Hell's Angels biker gangs shut down in Frankfurt

 

Displaying the Hell's Angels badges is now an offense

Hell's Angels motorbike gangs have been outlawed from the German city of Frankfurt. State authorities banned the bikers after accusing of them of criminal activity and seizing control of the streets.

 

 

State authorities have banned the Hell's Angels motorbike gangs in Frankfurt, on the grounds that they were engaged in criminal activity.

Boris Rhein, interior minister for the state of Hesse, accused the gangs of running drug and prosecution rackets through which they had seized control of the streets.

"This is a clear signal that we won't allow a state within the state," said Rhein, adding that the gangs were disciplined by a vow of silence.

All assets of the outlawed Westend and Frankfurt chapters of the Hell's Angels were seized under the ban. Each chapter is believed that have around 90 members.

Two other Hell's Angels groups were banned in other parts of Germany in June and last year, although gangs in the rest of Germany remain legal.

Firebombing probed in east-end Montreal

 

Montreal police believe a firebombing in the east-end borough of Pointe-aux-Trembles Wednesday night may be linked to street gangs. Police are investigating after someone threw a Molotov cocktail between two vehicles parked behind and apartment building on the corner of Marien Avenue and De la Gauchetière Street at around 8:30 p.m. “It's a citizen who was near the scene who put out the fire,” said Const. Danny Richer of the Montreal police. “So far the investigation seems to indicate that the vehicle targeted is linked to street gangs. That's why the investigation has been transferred to the Montreal police arson squad.” One of the vehicles belongs to a suspected member of a street gang, he said. No one was injured in the attack. Arson investigators are now speaking to witnesses.

Evansville police have arrested one person and are looking for two others in connection with a rash of what officers say are gang-related shootings this week on the city's South Side.

At least two people have been wounded by the gunfire since Tuesday.

Police say there have been multiple fights and shooting incidents involving two South Side gangs, "Wag Block" and "J Block," over the past several months, but this is the first time two people have been shot within a 24-hour period.

Kenneth Fox was arrested in connection with Wednesday night's shooting.

The shootings have occurred in four-block area between Madison and Jackson avenues west of U.S. 41.

"Pretty soon, somebody's child is going to get shot," said Jerry Dejarnett, 58, one of the few residents of the area willing to talk about the shootings. Dejarnett said this is the most violent period he's witnessed in his three years of living there.

In the most recent shooting Wednesday night, two women and two girls — ages 3 and 4 — were targeted.

No one in that incident was injured, police said, and the two people shot earlier are recovering fine, according to police, but officers doubt the retaliations they suspect are happening are over.

"I think things may be quiet for a day or two," said Sgt. Larry Nelson, "but you can always expect more violence when you have drugs and you have gangs."

Nelson wouldn't disclose how police plan to respond, but he noted that there has been a "heavy concentration" of marked and unmarked police cars in that area.

Police arrested Kenneth Fox, 25, early Thursday in connection with Wednesday night's shooting. He remains in Vanderburgh County Jail without bond on preliminary charges of attempted murder with a firearm and criminal gang activity.

Police are looking for David "Buck" Burge, 30, and Rayshaad L. Bushrod, 23, both of whom reportedly accompanied Fox and are reportedly in the "J Block" gang, according to an Evansville Police Department probable cause affidavit.

According to Fox's arrest affidavit, Wednesday's drive-by shooting happened in the 1000 block of Jefferson Avenue about 9:42 p.m.

Police found multiple shell casings in the street. One of the women, who lives on that street, told officers that Fox, Burge and Bushrod were in a gray Chevrolet Avalanche when they fired handguns from the vehicle at her, another woman and the two children.

Police found the gray Chevy Avalanche abandoned with its motor running in the 300 block of West Oregon Street near Harriett Street.

Officers learned Fox had a girlfriend who lived in the 1200 block of North Harriett St. about two blocks from where the vehicle was found.

Officers surrounded the house and Fox surrendered without incident.Sgt. Larry Nelson said that victim "knew of" the three men, and according to Fox's affidavit, she told 911 dispatchers, "It was the same subjects who were shooting last night."

That earlier shooting occurred near the intersection of Jackson and Evans avenues about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday when a man was shot in the right shoulder. Three black males were reported to have been seen running away from the area.

Lt. Monty Guenin said the 26-year-old man who was wounded in the shoulder, had refused to cooperate with police.

Fox has not been charged in connection with that incident, but police believe Wednesday's incidents are related.

The victim of Tuesday's afternoon shooting was also uncooperative, police on scene said. This shooting happened in the 700 block of Madison Avenue about 12:30 p.m., and, responding to a report of shots fired, police initially didn't know there was a victim.

The shooting suspect, 20-year-old Royce Oneal Calvin, was located and arrested a short while later.

Then officials received a call from St. Mary's Hospital about a 23-year-old man from that area man who had been shot in the leg.

He told police he had seen some men arguing, heard gunshots and then got shot. He got a ride to the hospital, police said, and he refused to press charges when police mentioned they had arrested Calvin.

Calvin admitted to shooting in that area around that time and said he possibly had shot someone, according to his arrest affidavit.

He remains in Vanderburgh County Jail in lieu of $10,000 cash bail and was preliminarily charged with criminal recklessness, possessing a handgun without a license and battery with a firearm resulting injury.

According to that police report, Calvin has a tattoo on his arm that reads "300 WNG BLOCK."

Nelson said they've been tracking several other gangs on the city's South Side, and he said the fights, shootings and bullets that have struck homes and vehicles in that area are all likely gang-related.

"They're not random," he said. "I can tell you that."

"I'm very scared and nervous," said Hazel Hooker, a 60-year-old woman who lives in the 700 block of Madison Avenue.

"I'm worried about the small children for one thing," she said, "because bullets don't have eyes."

Gun charges filed: A known gang member was charged with several gun violations including aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon by a gang member

Mario A. Prado, 19, of the 400 block of St. Charles Street, Elgin, was arrested by Elgin police on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a street gang member, possession of a firearm without a firearm owners identification card, possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number, possession of a firearm under the age of 21, unlawful contact with a street gang member and resisting a police officer following an arrest Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011.

Updated: September 29, 2011 2:23AM

 

 

Gun charges filed: A known gang member was charged with several gun violations including aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon by a gang member, after officers found a loaded sawed-off shotgun up his sleeve Tuesday night, police said. Mario A. Prado, 20, of the 400 block of St. Charles Street, Elgin, was stopped by police at National and Raymond streets about 7 p.m. while driving with another known gang member, police said. Prado also was charged with possession of a firearm without a firearm owners identification card, possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number, possession of a firearm under the age of 21, unlawful contact with a street gang member and resisting a police officer. “The Elgin Police Department will continue to aggressively pursue gangs — especially with our gang and drug units,” said Police Chief Jeff Swoboda. “We’re sending a very clear message: Gangs and gang activity will not be tolerated in our city.” Prado was in the Kane County jail Wednesday in lieu of $250,000 bond; he is to appear in court Oct. 6.

