Boston Police report that three men attacked a fourth man with baseball bats around 3 p.m. on March 18 at Bremen and Gove streets. Police described the three as white Hispance, said they were also armed with knives. They add that the victim, taken away in an ambulance, did not want to cooperate with police.
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Former airman accused in the death of an U.S. Army sergeant during a gang initiation in Germany will remain jailed in Washington until trial.A federal grand jury has indicted 31-year-old Rico Williams on charges of second-degree murder and three counts of tampering with a witness in the death of 25-year-old Sgt. Juwan Johnson of Baltimore.Williams was arrested in Chesapeake, Va., in January and transferred to the U.S. District Court in Washington to stand trial.Prosecutors say the former Air Force senior airman led a German faction of the Gangster Disciples and threw the first two punches during Johnson's initiation, knocking him unconscious.The indictment states that Williams threatened at least seven people after learning of Johnson's death.
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Mahmoud Dib, 26, "sergeant-at-arms" of the Bandidos' Parramatta chapter, Mahmoud Dib, was refused bail today after he was arrested at his Auburn home in a major police operation. The Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad, with tactical and riot squad officers, raided the 26-year-old's house at Park Road, Auburn, while it was still dark at 6am (8am NZ time) this morning.NSW Police are targeting the city's bikie gangs following a fatal brawl at Sydney Airport on Sunday in which the 29-year-old brother of a senior Hells Angels member was bludgeoned to death.Dib was charged with six firearms offences, including possessing a firearm in a public place and possessing an unregistered firearm, after gang squad detectives found a loaded gun in a car owned by Dib parked in a Guildford Street last Monday.Acting Superintendent Angelo Memmolo, from the Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad, said a .45 calibre semi-automatic pistol, loaded with seven bullets, was found in the car.Dib was not in the car at the time, but was in the area, he said.Acting Superintendent Memmolo said no drugs nor weapons were found in the raid.A friend of Dib was arrested outside Burwood Local Court this afternoon after allegedly spitting on a News Ltd photographer.Five of Dib's friends were in the court as Dib appeared, but he did not make an application for bail.Dib appeared in court wearing a red hoodie and did not speak except for a few moments when approached by his lawyer, Mohammed Masri.The matter will return to court on Friday.Outside the court, one of Dib's friends, wearing a white singlet and the words "Bandit" tattooed on his throat, stuck his finger up at the photographer and appeared to make a slashing movement near his throat before spitting at him.Police officers standing nearby pounced on the man and took him into custody. While on the floor, the man screamed: "I can't breath, I'm claustrophobic."Shooting 'related to feud'Dib was arrested in relation to a series of tit-for-tat drive-by shootings in the Auburn area.The shootings are believed to be related to a feud between the Bandidos' Parramatta Chapter and an emerging gang, called Notorious.Dib's home was the target of a drive-by shooting last Monday. Some bullets punched through the front wall and narrowly missed him, his wife and two young children.It is understood that, later on Monday, police pulled Dib over and searched his car.The next day, two houses in Sydney's west - one believed to be the home of senior Notorious member's mother - were peppered with bullets.Since then, there have been several more drive-by shootings in Sydney's south-west.Police also seized two Harley Davidson motorcycles during the raid.A source close to the Bandidos' Parramatta chapter said police had the wrong guy."This is crazy. [Dib] was trying to shut down the violence. What are they doing about Notorious?"
