motorcycle club convoy around the bay when the crash occurred. Both were rushed to Geelong Hospital, where the man was last night in a serious but stable condition, while the woman was considered stable. The elderly female driver of the other vehicle appeared to walk away unscathed. About two dozen motorcycle gang members, including members from the Iron Horsemen, Vigilantes and Hells Angels, were beside the road consoling one another at the scene after the incident. Several held vigil outside Geelong Hospital last night. A police spokesp

25 members and associates of the South End-based Original Gangsta Killas were charged Thursday with a vicious crime spree of drug dealing, robbery and gang violence dating back to 2000. Federal prosecutors in Albany say the gang -- known commonly as OGK -- not only protected its "downtown" turf from rivals with bullets, but brazenly posted not-so-subtle messages on the Internet through compact discs, videotapes and DVDs. Gang members even allegedly produced a rap video like their fierce "uptown" rivals, the Jungle Junkies street gang, whose leadership was toppled in a similar racketeering case in 2006. Having successfully prosecuted that case, federal authorities are hoping for similar success against OGK. They allege at least 14 shooting incidents, four robberies and a stabbing across Albany in a period spanning from May 2001 to March 2009. The alleged drug dealing, which included marijuana, crack cocaine and heroin, dated back a year earlier. "I think the cit

Michael W. Fraser,biker killed in a crash Wednesday had been a member of the Ghost Riders motorcycle gang and served time in prison for killing two people.Michael W. Fraser, 51, died when his bike slid more than 200 feet into an oncoming car on North Market Street, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.Fraser was southbound on Market when he tried to pass another vehicle in a no-pass zone just south of Hawthorne Road about 5:15 p.m., according to a news release.He lost control of his 1985 rebuilt motorcycle and tipped over, hitting a 1994 Mercury Sable driven by a Mead man who had braked “to almost a complete stop,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “The motorcycle went under the front of the Sable, trapping its rider beneath the car and killing him almost instantly,” according to the news release. The Sable’s driver was not injured.Deputies said Fraser was traveling about 70 mph in the 45 mph zone.Fraser, whose nickname among fellow bikers was Herpes, spent several years on the la

Marco Antonio Perez, 16, was prosecuted as an adult and sentenced to 50 years to life in prison, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. Two other gang members have already been sentenced to multiple life sentences for their roles in the shootings; three others are awaiting trial.The shootings happened in 2006, when Perez was 14 years old. According to prosecutors, he took his father’s car and drove with the others into a rival gang neighborhood in Santa Ana, looking for rivals to kill.They found three, ages 14, 15 and 16.They shot the 14-year-old and the 15-year-old in the head, execution style, according to the District Attorney’s statement. They shot the 16-year-old in the stomach, leaving him in a coma. He survived after undergoing seven surgeries.A jury in June found Perez guilty of two felony counts of special-circumstances murder for the benefit of a criminal street gang, one felony count of attempted murder and one felony count of street terrorism. The jury a

Billy Joe Johnson, 46,was convicted of murder for luring his childhood friend, Scott Miller, to his death on March 8, 2002, months after Miller gave what he thought was an anonymous interview on Fox11 News about the gang. Miller was gunned down outside an Anaheim apartment complex after he left a party. killed a fellow white supremacist gang member for revealing secrets about the gang should be sentenced to death, a jury recommended Thursday. A judge will decide whether to accept the jury's recommendation. Johnson is already serving a life term for the 2004 slaying of Cory Lamons in Huntington Beach with a claw hammer. Johnson, with his Mohawk-style hair combed down, smiled, chuckled and whispered to his attorney, Michael Molfetta, when the verdict was read. Johnson testified Tuesday that he wanted to be sent to Death Row because he believed it would be a less-restrictive confinement. The four women and eight men on the jury took about two-and-a-half hours to decide Johnson deserv