Accused killer teen shows young face of Winnipeg gang war

 

Winnipeg's street-gang war took another tragic turn this week when police announced a 14-year-old boy is the suspected shooter in the city's 32nd homicide of 2011. The teenage is facing a first-degree murder charge in a homicide Sunday morning that police say was sparked by tension between rival gangs. David Michael Vincett, 20, was gunned down while walking on the city's Boyd Avenue around 3 a.m. Police arrested the 14-year-old suspect Tuesday evening. He has been detained at the Manitoba Youth Centre. He cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Const. Jason Michalyshen, spokesman for the Winnipeg Police Service, said police believe the homicide is tied to another recent killing. Clark Stevenson, 15, was stabbed to death as he rode his bike Sept. 10, in what police say was a gang-related confrontation. Days later, an 18-year-old man and 14-year-old boy were arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Before his death, Stevenson had boasted online about being a member of a local street gang. After the arrests, police acknowledged the homicide was motivated by gang tensions. "These groups appear to be in conflict with one another right now, and we're aware of that . . . and unfortunately we have two incidents where we have openly acknowledged that's the case," said Michalyshen. The boy accused of shooting Vincett was affiliated with gangs and may have had "similar associations" as Stevenson, police said. "These don't appear to be random acts, certain individuals appear to be targeted," Michalyshen said. He said before the shooting, Vincett and another teenager traded words about belonging to rival street gangs, before, it's alleged, a gun was pulled out and fired. Police said Vincett was dead by the time officers arrived. There was no indication the two knew each other before the shooting, police said. Michalyshen didn't describe Vincett as a gang associate, but did say "at the time he may have associated himself or verbalized that he was associated to a particular street gang." Winnipeg has had 10 more homicides this year than in all of 2010. On Wednesday, a woman whose own teenage son was shot to death 16 years ago said nothing has changed in the city since the day he died. Nancy Flett, the assistant executive director of the Indian Metis Friendship Centre, is also the mother of Joseph Beeper Spence, a 13-year-old who was slain in 1995. She said the violence in the city "sickens her." "People don't want to be out on the streets, people don't want to walk around on the streets. The only ones you see are a bunch of youth either on bikes, or people driving around," said Flett. "They just randomly go after people. They don't care if they're innocent or not, or if they're not connected in any way." She said society has to be concerned because "all the youth involved in gangs are getting to be younger and younger." Vincett's sister, Judith Ree, described him as a "good kid" in a message to the Winnipeg Free Press. Vincett, the father of a 10-month-old baby, had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. "He was the kind of person who would give the shirt off his back to keep (you) warm or his last five bucks to feed (you)," Ree said. "Everyone makes mistakes in life . . . he just wanted everyone to like him."

Danish court jails 15 motorbike gang members for murder attempts on rivals

 

Danish court has sentenced 15 motorbike gang members to jail for six murder attempts on rival gang members. The court said Thursday the bikers would spend from three to 15 years in prison, following the country’s biggest biker-related trial. Loading... Comments Weigh InCorrections? Copenhagen’s city court ruled earlier this month that members of the Hells Angels and their support group, AK81, were guilty of a series of shootings in the Danish capital in 2009. No one was killed but one victim had his leg amputated. The gangs have been feuding over control of criminal markets, including drug trade.

Long History Of Violent Rivalry Led To Biker Shootings

 

One person died, two were wounded when rival biker gangs, in town for the Street Vibrations motorcycle meet, traded shots on a casino floor. . According to law enforcement agencies, the shootings at John Ascuaga's Nugget shortly before midnight Friday and a possible retaliatory driveby shooting that followed were only the latest clashes in a long standing feud between two outlaw motorcycle gangs. The Department of Justice which says both the Hells Angels and the Vagos outlaw motorcycle clubs have been involved in drug distribution and a variety of other crimes over the years and that activity has led to a violent rivalry. The turf war between them erupted into gun fire last summer in a small rural community near Prescott, Arizona. Five were wounded, 27 were arrested. Until Friday night other recent confrontations had apparently been limited to fist fights. This incident started that way as well, but according to court documents casino security video apparently shows the fight escalating as Hells Angel San Jose Chapter Jeffrey "Jethro" Pettigrew pulled a handgun and began pistol whipping several people. Gun shots followed. Police arrived to find Pettigrew and two Vagos members wounded and Hells Angel member Cesar Villagrano with his gun pointing into the crowd. He surrendered and is facing several charges, the only person thus far charged in the incident. Later another member of the Vagos was wounded in a nearby driveby shooting that police have yet to postively link to the earlier incident, Pettigrew died of gunshot and stab wounds and is being mourned by friends and supporters in postings on the obituary page of Bay area newspapers and on an internet radio show where he was described as " a Hells Angel, but also someone's father, someone's son, someone's friend." Bay area police spokesmen familiar with the two groups and the rivalry fear the shooting here will only fuel further violence. Sparks Police say they were aware of the groups' history, but had no specific intelligence warning of an incident here. At this point they say they are pouring over the casino video and hoping for more. "We have witnesses and officers arriving on the scene who saw people taking pictures and video," says Sgt. Greta Woyciehowsky. "So we know it's out there." Woyciehowsky says police have a means of keeping that information anonymous. In addition Secret Witness has posted rewards for information leading to arrest and prosecution--$2,500 for the unsolved murder of Pettigrew and $2,000 for the driveby shooting.

State of emergency lifted in Sparks

 

The city of Sparks ended its state of emergency at 5 p.m. today that was declared in the city on Saturday due to the potential of further violence stemming from shootings between rival motorcycle clubs Friday night.. No further violence has occurred from these incidents. "We will not allow, nor will we tolerate violent behavior by any groups or individuals in the City of Sparks." said Sparks Mayor R. Geno Martini. "The special event held in Sparks was intended for motorcycle enthusiasts and attracts thousands of people annually, including families with children. "The safety and security of event attendees in Sparks is a priority," Martini said. "The individuals who engaged in the violence do not in any way reflect the majority of the event attendees. "We appreciate the understanding of our residents and businesses throughout the last 24 hours. We want to thank our regional partners, the city of Reno and Washoe County for their support and resources during this time. We also send our appreciation to Governor Sandoval for his willingness to support our efforts." 11:45 a.m., update: Sparks Police continue to investigate the deadly shooting that took place between rival motorcycle gangs inside John Ascuaga’s Nugget on Friday night and they are seeking people who witnessed the incident. “There is no additional information to be released, however, witness are encouraged to contact the Sparks Police Department or Secret Witness,” police officials said in a statement. In addition, police are also continuing to investigate the drive-by shooting that took place Saturday morning on Victorian Avenue and seeking witnesses in that case as well. The suspect vehicle description in the shooting is a black, 4-door BMW 3-series sedan occupied by two people.

Eight Coloradans among alleged outlaw bikers indicted on gun and drug charges.

 

Eight alleged outlaw bikers from Colorado are among the nearly 40 members of the Bandidos motorcycle gang indicted this week on gun and drug charges. Six alleged members were identified Tuesday, including Keith P. Allison, 39, arrested in Golden; Ronald C. Tenorio, 42, and Edward R. Goll, 42, both arrested in Denver; and Adam C. Chavez, 29, arrested in Thornton. Tommy Freyta, 49, was arrested in Rio Grande County. Joseph P. Windsor, 42, was already in jail. Two others, who were not named, were still at large.

Attorney for alleged Hells Angels member seeks personnel records of sheriff, sergeant

 