On Sunday morning, two carloads of men associated with Notorious returned to Auburn and drove to a Pine Road residence of a Dib relative, the source said.The source said that this time the Bandidos were ready, having been tipped off to the planned attack.When the Notorious members arrived in Pine Road, members of the Bandidos opened fire and, in the ensuing gun battle, at least four of the men in the car were injured.One of those involved in the planned attack is believed to be a relative of a Notorious office bearer.An automatic weapon was believed to have been used by one of the groups in the attack and four homes were hit by bullets.It is understood that on the same night, the Bandidos also kneecapped a 19-year-old Auburn man whom they believed was passing information to Notorious.In relation to today's arrest, a police spokesman said that detectives were "seeking further evidence in relation to an ongoing firearms investigation"."In the early hours of Monday, March 16, the same [Park Road] house was a target of a drive-by shooting," he said."Later that day [investigators] carried out a vehicle stop at Granville, arresting a 26-year-old man in relation to a firearms investigation."Six days later [on Sunday] there was a shooting attack on six houses in the vicinity of Park Road [on Cumberland Road, North Street and Pine Road]."Two males, the occupants of one of the properties, were injured.An 18-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to his leg and was taken to Westmead Hospital.A 17-year-old boy was treated for cuts at Auburn Hospital before being arrested. He was later released without charge."With this matter there's a tenuous, and I put it at the highest level as a tenuous, link to outlaw motorcycle gangs," a police spokesman said after Sunday's attack.Australian police arrested a senior biker-gang member on Tuesday (March 24) during a dawn raid in Sydney's west. Police confiscated two motorcycles from his home to check if they are licensed. He has also been charged for possession of a loaded gun and will face court. The police raid came after a spate of drive-by shootings, which sparked fears of a war between rival biker gangs in Sydney. A man was bludgeoned to death during a violent brawl at Sydney's domestic airport terminal on Sunday (March 22) allegedly involving tens of
bikers from different gangs Comancheros and Bandidos. Australian authorities promised a crackdown on gang violence on Monday (March 23) after the incident.
Four men were charged with affray after the brawl on Sunday. A 2006 Australian Crime Commission report found there were 35 outlaw motorcycle gangs in Australia, with 3,500 members. Police have blamed club defections for escalating violence including
drive-by shootings at Sydney nightclubs, the firebombing of one gang's clubhouse, and shots fired into the tattoo shop of the Nomads national president. In South Australia, police have been empowered to dismantle gang headquarters and force members to account for any unexplained wealth or income.
Mother and son have escaped injury during the latest in the spate of Sydney drive-by shootings, police said today.The pair were inside their Sartor Avenue home at Bossley Park in Sydney's west about 10pm (AEDT) last night when the property was showered with gunfire. "Several shots were fired into the home, penetrating the front of the house," police said. "Two occupants - a man and a woman - were at home at the time. However neither were injured in the incident." Investigators are yet to confirm if the incident is related to a similar attack on the same day that sent two men to hospital. At about 1am (AEDT) yesterday afternoon at Auburn, in Sydney's west, seven houses in three streets were sprayed with gunfire. An 18-year-old man was shot in the leg and a 17-year-old male was treated for lacerations and then arrested but later released. Police are investigating if outlaw motorcycle gangs are to blame for the Sunday morning attack.
Read More...Four men have been charged following the brawl at the Qantas domestic air terminal, which began in the terminal's secure area and ended at the public check-in counters. Sydney Airport Four men were charged in connection with the violence that occurred midday Sunday in front of dozens of terrified travelers.
The fight erupted in one of the airport's two domestic terminals when a group of suspected gang members was ambushed by another group from a rival gang as they disembarked from a flight.
Witnesses to the fighting said it was brutal."They came running through picking up the big metal barrier poles and swinging them like swords at each other," Naomi Constantine told the ABC. "I saw one of the men lying on the ground and another man came up with a pole and just started smashing it into his head."
State authorities held urgent meetings Monday to consider introducing tougher laws against biker gangs, amid fears of an escalating gang war that has included drive-by shootings and a blast outside a fortified Hell's Angel's clubhouse.New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees announced the state police anti-gang squad would be boosted to 125 members from its current 50 in response to the violence and ordered it to focus on the rising violence between biker gangs.Sen. Bill Heffernan, a senior opposition lawmaker, said the fight suggested there were serious holes in Sydney Airport's security and that a Senate committee should investigate."It doesn't say much for the millions of dollars we have spent on airport security, nor does it say much in the event of a (real) terrorist attack what would happen," Heffernan told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.Police said 15 men were involved in the violence, which rampaged from the ground floor up one level to the departures hall before most of the men fled.The four suspects were arrested away from the airport. They were charged with fighting in a public place, but not with any crime connected to causing a death. An investigation was still under way to determine the cause of death of the man killed, police said.Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty admitted the violence took them by surprise but said police officers responded quickly to emergency phone calls for help."The police can't be everywhere all the time and this is an event that could have happened anywhere in Australia," Keelty told reporters.Police have not identified the gangs suspected in the violence.