attorney for a Sonoma County man charged in connection with a June fight between rival motorcycle gang members is seeking access to the personnel records of Lake County's sheriff and other agency staffers, alleging political motivations in the case's handling. Oakland attorney Michael Clough filed the Pitchess motion for the personnel records of Sheriff Frank Rivero and Sgt. John Gregore, lead investigator in the case, on Sept. 12. Clough represents 33-year-old Nicolas Carrillo of Santa Rosa, arrested in August for a June 4 fight at Konocti Vista Casino outside of Lakeport. The Sept. 12 filing leaves open the possibility of other sheriff's staffers being added to the list of individuals whose records Clough wants to access. “It's possible that we will file additional Pitchess motions as we get additional discovery,” said Clough. “We anticipate that there's going to be a substantial amount of discovery and motions in the case.” Clough's Pitchess motion is scheduled to be heard on Oct. 17 in Lake County Superior Court. County Counsel Anita Grant, whose office represents the sheriff's office in the matter, said the county will fight the attempt to delve into the men's records. Carrillo – along with fellow Sonoma County residents Timothy Bianchi, Joshua Johnson and David Dabbs – is alleged to be Hells Angels members who participated in the beating of a member of the rival Vagos motorcycle gang, according to the original sheriff's report in the case. In the wake of his arrest for the Lake County case, Josh Johnson was just recently arrested by the FBI, according to Peter Lee of the FBI's San Francisco office. However, Lee could not offer Lake County News further information about the arrest. The District Attorney's Office previously reported that charges against Carrillo include felony participation in a criminal street gang, misdemeanor fighting in public, misdemeanor battery and several special allegations relating to the infliction of great bodily injury and the participation in a criminal street gang. Clough wants information about any complaints filed against Rivero alleging violations of civil and constitutional rights, selective enforcement or prosecution and bias against the Hells Angels, as well as any evidence of “providing or authorizing subordinate officers to release false and/or misleading information about pending investigations to the media” as well as “use of office to conduct politically motivated investigations.” He's seeking similar information for Gregore, as well as evidence of mishandling or failing to disclose evidence, submitting unreasonable requests for excessive bail, preparation of false or incomplete reports, and false or perjured testimony. Other information of interest to Clough is anything that would support allegations that the Lake County Sheriff's Office, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office and the FBI selectively targeted members of the Sonoma County Hells Angels chapter for investigation and prosecution, and if there was a conspiracy to violate the chapter members' civil rights. The goal is to find information favorable to Carrillo's defense that would impeach the testimony of prosecution witnesses at trial, according to the document. Pitchess motions are based on a 1974 California Supreme Court case, Pitchess v. Superior Court, and have since been included in the California Evidence Code. A Pitchess motion is based on the theory that a defendant in a criminal case should have any information that could help their defense, including information about potential misconduct in an arresting officer's personnel files. The right of a defendant to have that information is balanced against a peace officer's rights to maintain the privacy of his or her personnel file. California law has firm protections to guard peace officers in such cases. Grant, whose office has received the motion, said they will respond as the county always does in such cases. The county always and “without exception” responds to Pitchess motions, Grant said, due to concerns that are described in case law as “fishing expeditions.” The legal definition of a “fishing expedition” describes open-ended attempts to get information, and overly broad, unfocused questioning that is not within the case's scope. The county has fought previous attempts to open peace officer records, including one lodged in 2009 during the trial of Bismarck Dinius, who was acquitted in a fatal boating crash. Dinius was steering a sailboat hit in 2006 by a motorboat driven by an off-duty sheriff's deputy, Russell Perdock. Dinius' attorney sought Perdock's records through a Pitchess motion, which both county counsel and Perdock's attorney successfully fought. Carrillo's case is continuing to move forward, with a preliminary hearing still to take place. Bail in Carrillo's case was set at $500,000, which Clough had argued in court filings was excessive. He asked to have it reduced to $75,000. Clough said in his motion that Carrillo has never been charged with a violent criminal offense before this case, and his only conviction on record is for driving on a suspended license. Clough argued that it appeared that Carrillo's Hells Angels membership led to the high bail, and if that's the case it violates Carrillo's constitutional right to freedom of expression and equal protection. The filings in the case also reference a May 14 event during which the Vagos visited Lakeport. That same day, county law enforcement received information from an FBI agent claiming that a group of Hells Angels members were en route to the county to confront the Vagos. Rivero sent a group of deputies to the Middletown area in case the Hells Angels appeared. It's alleged that he was planning to turn the Hells Angels back if they arrived, which Rivero has denied, stating instead in an investigative report that he planned to put in place a roadblock in order to engage in contact with the bikers. Possible civil rights violations in the case remain under investigation by the Lake County District Attorney's Office. Rivero has continued to voice concern over the rival gangs and their activities, sending an e-mail to local media and county leaders over the weekend referencing a news story about a fight and shootout between the two groups that claimed the life of a California Hells Angels leaders in a casino in Las Vegas, Nev., on Sept. 23. A subsequent e-mail from Rivero informed county leaders that there is a statewide law enforcement alert from the US Marshals Service on possible retaliatory actions because of the gang shooting.

Shootout erupted without warning

 

While Sparks police continued their investigation into Friday's fatal shooting between rival motorcycle gangs inside John Ascuaga's Nugget, Washoe County's counterterrorism unit said it had no intelligence indicating a shootout was about to take place that night. Killed in Friday's incident was Jeffrey "Jethro" Pettigrew, 51, president of the San Jose, Calif., chapter of the Hells Angels and a heavy equipment operator for the city of San Jose. Two members of the Vagos, Leonard Ramirez, 45, and Diego Garcia, 28, were wounded in the gunfire Friday night. The only man arrested immediately after the shooting -- Cesar Villagrana, 36, a Hells Angel member from California -- was being held Monday on $500,000 bail at Washoe County Jail. He faces a court appearance on felony assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a stolen firearm charges. It was not immediately clear if Villagrana had a lawyer. Also on Monday, police identified Shane Smith, 40, a member of the Vagos motorcycle gang, as the victim of a Saturday morning drive-by shooting. Sparks police said a dark blue BMW 3 series pulled up beside Smith and shot him in the stomach as he was walking on Victorian Avenue, near the Nugget. His condition was not released. Police said the two shootings have not been definitively linked, though both prompted Sparks officials to declare a state of emergency before canceling the remainder of the annual Street Vibrations rally, which attracts thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts to the region. A state of emergency gives a city the power to enforce a curfew, use private property to stage emergency responses and call on the state for additional resources, such as the Nevada National Guard, which Sparks did not do. The declaration lasted 24 hours starting at 5 p.m. Saturday. Video shows crowd seeking cover Deputy Sparks Police Chief Brian Allen said Monday that casino surveillance video won't be made public until investigators complete the painstaking work of identifying about 60 Vagos and 12 Hells Angels amid a crowd of several hundred people gambling and partying. Members of the crowd suddenly dove for cover when gunfire erupted. "We don't want to sensationalize it. We don't want to influence the groups. We don't want to have something happen somewhere else," Allen said in an interview. "A lot of the players are from out of the state and out of the region. If you look at it historically, there've been tensions between these two groups. But we're still looking at what exactly set off this specific incident." In Arizona, more than two dozen members of the rival groups were arrested in August 2010 after a shootout left five people wounded in Chino Valley, north of Prescott. In California, an annual organized crime report from the state attorney general calls long-standing tensions between the Hells Angels and the Vagos "particularly poignant." It cited instances in which the Hells Angels have forced Vagos out of chapters in Hells Angels hotspots. It's not the first time a motorcycle rally has turned deadly in Nevada. According to a 2002 story in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, court documents and gaming officials showed Southern Nevada law enforcement had intelligence that a fight was about to break out between the Hells Angels and Mongols motorcycle gangs during the River Run motorcycle rally in Laughlin that year. Police warned casino operators, according to the story, about the potential for violence before the event turned fatal when a shootout ensued inside the Harrah's Laughlin casino, leaving three bikers dead. Law enforcement officials in Northern Nevada, meanwhile, said no such information existed ahead of Friday's violence that would have alerted them of a melee about to erupt between the Hells Angels and Vagos gangs.

Massive Phoenix drug sweep targets gangs, crack cocaine

 

Phoenix police Officer Mercedes Fortune wanted to crack the "Rock Block," a south Phoenix area police say is ridden by rampant narcotics sales, home invasions and murders. Fortune got her wish as a lead investigator in a two-year probe that resulted in more than 40 arrests Tuesday of suspected gang members who had directed crack or "rock" cocaine sales in the South Mountain Village area. More than 300 officers from 10-plus agencies fanned out at 4 a.m. Tuesday to make arrests and seize drugs. A total of 71 indictments were made in the case. "The many good neighbors in this area deserved to live without fearing gang activity, drug sales and shootouts," said Assistant Chief Kevin Robinson, who helped set the probe into motion. The investigation mainly targeted an area from 16th to 32nd streets between the Salt River bottom and Roeser Road. Arrests were made from east Mesa to Avondale. Fortune, 38, served for 11 years with the Los Angeles Police Department, often patrolling the tough South Central LA neighborhoods where she grew up. She came to Phoenix in 2007 to be near her parents, who had moved to the Valley. When hired onto the Phoenix force, she wanted to serve in the South Mountain Precinct. It is a precinct of neighborhoods where poverty, joblessness and crime rub shoulders with upper-middle-income areas of new homes and good schools. It also has seen a string of troubling incidents in the past year: the unsolved slaying of a well-regarded sergeant, accusations by a city councilman of civil-rights violations, the indictment of several officers in an off-duty pay scam, and the indictment of a patrol officer on homicide charges. Nearly the entire layer of upper management in the precinct was replaced in the past year. The precinct is now led by Commander Chris Crockett and six new lieutenants. "We have never stopped serving the people of South Phoenix, and we are glad to be able to demonstrate our dedication to bringing justice to this area," said Lt. Sean Connelly, who helped supervise the probe and called it a "major payday." Officer Clinton David Swick, one of those at the center of the probe, said that a driving force behind it was that "we were taking down a few crack houses at a time. And were we making a real impact? No. We needed to do something different." Enter Fortune. "Shortly after I came to the precinct, I was put on a Neighborhood Enforcement Team and soon was working with people like Dave Swick," she said. "Gradually, looking at the big picture became easier. I realized that though we had a bunch of guys in separate locations selling drugs, they were also talking to each other. There was organization, not just a bunch of individual crack houses operating in isolation. I thought we could find the links." Fortune in August 2009 went to Connelly and Sgt. Jesse Abernathy with a plan. "I said to them, 'Let's start connecting who knows who and who is talking to whom,' " she said. "We'll do it through surveillance, wiretaps, examining previous investigations and files, and we'll build a picture." Connelly and Abernathy knew well that Fortune and Swick and other investigators would be up against decades of success by a violent gang that ran the area drug trade: the Broadway Gangsters. "The Broadway Gangsters have been around so long they are a generational gang," Abernathy said. "A man is in it, his brothers are in it, his son is in it, his nephews and cousins are in it. All of them know each other and trust each other . . . and trust only each other. A guy grows up in the neighborhood, becomes a BWG and it's his life." Fortune, Swick and other officers thought they could break through the gang's wall of silence via surveillance, intensive talks with sources and warrants for wiretaps. A tragic incident gave new urgency to the investigation. In July 2010, Chandler drug detectives conducted an undercover operation that took them to a house in the Broadway Gangsters' domain. They pretended to be making a drug sale. They were armed with service pistols. The gangsters who came to "buy" had a small arsenal that included a shotgun, an AK-47 and various handguns. When four armed Broadway Gangsters entered the house, "all hell blew up," in the words of one suspect who later described it to police. Chandler Officer Carlos Ledesma was killed by four shots from an assault rifle. Two suspects also were killed. Two other officers and a suspect were injured. "When Officer Ledesma was killed, that brought more attention and concern to the area and it also brought Drug Enforcement Administration officers to the neighborhood," Fortune said. "A partnership between us and the DEA then began, and it worked. It was two NET squads and nine DEA officers." It was a powerful partnership. Over the past year, evidence mounted of a wide-ranging drug conspiracy. Police allege that cocaine in powder form was being imported from the Mexican city of Culiacan. A dealer with ties to the Broadway Gangsters turned it into crack cocaine and sold it to upper-level members of the gang, police allege, who then distributed it to gangsters stationed in rented houses in the area. The O.G.s - or Original Gangsters, as the older Broadway Gangsters called themselves - at the top didn't worry much when younger members were netted in drug raids. It was the O.G.s that Phoenix police and the DEA most wanted to snag, because they were directing the drug traffic and making significant profits, police allege. By the end of last week, investigators felt they had sufficient evidence in hand. The information was taken to the Arizona Attorney General's Office, whose prosecutors helped plan the sweep. Arrangements were made for the massive bust that began early Tuesday. Tuesday night, officers took inventory of bales of marijuana, bricks of cocaine, bundles of cash and other contraband, while prosecutors prepared charges. 

40 biker gang members, associates arrested

 

40 members and associates of the Bandido Outlaw Motorcycle Gang have been arrested on a variety of federal drug and weapons charges. A Justice Department statement issued Tuesday says that 28 of those arrested were charged in Dallas with conspiracy to possess and distribute heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine. One also was charged with possessing a machine gun. All were arrested Monday and Tuesday in the Dallas area but one, who was arrested Tuesday in San Francisco. Eight others were charged in Denver with conspiracy and possessing meth and cocaine. Six were arrested in the Denver area. One was already in state custody, and another remains on the loose. Three were arrested on assorted drug charges in San Antonio.

Hells Angels' president killed in Sparks shooting

 

Police confirm the president of the San Jose chapter of the Hell's Angels, Jeffrey Pettigrew died while two Vagos club members are being treated for their injuries. Sparks Police say a group of members from the Hell's Angels and Vagos motorcycle clubs got into a fight near the Trader Dick's bar late Friday night. Police have made no arrests for the murder or shootings of the other victims.

Gang violence at Sparks Nugget Hotel results in shooting of Sacramento biker

 

More details are becoming available in shooting death in Sparks, Nevada involving the Hells Angels and a rival motorcycle gang. The shooting late Friday night at the John Asguaga's Nugget Hotel resulted in the death of a Hells Angel leader from San Jose and injuries to 2 rival Vagos gang members. The gang members were among thousands of attendees at the annual Sparks "street vibrations" event. Concern about retaliation led local and state officials to declare a to a state of emergency, which was eventually lifted around 5 p.m. on Saturday. A Sacramento gang detective investigating the case in Nevada said one of the gang members shot at in retaliation is from Sacramento. That gang member was shot twice in the chest Saturday morning. He was expected to survive. In response to concerns about retaliation, a Sacramento ATF agent said, "We always try to be aware of crimes of violence in our community. We try to anticipate when and where there will be violations of the federal firearm and explosive laws. We are watching this very closely," said Graham Barlowe, ATF Sacramento's Resident Agent in Charge.

Hells Angels chapter president died in a casino shootout with a rival biker gang.

 

The city of Sparks, Nev., declared a state of emergency Saturday after a Hells Angels chapter president died in a casino shootout with a rival biker gang. Mayor Geno Martini also canceled the Street Vibrations biker festival that was under way in the city, which is located adjacent to Reno where an annual air show was canceled when a plane crashed into the grandstand earlier this month. The announcement came after the man killed in the Friday night shooting at John Ascuaga's Nugget casino was identified as Jeffrey Pettigrew, president of the San Jose, Calif., chapter of the Hells Angels. The gunfire also left two members of the rival Vagos in stable condition at an area hospital and landed another Hells Angel in jail on a charge assault with a deadly weapon. Police said in a written statement that another biker, who was not identified, was shot at a traffic light at 10:40 a.m. Saturday by a gunman driving a BMW sedan. Although the two incidents could not be definitively linked, the city decided it was time to clamp down in the situation. Along with the cancellation of the biker festival, police beefed up patrols in the downtown area.

David Glasser would-be witness against a Hells Angel with a violent reputation had turned into a nervous wreck

 