Rees said he would consider new laws to crack down on biker gangs with measures such as banning clubhouses and meetings of more than two or three gang members. Officials likened the measures to counterterrorism laws."These people have got to understand that's not the sort of behavior we tolerate in Australia and we'll be doing whatever we can to give police whatever powers they need to be able to stamp this out," state Police Minister Tony Kelly said.
Warring bikers brawled through Australia's largest airport Sunday, beating one suspected gang member to death and brandishing metal poles "like swords" as they rampaged through the main domestic terminal in front of terrified travelers."A fight ensued, the fight moved through various parts of the terminal," said Police Detective Inspector Peter Williams. He said 15 men were involved in the violence, which rampaged from the ground floor up one level to the departures hall before most of the men fled.Williams said one man died in a hospital from head injuries after the brawl, which appeared to bear out warnings of an impending biker war in Sydney."They came running through picking up the big metal barrier poles and swinging them like swords at each other," witness Naomi Constantine told the Australian Broadcasting Corp."I saw one of the men lying on the ground and another man came up with a pole and just started smashing it into his head," she said.Four men were arrested, Williams said. The others escaped, some of them by hailing taxis, local media reported. No charges were immediately laid.
Australia Police said a group of suspected gang members was ambushed as they disembarked from an airplane.
Searches of two dozen homes in Fillmore this morning led to nine arrests on suspicion of crimes involving firearms, drugs and stolen property.All of the arrested suspects are documented gang members, said Capt. Frank O’Hanlon of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. The searches started at 7 a.m., involved residences of people on probation and are performed fairly regularly, he said.
“I think this was a little more productive than the norm in that we recovered at least two firearms that I’m aware of and some dangerous drugs,” O’Hanlon said. “Anytime we can remove those items from the hands of gang members, it’s a benefit to the community at large.”A 17-year-old resident from River Street in Fillmore was arrested for suspicion of possessing a loaded 9 mm semi-automatic weapon, according to the Sheriff’s Department. Jose Ruiz, 21, of Fillmore was arrested on suspicion of possessing a loaded .25 caliber semi-automatic handgun. Both suspects were also arrested on suspicion of the gang crime of street terrorism.
Three of the suspects were juveniles and their names were not released. All of the people arrested are Fillmore residents. They include: Antonio Izarraraz, 21; Rosa Aguilar, 21; Armando Magallon, 29; Jamie Ambriz, 26; and Jose Aguilar, 21.
Izarraraz was arrested on suspicion of felony possession of stolen property. Rosa Aguilar, Magallon and Ambriz were arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of narcotics. Jose Aguilar and two 17-year-olds were arrested on suspicion of probation violations.
Bensler revoked Roberts' bail on two grounds: a concern he may reoffend and that allowing him to remain in the community while facing such serious charges may bring the administration of justice into disrepute.Roberts faces four counts each of attempted murder and discharging a firearm with intention to endanger life for the Nov. 16 shootout with a rival gang.
Read More...Three defendants have been convicted of virtually all counts against them in a triple murder case stemming from a gang shooting in southeast Bakersfield. The three defendants each face a life prison term. It took hours to read the complicated verdicts against Joseph Dixon, 24, Cory Johnson, 21, and David Lee, 22.
There was a heavy police presence as the verdicts were unsealed in the court of Judge Gary T. Friedman. Authorities say the men shot and killed 19-year-old Vanessa Alcala and 21-year-old James Wallace as they sat in an SUV on McNew Court in southeast Bakersfield in April 2008. Alcala's unborn child also died in the attack.Alcala was sitting in a vehicle when two men walked up and opened fire at the car and a nearby house. She was shot in the head. A bullet struck Wallace in the chest.
Donte McDaniel Los Angeles gang member has been sentenced to death for killing another gangster and the man's cousin in what prosecutors say was a drug dispute. Twenty-nine-year-old Donte McDaniel was sentenced Friday in Superior Court. A judge denied defense motions for a new trial and to reduce the jury's death sentence recommendation to life in prison without parole. McDaniel was convicted last April of shooting 33-year-old George Brooks and Brooks' 52-year-old cousin Annette Anderson at her Watts apartment in 2004. McDaniel was also convicted of attempted murder for shooting two other women in the apartment. His attorney John Daley said the jury thought it was cheaper to kill defendants than house them.