Friends say he lived in fear. In the months before his murder, those closest to David Glasser say the would-be witness against a Hells Angel with a violent reputation had turned into a nervous wreck. "He was getting really scattered and frantic the past couple of weeks. He couldn't even sit down -- he'd pace. You could see the fear written across his face," said Rick Reynolds, Glasser's longtime friend. "He was openly, admittedly terrified." Friends and acquaintances of Glasser's say prosecutors ignored his pleas for protection as a witness, even as he was poised to testify against a man who allegedly had threatened to kill him for cooperating with police. Berkshire District Attorney David Capeless said his office took steps to ensure Glasser's safety. Capeless described a man who said he felt safe in his apartment, preferring to stay in his Pittsfield home rather than relocate at the suggestion of police. In either case, Glasser had reason to be afraid. According to court records, Adam Lee Hall, a member of the Berkshire County chapter of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang, already had beaten Glasser with a baseball bat -- and that was just when Hall thought Glasser had stolen a carburetor from him. After that 2009 incident, authorities Advertisement persuaded Glasser to become a witness against Hall on drug, gun and assault charges. That prompted more threats from Hall, who later was accused by police of setting Glasser up to take the fall for a bogus armed robbery in an effort to keep him from testifying. Fifteen days ago, Glasser's body was found along with two of his friends, buried in a boulder-covered trench on private property in Becket. The friends -- fellow Pittsfield residents Edward S. Frampton and Robert T. Chadwell -- were killed because they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, according to authorities. The discovery of the bodies came just nine days before Glasser had been scheduled to testify Sept. 19 against Hall in Berkshire Superior Court in connection with the assault and framing incidents. The discovery of the bodies came just nine days before Glasser had been scheduled to testify Sept. 19 against Hall in Berkshire Superior Court in connection with the assault and framing incidents. Police since have arrested Hall -- a 34-year-old Peru resident -- and two alleged accomplices. The three have been charged with three counts of murder, witness intimidation and kidnapping, and a fourth suspect has been charged with helping to bury the bodies. Glasser's murder has sparked an outcry from the victims' families, who say the District Attorney's Office and police didn't do enough to protect their witness. "They never did anything to help David," said Donna Randolph, whom Glasser called "Mom" and talked with at least once a week. Glasser was estranged from his family at a young age, according to Randolph, and no one in the family could be located for comment by The Eagle. However, Randolph and others close to Glasser said he had complained to them that he had gone to authorities and asked for witness protection as recently as a month before his murder. "He came to my house right after he'd been to the police one of those times," said Randolph, 67, of Pittsfield. Randolph said Glasser, 44, had been told by officers that nothing could be done and to let police know if anything happened. The Pittsfield Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police referred questions to the Berkshire County district attorney. Capeless said he's never denied a "reasonable request for protection of a witness." He insists his office did everything it could to protect Glasser, including relocating him twice at its suggestion. Capeless said that after each of the two relocations -- which were intended to be temporary -- Glasser had opted to return home, saying he felt safe. "On each occasion he said, ‘Look, I feel OK now and I'd like to go back to my apartment,' " Capeless said. "Ultimately it is his decision. We can't make witnesses relocate." Capeless said it's normal for witnesses to want to stay in their homes. "They want to control their lives." Capeless said. But Glasser's friends say he only stayed in his apartment because he had nowhere else to go. "He wasn't there because he wanted to be," Randolph said. The state has a witness protection fund, which pays for lodging, living and transportation expenses. District attorneys can submit petitions to fund the relocation of a key witness. Capeless said his office never submitted such a petition. Capeless declined to go into detail about his office's two temporary relocations of Glasser. Capeless wouldn't say when they took place, where Glasser was relocated to, or how long he stayed. Capeless said that speaking more about steps his office took to protect Glasser could compromise the safety of other witnesses against Hall who have opted to relocate. But no one who knew Glasser said they had heard anything about his being relocated by the District Attorney's Office. Asked about that, Capeless said: "People aren't supposed to know about it. That's the point." But Glasser's friends say they don't believe Capeless. "It's not true," Randolph said. "They never, never relocated David. They never did anything to help David. He would have let me know. He was like my son. We were very close. He would have told my husband and me one way or another." Likewise, Glasser's friend Rick Reynolds -- along with three other friends contacted by The Eagle who asked not to be identified -- said Glasser hadn't been relocated and never got the help he was asking for. The Eagle got some insight into Glasser's psyche in 2005. In an eloquently worded letter to the editor published that year, Glasser said in the first sentence that he was "mentally and physically challenged." He went on to write that he had diabetes, which "sometimes mimics being drunk," and that he had been "wrongfully fired" from jobs and treated unfairly in other instances because of people's "misunderstanding" of the issue. Glasser's main point in the letter was that he wanted to bring "an awareness of how we treat each other." He made no other reference to his mental condition in the letter. Capeless said it would be inappropriate for him to comment on Glasser's mental capacity. Randolph said she wasn't clear about the nature of Glasser's challenges, but said he "functioned a little bit slowly." Glasser did, however, understand the danger he was in, Randolph said. "Oh, he understood," she said. "He was absolutely terrified. There's no other way to put it." The terror that filled Glasser's life is well documented. According to court records, during the 2009 baseball-bat incident, Hall beat Glasser over a missing carburetor -- leaving his face black, blue and swollen -- and forced him to sign the title of his truck over to Hall. Then, according to the records, Hall made Glasser drive himself to Berkshire Medical Center in Hall's Hummer with Hall in the passenger seat. Before Glasser got out of the car, Hall told him that if he went to the police, he would be killed, according to a transcript of an interview police conducted with Glasser. Trooper Dale Gero responded to the emergency room at BMC after the staff reported a suspected assault and battery. After being treated at BMC, Glasser was taken to the Cheshire State Police barracks for an interview, in which he recounted the incident. According to Gero's report, at the end of the interview, Glasser asked if the state police had a witness protection program, and he told the trooper he was afraid of Hall retaliating against him. After being treated at BMC, Glasser was taken to the Cheshire State Police barracks for an interview, in which he recounted the incident. According to Gero's report, at the end of the interview, Glasser asked if the state police had a witness protection program, and he told the trooper he was afraid of Hall retaliating against him. According to the report, Glasser was escorted out of the barracks and told to contact "the police if anything further happened." Two days later, Glasser came in for a follow-up interview with investigators. Just before that interview, Glasser again told police he believed Hall would kill him, according to police records. Hall was arrested that day and was released three months later on a $50,000 bond. Glasser, meanwhile, was living in the Linden Street apartment he shared with Frampton. Glasser's name doesn't appear in court records again until Hall allegedly framed Glasser for armed robbery in New York state on Aug. 14, 2010. According to police, Hall and his associates planted a gun and other evidence in Glasser's truck in an effort to connect him to the supposed robbery. Pittsfield lawyer Alexander Schmulsky was appointed to defend Glasser against the charges. They met in a jail cell in the basement of Central Berkshire District Court. "He was concerned for his safety," Schmulsky said. "He was scared." A few days later, Schmulsky got a call from the District Attorney's Office saying the charges had been dropped. Schmulsky said Glasser was in the hands of the DA's office after that and that he never heard from his client again. Meanwhile, Hall was re-arrested. He was released on bail in March of this year, on a $250,000 bond. Even though Hall had been released pending his trial, Capeless said Glasser had stopped feeling unsafe when he started working with police as a witness, adding that law enforcement had been in "regular" contact with him. Capeless declined to be more specific about the nature of the contact, but said that each time officers checked in with Glasser, Glasser told them he was fine. "After Glasser became further involved with this office, he did not express that he felt unsafe," Capeless said. "Anytime he was staying in his apartment, he remained there because he felt safe and he wanted to be in his home." Friends strongly disagree with the district attorney's assessment of Glasser's feelings. They say Glasser -- known to mind his own business -- was manipulated into testifying against Hall. "He didn't want to testify," Reynolds said. "He said he was being pressured. I think they [DA's office] used that he was angry about being jumped, being beaten, having his truck taken [to get him to testify]. It hurt his pride. I think the police used that to say, ‘Do something about it.' " Reynolds said Glasser also believed he might be charged with possession of cocaine if he didn't testify, a notion Capeless strongly disagrees with. "He felt like he was in a no-win situation," Reynolds said. Capeless denies that Glasser was pressured into doing anything he didn't want to do. He said Glasser understood that by testifying against Hall, he would be protecting himself and others, effectively ensuring that Hall would go to prison. "People have to understand that if they don't come forward, these kinds of people will be walking the street," Capeless said. Still, Glasser's former lawyer said Capeless' job is about more than just putting people behind bars. "The district attorney's only job isn't to win the trial, it's to provide justice for the people of Berkshire County," Schmulsky said. "Where's the justice for Mr. Glasser today?" Capeless said his office did the best it could with the information it had at the time. He said it's easy to second guess after the fact. Randolph, meanwhile, said her last visit with Glasser is burned in her memory. "I didn't see him but for a couple of minutes the last time," she said. "He hugged me and I hugged him, and he said, ‘I love you, Ma,' and I told him I loved him. I miss him. Every day."