Read More...The incident reportedly occurred at Hi-Knoll Park off Colebrook Road (50th Avenue) and 196th Street, where a resident discovered a body around 6 a.m.First responders confirmed the victim was dead and IHIT was called in. The integrated police dog service conducted a search of the area.Police said the victim was a 33-year-old Langley male. They did not release his name pending notification of next of kin, but police said he was not known to them.Cpl. Dale Carr of IHIT said the shooting “has the signature of being targeted.” But he added, “At this time the police have not made any conclusive links to drugs, gangs or organized crime. As the investigation progresses, that may become clearer.”Forensic teams were examining the scene and police were canvassing the neighbourhood. The RCMP E Division dive team was searching a marsh area below the crime scene.A gold-coloured van sat in a parking lot at the centre of the crime scene. A body covered by a tarp could be seen near the driver’s side rear wheel.Witnesses said they heard up to eight gunshots. Colebrook Road was closed between 192nd and 200th streets as police investigated.The shooting was the second in the area since last Saturday, when a 36-year-old woman was found dead by the side of the road. She has been identified as Laura Lynn Lamoureux, and was known to police.Meanwhile, another shooting apparently occurred in Vancouver’s Yaletown on Wednesday night, leading to multiple 911 calls about shots being fired on Marinaside Crescent near Drake Street.
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Dennis Karbovanec moved away from Port Moody Wednesday and notified the police department as required by his bail conditions on a series of fraud chargesKarbovanec's associate Jonathan Bacon is still living in Port Moody, but also expected to move shortly.
"I am relieved and the residents of Port Moody are very relieved," Trasolini said of Karbovanec's departure. "The community of Port Moody is safe and I said from the beginning that these individuals are not welcome. He said he has not been told where Karbovanec has moved.Last month, the mayor and police officials publicly warned that Karbovanec was living in their community and anyone around him could be at risk because he had been targeted by rivals.
Trasolini said Thursday that his residents have been very patient and vigilant during the difficult two months since Karbovanec came to town."I really want to acknowledge the residents," he said.
The close associate of the Bacon brothers was shot Dec. 31, but survived and refused to cooperate with police.
Karbovanec is out on bail in the fraud case as well as a series of gun charges laid after Abbotsford police stopped him in October and allegedly found a loaded handgun with silencer in a secret compartment in his vehicle.He was wearing body armour.The two younger Bacon brothers - Jarrod and Jamie - are also out on bail and living at their parents' Abbotsford home.All four men have been tailed by marked and unmarked police vehicles for two months because of an escalation in Metro Vancouver's gang war that has led to several of their associates being targeted.Associate Kevin LeClair was gunned down Feb. 6 in Langley and another close friend, Tyler Willock, was shot at Feb. 16 in Surrey and later beaten with a sledge hammer. He remains in hospital.The Bacons and their Red Scorpion associates have been targeted by the UN gang since at least last spring when police issued the first public warning to steer clear of the gangsters in public settings.Port Moody residents are breathing a sigh of relief after reports that a notorious resident has left their community. Police here confirm that Dennis Karbovanec -- alleged to be a member of the Red Scorpions gang -- is no longer living in the Vancouver suburb. Karbovanec had been under constant police surveillance in Port Moody after being targeted for death by a rival gang. That's because police were concerned about the public's safety. Karbovanec had been living at this high-rise condo for several months. On Wednesday, he informed police as required by the courts that he would be moving out of the area. Port Moody Mayor Joe Trasolini said he is pleased. "I'm smiling because there has been a lot of pressure on the residents of Port Moody, a lot of frustration on a small but active community." Trasolini said. "Were used to having very safe neighbourhoods and this put a bit of a cloud over that lifestyle. And I'm relieved that threat is gone."
However, police have not revealed the location of Karbovanec's new home.
Police said the 10 arrests over this week were all associated with the 13th Street Gang."The particular street gang we're talking about is not only these individuals on this page, and I think that's important to remember," said Sgt. Dennis McWilliams.Investigators said they think the arrests will put a dent in gang violence in the city.Operation Ceasefire is a cooperative effort between Fort Pierce police and the state attorney's office. The charges range from directing activities of a criminal street gang to aggravated assault with intent to kill to tampering with a witness."Our hope is by taking some of these violent people off the streets that have been tampering with witnesses, it will open up the doors for us in these other investigations and allow some community members that we know have information to come forward and know that we're going to do what we have to in order to protect them and keep them safe," Baldwin said.