Hell's Angels motorcycle club member facing charges in deadly casino brawl

 

member of the Hell's Angels motorcycle club was facing charges including assault with a deadly weapon Sunday after a brawl between club members devolved into a gunfight that left one person dead. Police identified the victim of the shooting at John Ascuaga's Nugget Casino Resort in Sparks, Nevada, as Jeffrey Pettigrew, 51, president of the San Jose, California, chapter of the Hell's Angels. Two other people, both of California and members of the Vagos motorcycle club, were in stable condition at hospitals after being shot in the abdomen and the leg, respectively. Cesar Villagrana, 36, was arrested after surveillance video showed him "shooting into the crowd" during the Friday night melee, Sparks police said in a statement. "However, it cannot be confirmed at this time if any of the projectiles struck the victims." Besides assault with a deadly weapon, Villagrana also faces charges of carrying a concealed weapon; aiming a firearm at another; aiming or discharging a firearm where a person is endangered; and possession of stolen property/firearm, jail records show. His bail was set at $500,000 cash only. Authorities appealed to bystanders who may have photographed or videotaped the event to contact police. A second shooting occurred at 10:49 a.m. Saturday, police said. A motorcyclist was traveling down a street when a car pulled alongside him and he was shot in the stomach. The name of that victim was being withheld, but he was in stable condition, authorities said. Witnesses said a black four-door BMW with two people inside was seen speeding away just after the shooting. "We are unable to definitively link the two shooting incidents at this time," police said. The incidents occurred during the Street Vibrations Fall Rally, an event that began Wednesday and was expected to continue into Sunday. After the shootings, however, the Sparks portion of the event were canceled through the weekend, the city announced Saturday. The mayor of Sparks also declared a state of emergency. "Whenever you have people who enter our city with bad intentions, bad things are going to happen," Sparks Mayor Geno Martini said Saturday. Police said they have increased the number of foot and mobile patrols in the city. Authorities reported that as many as 30 people took part in the casino brawl. Police responded with assistance from overhead helicopters. There has been no violence since the Street Vibrations rally expanded into Sparks, police said. "The Sparks Police Department wants to acknowledge the acts of these two motorcycle clubs do not represent a majority of the motorcycle enthusiasts that come to the Street Vibrations event," authorities said in a statement.

Missourian, "soldiers ... shot Crips gang members; in retaliation Crips has asked its members to shoot any soldiers on sight.

 

Missouri National Guard soldiers and airmen were still on "alert" Saturday afternoon to "avoid wearing a military uniform in public" because of a "direct threat" in retaliation to a gang-related shooting around Fort Sill, Okla., earlier in the week. The cautionary warning  was issued Friday. According to an internal memo leaked to the Columbia Missourian, "soldiers ... shot Crips gang members; in retaliation Crips has asked its members to shoot any soldiers on sight." MoreStory Related Articles Oklahoma shooting leads gang to threaten Missouri National Guard According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Crips is a collection of gangs throughout the U.S. with an estimated membership between 30,000 and 35,000 operating out of 221 cities in 41 states. Missouri is one of those states. Lt. Col. Levon E. Cumpton, who issued the memo, said the message "came out through Army channels"; Fort Sill is an Army base in Lawton, Okla. He called the action a "precautionary measure." According to Cumpton's memo, National Guard troops were instructed not to "wear a military uniform out for evening dining, shopping, and other personal matters." Full-time members were cautioned to "consider commuting to/from work in civilian clothes — specifically, if they need to make personal stops between home and work." Spokesmen for the Missouri National Guard and Fort Sill declined to elaborate on the incident, saying the investigation is in the hands of the Lawton, Okla., Police Department. Yet as of Saturday afternoon, "the alert has not been rescinded," said Maj. Tammy Spicer, the public affairs officer for the Missouri National Guard.  The decision to call off the alert will come from the Joint Operations Center in Jefferson City.  "As far as we know, and even the Lawton Police Department know," the gang’s threat is "just an unsubstantiated rumor," said Fort Sill Public Affairs Officer Keith Pannell during a phone call late Friday night. KSWO-TV 7 News in Lawton reported two Air Force bases in Oklahoma, Tinker and Altus, issued similar orders to enlisted soldiers. The Altus Air Force Base Facebook page commented Friday night on receiving "information on a criminal threat to military members in the Lawton-Fort Sill area." The incident that sparked the direct threat seems to be tied to a "brutal” home invasion in Lawton earlier in the week, with the four main suspects in the invasion being Fort Sill soldiers. They are believed to be responsible for shooting four people and injuring two others early Tuesday morning who, according to rumors circulating in the city, were gang members with ties to the Crips. The Missourian was unable to reach the chief of police who is handling the case.

A countywide gang raid has ended in the arrest of 22 suspects and the seizure of multiple handguns, rifles and shotguns

A countywide gang raid has ended in the arrest of 22 suspects and the seizure of multiple handguns, rifles and shotguns, authorities said Friday.

More than 300 Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies partnered with officers from South Gate, Inglewood, Gardena, Whittier and Anaheim to serve search and arrest warrants at 32 locations.

The warrants resulted from a series of criminal investigations stemming from a bitter feud between rival gangs, officials said.

The gangs originated in Compton, officials said, but warrants were served in Lancaster, Hawthorne, Lynwood, Long Beach, Anaheim and Los Angeles.

The 22 suspects -- 17 men, three women and two youths -- were arrested and booked on charges of murder, assault with a firearm and illegal possession of firearms.

The firearms were either stolen or used to commit crimes, authorities said.

Officers also said they found gang-related paraphernalia and evidence of gang membership, which will be used to seek tougher sentences for suspects.

1 killed, 2 wounded in shooting at Sparks, Nev. casino; witnesses saw rival motorcycle gangs

 

One person has been killed and two others wounded in a shooting at a hotel-casino in Sparks that witnesses say involved members of rival motorcycle gangs, the Vagos and Hells Angels. Sparks police confirmed the fatal shooting at John Ascuaga’s Nugget about 11:30 p.m. Friday but they have not identified any of the people involved. 0 Comments Weigh InCorrections? inShare Daniel Sharp of Stockton, Calif., told the Reno Gazette-Journal he was in the dance area at the Nugget for the Street Vibrations biker festival when a group of Vagos club members came in. He says a single Hells Angel then entered, soon followed by several more. Within five minutes he says a fight erupted and shots rang out. Police Lt. Pete Krall says they are investigating different motorcycle clubs but declined to name them.

Biker gangs eyed in fatal Sparks casino shooting

 

Police stepped up patrols at a motorcycle festival in Reno and Sparks on Saturday after a gun battle between two rival gangs at a hotel-casino left one Hells Angel dead and two members of the Vagos club injured. The fatal shooting at John Ascuaga's Nugget on Interstate 80 in Sparks happened at about 11:30 p.m. Friday as thousands of motorcyclists descended on the area for the annual Street Vibrations celebration, police confirmed. Sparks police Lt. Brian Allen said officers were investigating whether there was any connection between that fatal incident and a drive-by shooting at about 10:30 a.m. Saturday about a half mile from the Nugget. Allen said police arrested one Hells Angel in connection with Friday night's fatal shooting. He said officers made a number of other arrests but provided no details. "We're trying to minimize any other potential violence," Allen said. Officials in neighboring Reno said they too were increasing patrols and would request assistance from federal law enforcement if necessary. "Local law enforcement is working with federal agencies in a coordinated effort, including increased patrol, tactical teams and undercover officers," Reno city officials said in a statement Saturday afternoon. Authorities in Arizona arrested more than two dozen members of the two gangs in August 2010 after a shootout between them wounded five people but none seriously in the small community of Chino Valley, north of Prescott. On Friday night at the Nugget, Daniel Sharp of Stockton, Calif., told the Reno Gazette-Journal he was in the dance area near Trader Dick's restaurant just off the casino floor when a group of Vagos club members came in. Sharp said a single Hells Angels member then entered the area, soon followed by several more. He says that within about five minutes a fight had erupted and shots rang out. "It was mayhem," he said. Other witnesses told the newspaper they heard between a dozen and two dozen gunshots. The casino was evacuated and put on lockdown at about midnight. The Nugget said in a statement that the casino and all its restaurants had reopened by midday Saturday. It said that in addition to its own "extensive security force," uniformed officers would patrol inside the casino the rest of the weekend. Joe Franco, of Reno, said he saw one man in Hells Angel garb pull out a gun after he was knocked to the ground in a fistfight with a rival. "He was down with the bloody nose, gets up and pulls out the gun and that's the first shot," apparently at the man who punched him, Franco said. "Then he turned the gun toward the south of the building and that's when he started firing into the crowd," Franco told the Gazette-Journal. "The guy who was doing the shooting was an older man. He must have been 50, 55." Everyone started ducking as soon as the first shot was fired, Franco said. "By the third shot we were already running," he said.