Police are hoping the community can help them find two suspects who are still at large -- Harry Lee Cooper Jr. and Willie Works Jr.Investigators are also trying to find out who shot and killed 18-year-old Demetrius Wells March 7 and 16-year-old Torenda Youngblood at his school bus stop March 9."We absolutely have leads in those cases, and we're still extremely confident we're going to be able to solve those cases," Baldwin said. "I believe these arrests today are going to help us solve those cases."Baldwin added that he believes they have the leader of the 13th Street Gang, but wouldn't say if that person was one of the 10 they just arrested.The state attorney's office pointed out that some of the suspects could face mandatory life sentences -- meaning there would be no chance they'd ever get out of prison.
Oscar "Taz" Fuentes, 28, of Huntington Station, and Julio Chavez, 23, of Huntington, killed Maurice Parker, 21, in a random drive-by shooting in front of a Flushing storefront on May 18, 2007, to maintain and increase their position in MS-13, an international gang with roots in El Salvador and a strong presence in Queens and on Long Island."Prosecutors said.On a night when gang members decided to go hunting for a victim on the streets of Queens, Maurice Parker was murdered simply for standing in the wrong place at the wrong time," said U.S. Attorney Benton Campbell. "These gangs have no place in our communities."Fuentes, whom prosecutors described as the New York gang leader in a press release, was wheeled into his arraignment handcuffed to a wheelchair, slumped over and appearing disheveled. Prosecutors said he had resisted coming to court, but Fuentes said he wanted to represent himself and plead guilty."I make my choice, your honor," he told Judge Sandra Townes. "If I make something wrong, something illegal, I want to pay for it."Fuentes' lawyer, Michael Hurwitz, questioned his client's competence and asked for a psychiatric exam. Townes refused to accept the guilty plea, entering not-guilty on his behalf, and persuaded him to allow Hurwitz and a court-appointed death-penalty specialist to represent him until the Justice Department decides if it is going to seek his execution.Both Fuentes and Chavez, who will be arraigned later, have been imprisoned since last year. Hurwitz said Fuentes has been facing a gun charge and he has also been pushing to plead guilty on that count.Prosecutors said Parker was shot six times, including three times in the head, by Chavez and another unnamed gang member while Fuentes was driving them.Parker's mother and other family members were in court Thursday. They declined to comment, but a family adviser, the Rev. Nicholas Tweed of the Macedonia AME Church in Flushing, said, "I'm not in favor of the death penalty, and neither is the mother."
Read More...Police say two drive-by shootings in western Sydney overnight may be linked to a feud involving bikie gang Notorious.The Notorious crime gang has emerged only with in the past couple of years and allegedly has links to the drugs trade in inner-Sydney areas such as Kings Cross and the Oxford Street nightclub district. No one was injured in the shootings - at homes in Doonside and Prospect - but several bullets pierced both homes. A couple in their 60s were asleep in the Doonside house at the time of the shooting while six people, including a 15-year-old and a four-month-old child, were in the Prospect house.
Detective Superintendent Mal Lanyon, commander of the Gang Squad, said the shootings could be linked and the homes targeted could also be linked to criminal groups.
"We believe there could be links between the two premises and known criminal groups," he said. He then identified Notorious, the Kings Cross bikie club, as that group, but would not say if he believed its members had been victims or the offenders in last night's shootings. Detective Superintendent Lanyon said police had taken "a number of steps to address retaliation" between bikie gangs, who have been linked to a string of drive by shootings in the past six months. He said he was aware that pride was one of the factors involved in the feuds. "There's always tension and conflict between rival gangs ... that's the reason we take outlaw motorcycle gangs seriously ... that's why police have a dedicated gangs squad."
A short time after the shootings police found a stolen gold coloured four-wheel-drive on fire in a nearby street. Police believe it may have been involved in both shootings and appealed to the public to contact them if they had seen the vehicle last night. The four-wheel-drive's number plate was API 23G.
what appears to have been a gang-related incident, a young man was shot and wounded Wednesday afternoon outside an apartment complex on Arastradero Road in Palo Alto.Police spent the evening searching for Daniel Gil-Fernandez, the 19-year-old suspect whom witnesses saw running into the Arastradero Park Apartments just after the victim was hit, around 3 p.m. Gil-Fernandez, who lived in the complex with his family, was fired from his job at Round Table Pizza two weeks ago, and police said he claimed affiliation with the Nortenos gang.He was gone when authorities searched the apartments and remained at large, possibly armed, as of 10 p.m., Palo Alto police Agent Dan Ryan said. He was described as Hispanic, about six feet tall and 190 pounds, and was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans.The victim, identified by a relative as Francisco Alvarez, 20, was seen running down Maybell Avenue toward El Camino Real after the shooting, witnesses said. Authorities found him near a Walgreens on the corner at about 3:15 p.m., shirtless and bleeding from the torso and groin. He was taken to Stanford Hospital, where he was in stable condition Wednesday evening, Palo Alto police Agent Dan Ryan said. The bullet wounds suggested he was shot at least twice with a small-caliber handgun.
Ryan declined to confirm the victim's identity, though he said it appeared he and Gil-Fernandez had met before.
Palo Alto's last shooting, which was fatal, was near city hall in July 2008. The shooting prompted a brief lockdown of nearby Gunn High School and Juana Briones Elementary School. The 500 block of Maybell Avenue was roped off with police tape throughout the afternoon, as were portions of the Arastradero Park Apartments.
Alvarez, the victim, had gotten out of prison just two weeks ago, according to a close relative, whose identity police asked the Daily News not to disclose. The family moved to Palo Alto from San Jose "because we thought it was a good, nice place," she said.
Instead, she went on, Alvarez was shot Wednesday in front of his 3-year-old brother after taking him to a park near their home. He was getting ready to go for a run, she said, because he had gained weight in the year he spent in prison and was trying to get fit again. She did not witness the shooting and couldn't say why Alvarez might have been targeted. Police said it appeared the victim had first been shot at in a courtyard of the apartment complex, then again in the back driveway off Maybell, with about eight shots in total fired. When authorities found him, he had little to say about who had attacked him or why. "He wasn't very helpful to police," Ryan said.Relatives said Gil-Fernandez stopped into his apartment, where he lived with his mother, father and brothers, some time after 2 p.m. to take a shower and make some phone calls. They heard several loud booms outside not long after he left, but didn't connect them with Gil-Fernandez. They said they hadn't seen him since. But soon after, police arrived at their door with shotguns and ordered everyone to get on the floor.One of his close relatives, who asked that his name not be published, described Gil-Fernandez as a troubled "black sheep" who had been arrested before, but only for misdemeanors. "He's a good kid, a great kid, but he has this other side," the relative said, adding that he appeared to have gotten involved in drugs and gangs. After attending local schools, he dropped out of Gunn High School as a senior.A manager at Round Table Pizza on nearby California Avenue said Gil-Fernandez worked there until about two weeks ago, when he was fired after getting into an argument with the owner.
Crime Line tip this morning led police to a fugitive wanted in a racketeering conspiracy that authorities say was carried out by a local faction of the Bloods gang.The indictments in the case in U.S. District Court were announced by Newport News police on Friday. Ten suspects were arrested, and the 11th was arrested this morning after police got a Crime Line tip about 10:15 a.m., Newport News police said.The tip led officers to Rickey Rice, who was arrested at 11:10 a.m. in the 7300 block of River Road, a police statement said.The racketeering conspiracy includes murders, attempted murders and the torching of a police substation. The gang called itself the “Dump Squad” and other names.
Read More...Prosecutor Barbro Joensson was driving to work when a bomb exploded at the front door of her house, rocking her whole neighbourhood and sending shockwaves through traditionally serene Sweden."It is very hard to describe how I felt when I heard what happened. I think I still haven't grasped how serious it was," Joensson, 53, told AFP more than a year after the attack.She was prosecuting a high-profile case against a violent criminal gang called the Wolfpack Brotherhood and had just left her home in the southwestern town of Trollhaettan on November 20, 2007, when the blast ripped off the front door and shattered the hallway.Two young gang members were remanded in custody just over a month ago on suspicion they planted the bomb, which could have killed Joensson had she been at home.The bombing -- one of the first overt attacks on a Swedish prosecutor -- prompted calls to root out the swelling criminal gangs that have smashed the Scandinavian country's tranquil image.