"Billy's Crew."Gangster who saw shooting held for breach of conditions

 

Gangster whose associate was critically wounded in Surrey last week has been remanded in custody until Wednesday on an alleged breach of his court conditions. Sukhveer Dhak, 27, appeared via video link in Surrey Provincial Court Friday. Dhak was with his pal Jujhar Singh Khun-Khun in the 10100-block of 144th at around 9: 30 p.m. on Sept. 16 when gunmen opened fire, hitting Khun-Khun several times before fleeing. Khun-Khun remains in hospital in critical condition. Dhak was picked up Sept. 18 for allegedly violating court conditions on a drug conspiracy charge laid in 2008. He is due to go to trial on that case in November. Earlier this week, the head of the Gang Task Force warned that anyone associated with the Dhak and Duhre crime groups could get caught in an escalating gang war. Supt. Tom McCluskie said gang investigators "have reason to believe these people are being targeted by other criminal groups." And he said his team is probing possible links between the Khun-Khun shooting and the fatal shooting in Kelowna on Aug. 14 of Red Scorpion Jonathan Bacon. Hells Angel Larry Amero and Independent Soldier James Riach were also wounded in that incident. Since the high-profile public shooting outside a busy lakeside tourist hotel and casino, tensions have been escalating between associates of the victims and those they believe are responsible. On one side is an alliance consisting of the Duhres, Dhak and some United Nations members. On the other are some Hells Angels, the Scorpions and the Independent Soldiers. McCluskie said the investigation into Bacon's death is going well, though no one has yet been charged. The Duhre group is headed by three brothers - Balraj, Sandip and Paul - who grew up in North Vancouver and were once associates of the late Bindy Johal. Eldest brother Balraj was shot in a Vancouver restaurant in August 2005, but survived. Sandip escaped injury when his car was sprayed with gunfire at a Surrey convenience store in May 2005, but his friend Dean Mohamed Elshamy was killed. And both Balraj and Sandip were shot at in July 2005 as they drove through east Vancouver. Their bulletproof sedan saved their lives. Sukh Dhak is the younger brother of Gurmit Dhak, who was gunned down outside Metrotown Mall in October 2010. Gurmit Dhak, then 32, was also shot in 2007 in a crowded Kitsilano restaurant. Both Dhaks have been associated with a criminal organization dubbed "Billy's Crew."

An alliance of Dhak, the Duhres, and some United Nations gang members may be facing off against the Red Scorpions, the Hells Angels, and the Independent Soldiers.

 

An alliance of Dhak, the Duhres, and some United Nations gang members may be facing off against the Red Scorpions, the Hells Angels, and the Independent Soldiers.

shooting in Surrey last week that left a gang member critically injured may be linked to the slaying of Jonathan Bacon in Kelowna

shooting in Surrey last week that left a gang member critically injured may be linked to the slaying of Jonathan Bacon in Kelowna last month, police say.

Sgt. Bill Whalen with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit — Gang Task Force said police are looking for a connection between Bacon’s assassination and the Friday 16 shooting of Jujhar Singh Khun-Khun, 24.

“We are investigating links between the two incidents,” he said.

Khun-Khun remains in hospital in critical condition and is a known as a member of the Dhak gang group, which Whalen said are in locked in a battle with the Hells Angels.

Police received a call of a shooting at 9:30 p.m. Friday in the 10100-block of 144 Street. They arrived to find Khun-Khun shot. He was taken to hospital where he remains in critical condition.

On Aug. 14, four people were shot outside the Delta Grand Hotel in Kelowna. Red Scorpion Jonathan Bacon was killed and others were injured, including Larry Amero of the White Rock Hells Angels.

A Gang Task Force media release on Sept. 7 indicated police had information that something retaliatory was going to happen.

“To date, intelligence and information indicates that tensions amongst rival gangs have increased exponentially since the Kelowna shooting and it’s no longer a question of if retaliation will occur, but when,” the task force said. “The potential for a violent reprisal is not restricted to any one community, and can occur anywhere at anytime.”

The release revealed the Gang Task Force had assigned 65 officers to the tensions arising from the Kelowna shooting.
Khun-Khun is no stranger to the media. In 2007 his 19-year-old fiancée was killed when she fell from the moving SUV he was driving. No charges were laid in that case. Later that year Khun-Khun was sentenced to three years in prison for kidnapping and robbing a truck driver. males from the Lower Mainland,

On August 20 2011, Nanaimo RCMP stopped a gray 2008 Acura near the intersection of Victoria Rd and Highway 19A. Khun-Khun and two other men were remanded into custody and charges of Trafficking in a Controlled Substance under the CDSA were laid after officers detected marijuana odors in the car. A search revealed 27.5 grams of crack cocaine, 7.5 grams of marihuana, 108 pills of suspected ecstasy, a radio jamming system, scales and $1,700 in Canadian currency in the car.

Another known gangster, Sukh Dhak was also at the scene when Khun-Khun was shot
Dhak, 27, is the brother of gangster Gurmit Singh Dhak, who was gunned down in October 2010 outside Metrotown Mall in Coquitlam. In the ensuing round of retaliation 10 people were wounded in a shooting spree at the Neighbors Restaurant on Oak Street in December 2010. A party attended by gang affiliates was taking place inside the restaurant at the time. Sukh Dhak had been warned several times by police that he was a target.

Two arrests made in drug deal shooting from July

 

Two men have been arrested in a shooting that stemmed from a botched drug deal in southeast Portland earlier this summer. After a lengthy investigation, Portland police officers took Robert Collins and Jonell James into custody Thursday.   Police say they shot 21-year-old Sean Hamm at Glenwood Park near Southeast 89th Avenue and Cooper Street, where the suspects and victim met to deal marijuana in the early morning hours of July 14. Officers say Hamm suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and nearly died. Collins and James are making their first court appearance Friday afternoon.

Langley gangster linked to both the Red Scorpion gang and the Independent Soldiers was sentenced to 14 months in jail this week

 

Langley gangster linked to both the Red Scorpion gang and the Independent Soldiers was sentenced to 14 months in jail this week on two firearms counts. Tyler Willock, 30, was also hit with a mandatory 10-year firearms prohibition after pleading guilty to occupying a vehicle with a firearm in it and careless use of a firearm. He appeared in Surrey Provincial Court to be sentenced Thursday morning. The charges were laid after a Gang Task Force investigation in the summer of 2008 during which Willock was stopped in a vehicle in Langley . Several months later in February 2009, Willock was shot at while in a vehicle with friends in Surrey, resulting in charges being laid against rival gangsters in the United Nations gang. That case is yet to go to court and Willock was not injured. And then on March 8, 2009, Willock's Red Scorpion associate Albert Jackman viciously attacked Willock with a sledge hammer, striking him more than 20 times. Jackman was livid over comments Willock made about their associate Kevin LeClair who was shot to death a few weeks earlier. Jackman had been told Willock said that he wouldn't have to repay LeClair $40,000 he owed him. Willock didn't testify at Jackman's trial or provide a victim impact statement. B.C. Supreme Court Justice Robert Crawford said in his decision that he could only imagine the impact of the attack on Willock's life from the photos the Crown entered at trial. Willock suffered broken bones and other injures and has not fully recovered. Crawford heard how Jackman arrived at Willock's house with an associate and ordered Willock to the floor of his bedroom. Jackman then tied him up using zap straps and duct-taped his mouth and eyes. He then struck Willock more than 20 times with the sledgehammer. "Willock was literally smashed to pieces," Crawford said in his decision. Willock's bedroom walls and ceiling were splattered with blood. In July, Jackman was sentenced to 10 years for the attack on Willock. Jackman, 25, is also serving a life sentence for first-degree murder in a stabbing death that took place 20 days later in March 2009.

Gangster who bragged that he “ran Tottenham” after opening fire on his rivals with a machine gun in the street

 

Gangster who bragged that he “ran Tottenham” after opening fire on his rivals with a machine gun in the street has had his appeal against conviction turned down by top judges.   Former decorator Yusuf Arslan, now 21, was put behind bars indefinitely for public protection at Kingston Crown Court last September. Arslan belonged to the “Tottenham Boys” gang, which had a long-running feud with a rival Hackney gang, said Mr Justice Wilkie, sitting at London’s Appeal Court. He had opened fire with the sub-machine gun in Lansdowne Road, Tottenham, on September 30, 2009, in revenge for the shooting of a friend who ran a nearby shop. He had blocked his victim’s car in before letting off a volley of shots. A fragment of shell hit one of his targets’ left arm, but the majority of the shots hit their car’s body and windscreen. Arslan, of Oxford Close, Edmonton, was also prosecuted over an incident in December that year in which he and others were stopped in a car wearing body armour and carrying a revolver. One police officer said he heard Arslan brag he “ran Tottenham” and had access to more guns than the police. He was convicted of attempted murder, possessing guns and ammunition and was ordered to serve a minimum 10 years before being considered for parole. His lawyers challenged the convictions on Friday, claiming the identification evidence against him was flawed. But Mr Justice Wilkie, sitting with Lord Justice Pitchford and Mr Justice Holroyde, said the “sure identification” had been made by one of the men Arslan shot at. “This appeal against conviction is unarguable,” he concluded.

Ex-gangster's girlfriend renews bail request

 

The longtime girlfriend of former Boston crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger has renewed her request to be released on bail while she awaits trial for allegedly helping Bulger elude authorities. A lawyer for Catherine Greig filed a notice in court Thursday asking a judge to consider releasing her. Greig's lawyer, Kevin Reddington, said he plans to file "voluminous documents" to support his request, including real estate appraisals. Reddington has said Greig and her sister would put up their homes as collateral. Prosecutors say Greig helped Bulger escape capture for 16 years. Her lawyer says she was in love with Bulger and didn't know the extent of his alleged crimes when she fled with him. Bulger is accused of participating in 19 murders. The couple was apprehended in Santa Monica, Calif., in June.

Gangster's vest stopped rounds

 

The body armour worn by gangster Sanjeev Mann stopped some of the bullets fired at him by masked gunmen, a Calgary court heard Wednesday. Det. James Hands, of the Crime Scenes Unit, detailed the exhibits he seized in connection with the 2009 New Year's Day massacre of Mann and two others. Among the items collected by the officer was the Kevlar body armour Mann regularly wore after he had been shot at months earlier outside his parent's home. Hands showed jurors the back panel of the three piece vest Mann was wearing when two assailants opened fire at the Bolsa restaurant, on Macleod Tr. S. He said the vest, seized during Mann's autopsy, showed he had been hit in the back three times. "We found (the bullets) and cut them out," Hands said, as he showed jurors three holes in the outer lining of Mann's vest. Turning the panel around, Hands showed how the inside of the body armour remained unaffected. "The vest stopped the three bullets from penetrating," he said. Both the inside and outside of the panel, which Hands handled wearing gloves, appeared stained with blood. Charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the Jan. 1, 2009 deaths of Mann, his associate Aaron Bendle, and bystander Keni Su'a are Michael Roberto and Nathan Zuccherato. Crown prosecutor Shane Parker had earlier told jurors in his opening address that Mann was struck by four bullets. Meanwhile, despite arriving moments after emergency calls from Bolsa restaurant, Calgary cops could do nothing to save the gunned down victims, court was told. Const. Kory Gash was one of the first officers on the scene of the New Year's Day massacre and the first to enter the south Calgary eatery. Gash said he checked Su'a for signs of life and tried to help put pressure on his bullet wounds, but to no avail. Once he and other officers charged into the restaurant he found both Mann and Bendle on the floor. "I could observe two individuals down and an Asian female crouched down over the individual who was at the back of the restaurant," he said, referring to Mann's girlfriend, Annie Tran. "I checked for a pulse on the individual and based on no pulse and the magnitude of the blood that was there, he had passed," Gash said, adding he did the same with Bendle.

Troy Davis execution goes ahead despite serious doubts about his guilt

 

Moments before he was put to death, Troy Davis lifted his head from the gurney to which he was strapped and looked the family of Mark MacPhail, the police officer for whose murder he was convicted, directly in the eyes. "I want to talk to the MacPhail family," he said. "I was not responsible for what happened that night. I did not have a gun. I was not the one who took the life of your father, son, brother." He then appealed to his own family and friends to "keep the faith", said to the medical personnel who were about to kill him "may God have mercy on your souls", and laid his head down again. He was administered with a triple lethal injection of pentobarbital, pancuronium bromide and potassium chloride, and at 11.08pm he was pronounced dead. The debate about what happened in Georgia's Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson late on Wednesday night will continue long after the gurney has been put away. In the final gruesome hours of waiting, the American judicial system at its very highest echelons was involved – including the US supreme court, which issued the decisive final ruling. The decision to press ahead with the death sentence despite serious doubts over Davis's guilt drew accusations that this was the system at its most grotesque. It was Davis's fourth execution date, and it was dragged out, for more than four hours, to what must have been tortuous effect for the prisoner and his family. Davis, 42, became the 52nd man to be executed in Georgia since the same supreme court reinstated the death penalty in 1973. His lawyers and thousands of supporters around the world were convinced that an innocent man had been sent to his death. As news of his death filtered out of the maximum security prison, his family was still huddled in an area of the prison grounds, surrounded by well-wishers. His sister, Martina Correia, had earlier vowed to continue the fight to end all capital punishment in America and said her brother's story would be a galvanising force for others. "His message to young people is – you can lie down or you can stand up and fight," she said. After the execution, Davis's lawyers lamented what one described as a "legal lynching". Thomas Ruffin said that the execution was "racially bigoted". "In the state of Georgia 48.4% of people on death row this morning were black males, and in Georgia they make up no more than 15% of the population." Ruffin said that seven of the nine witnesses at Davis's 1991 trial had since recanted. They included a man who said under oath that he had seen MacPhail being killed, and that it was not Davis who shot him but another man called Sylvester Cole. Another witness said under oath that she had heard Coles confess three times to killing MacPhail and using Davis as the fall guy. But throughout Wednesday last-ditch legal manoeuvres by Davis's defence team failed one by one as both state and federal judges ruled against them. First, a request for Davis to undergo a lie-detector test was rejected. A Georgia judge refused an appeal, then the state supreme court followed suit. In the end his only hope was the US supreme court, and for a moment at 7pm, just as the execution was due to take place, it seemed that the justices had ordered a stay. But the delay was only temporary and at around 10.15pm the court ruled that the execution should go ahead. The decision was welcomed by the MacPhail family. "He [Davis] had all the chances in the world," the officer's mother, Anneliese MacPhail, told the Associated Press. "It has got to come to an end." But a second lawyer for Davis, Jason Ewart, said that as he died he took with him "his quest for justice. In the midst of all the newspaper headlines and vigils you can sometimes lose sight of the man who was on death row. Troy Davis was a family man, and his family mourns tonight." John Lewis, a local radio reporter who was present at the execution, said that while the prisoner was being killed MacPhail family members sat in the front row looking intently at him. As they left the room after he was pronounced dead, some of them smiled. "So at least someone got some satisfaction out of this," Lewis said.