The gangs have caused a spike in a number of crimes, including extortion and loan-sharking -- a gang specialty -- which have jumped from 740 cases reported in 2003 to 1,715 last year, according to preliminary statistics from the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention.Police say it is difficult to estimate the number and size of criminal gangs in Sweden since membership can vary from day to day, but media reports indicate around 1,000 people are actively involved in at least six large criminal gangs with numerous branches across the country.Gangs make headlines almost daily with stories of drug busts, brutal attacks on business owners unable to pay off debts and bloody gang wars.
"This is a serious problem that has grown in recent years," Swedish Justice Minister Beatrice Ask told AFP."We used to be fairly sheltered in the Nordic countries, but unfortunately this problem has surfaced and we must react very forcefully now or else this could be extremely serious in say 10 years," she cautioned.
Police also think that attacks like the one on Joensson constitute a novel and dangerous twist in Swedish gang activity."Attacks on the judiciary are a rather new and very serious phenomenon," said Klas Friberg, the police chief in the Vaestra Goetaland region that comprises Trollhaettan and Gothenburg.Joensson, who moved after the attack on her home and joined a police unit in Gothenburg working to fight gang crime, agreed."We risk having judges who don't dare to judge, prosecutors who are afraid to prosecute and police who refrain from making arrests," she said, adding that "if that happens the first bastion against these groups will fall."
Just four months after the Trollhaettan bombing, shots were fired at the home of another prosecutor in the region, Mats Mattsson, who had worked extensively on cases involving criminal motorcycle gangs like Bandidos.
The Outlaws,members of a motorcycle gang are locked up, charged with dealing millions of dollars worth of cocaine in the Wyoming Valley.The attorney general calls them members of a dangerous gang, a gang with some surprising members.
About 20 members of the Outlaw Motorcycle Club, the Wilkes-Barre chapter,are led by Joseph Janick. Investigators said there are outlaw clubs all over the country."Think of this as an illegal fraternity. If you were in a fraternity, you know there was an original chapter. They have the same type of structure," explained Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett.The alleged gang members are charged with dealing millions of dollarw worth of cocaine in the Wyoming Valley.Police said the gang's headquarters was a house in Ashley but they are accused of dealing drugs all over.
One of an accused gang members is John Gonda, a corrections officer at the Luzerne County jail, who is now charged with dealing cocaine in Wilkes-Barre.Investigators would not say if he dealt to inmates at the jail or to other jail employees.
"A corrections officer in my mind is part of the law enforcement community. When you have somebody in law enforcement, particuarly the Outlaws in this, it's probably the worse thing that could happen," Corbett added.Investigators seized weapons, drugs, gang paraphanalia and even motorcycles.They said they're glad the arrests are made, but they know this won't be the last drug gang they will come across in Luzerne County."It's the demand that has to be looked at. If the demand were down, then they would not sell their drugs here. I don't know if you would really call it shocking. It's something that you see and will probably continue to see," said Luzerne County District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll.Investigators used wiretaps to build their case against the Outlaw club members.
Louie Amaral, 18, of Somerset Street, South Providence, was arrested Tuesday and charged with the shooting last Thursday of Alvarez High School student Edwin Dilone, a 17-year-old believed to be associated with a rival gang, according to the police.
Amaral was ordered held on $125,000 surety bail for three charges: assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm without a license, and possession of a firearm while committing a crime of violence.He entered no plea, as is customary in District Court. He was ordered to have no contact with Dilone. Providence Police Detectives Michael Fallon and Daniel O'Connell arrested Amaral on Somerset Street Tuesday.Providence Police Maj. Thomas Oates said this morning that Amaral had been standing 6 feet from his friend Camerena at that March 7 birthday party when Camarena, 17, was shot and killed.The police did not want to identify the rival gangs. However Teny Gross, executive director of the Institute for the Study & Practice of Nonviolence, has said that Camerena was a member of M.O.P. (Members of Pine Street) which was feuding with C-Block, a gang from Congress Avenue in the Elmwood section of Providence.The Providence police said Tuesday that Dilone remained hospitalized in serious condition at Rhode Island Hospital. Rhdoe Island Hospital today said it does not have any information on a patient by the name of Edwin Dilone.Police probation officers, schools, and the community are trying to curb the simmering gang rivalry.Since the two shootings, the police and the South Side community are getting out into the neighborhood, working to keep a gang feud from boiling over.
