Gangs U.S.A.

Gangland reports from around the nation

26 arrested in West Oakland anti-gang sweep

San Francisco Chronicle
Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer Friday, May 21, 2010

(05-20) 16:23 PDT OAKLAND -- More than two dozen members of a West Oakland street gang were arrested Thursday as part of a crackdown on drug activity, authorities said. At least 26 people were arrested and several guns were seized as police served 12 search warrants targeting members of the Ghost Town gang. The arrests capped a five-month investigation dubbed Operation Ghostbusters that targeted the gang and its numerous subsets, said Oakland Deputy Police Chief Jeff Israel. "We have had a huge impact on the Ghost Town gang, in effect turning Ghost Town into a ghost town," Israel said. "We're not leaving this area. We're never again going to let these Ghost Town gang members take this area back." Members of the gang are responsible for numerous crimes, including murder, assault, robbery, carjacking and narcotics and weapons offenses, police said.

Although the gang's turf is generally bounded by 25th and 35th streets, Martin Luther King Jr. Way and West Street, violence caused by its members has spread to different parts of Oakland as well as to Richmond and Berkeley, police said. "Suspected Ghost Town members have held the community captive for several years by fear of violence and intimidation," said Assistant Police Chief Howard Jordan. In 2008, police carried out a similar operation against the Acorn gang in West Oakland. "Acorn does still have a gang, but it is considerably less active, less violent than it was two years ago when we began that operation," said police Capt. Anthony Toribio.

Fourth reluctant witness jailed in Sacramento gang shooting trial

The Sacramento Bee By Andy Furillo Published: Saturday, May. 22, 2010 Local judges have now jailed four teenagers as material witnesses in a contentious gang murder trial that is about to get under way in Sacramento Superior Court. Judge Michael A. Savage upped the number on Friday on a request from a defense lawyer who has now obtained three such holding orders. A fourth jailed witness was locked up on the request of the prosecution. None of the witnesses, two of whom are juveniles, has any other charges pending. All are being held in lieu of $1 million bail. "It's outrageous," said local defense attorney C. Emmett Mahle, who is representing one of the four. "There should be a better way of going about this. They're forfeiting my client's liberty and he hasn't done anything wrong." The jailings have taken place in the upcoming gang-related murder trial of Marvel Montreal Barksdale, 17, who is being tried as an adult in the Aug. 22, 2008, shooting death of Robert Haynes, 16, at a Meadowview house party.
Barksdale's lawyer, Chris Cosca, said he requested the three witnesses be detained because "all of them were present at the scene of this shooting, all of them have important facts to share that the jury needs to hear about the shooting and who was shooting first, and all of them have failed to appear as ordered by the court."

Mahle said in his 25 years of practicing law in Sacramento he's never heard of a single case that produced four material witness jailings.

But as much as any other in recent Sacramento history, the Barksdale case has highlighted the distrust of the legal system harbored by young people inside or on the fringes of the street gang subculture and the fear of getting hurt if they don't adhere to the code of the streets. At the same time, the case demonstrates how tough the criminal justice apparatus is prepared to get to force witnesses to show up in court. "The objective is to assure that the criminal justice system in a particular trial has the necessary evidence to assess whether the charges are true," said Ruth Jones, a McGeorge School of Law professor and former prosecutor in New York City. Savage on Friday ordered Angel Jose Gonzales, 18, held until he testifies in the Barksdale trial, which resumes Monday with jury selection. The judge had previously released Gonzales when he promised to testify. When Gonzales failed to show up for a witness identification hearing May 10, a bench warrant went out for his arrest. "I'm sorry, Mr. Gonzales," Savage said from the bench Friday when he ordered the witness into custody. "I don't trust you because you already lied to me once." Prosecutors charged Barksdale with gunning down Haynes in the Detroit Avenue party house, during a shootout between the Guttah Boys and Fourth Avenue Bloods gangs. Three other teens also were injured at the party attended by at least 50 people. Cosca countered that there is a major dispute over who shot first and whether his client fired the bullet that killed Haynes. In court papers Friday, Cosca said that Gonzales, a friend of Haynes, has evidence that the victim pulled out his gun just before the shooting. "It would be great if everyone would just follow the rules and come to court as ordered," Cosca said. "Some witnesses do and some witnesses have chosen not to, repeatedly." Gonzales' attorney, Jennifer Moncrieff, said in court that her client "is scared to testify in this matter." In an interview, she said it is "an understandable sentiment" that young people like Gonzales don't want to put their safety on the line, especially if it could put a friend in prison. "I believe people should follow the court process and show up when they're ordered to do so," Moncrieff said. "However, I think there are extenuating circumstances sometimes when somebody cannot comply because they are too afraid to show up in court." Mahle's client, John Smith, 18, has no other criminal record, the lawyer said. In court papers, Cosca said Smith was overheard in a cell phone conversation at the police station naming a friend of Barksdale's as the person who shot Haynes. The other two witnesses jailed on warrants in the case are juveniles. One of them, Larry Henderson, 16, has been in custody since Feb. 25 on a motion by the prosecution.

"It's a legal process that both sides can use," Deputy District Attorney Leland Washington said Friday. In an interview with police, Henderson, a member of Barksdale's gang, identified the defendant as the person who fired what authorities believe was the fatal shot. Henderson's family claims that he was subjected to death threats as a result of his being identified as a witness in the case and that gunmen twice tried to shoot him.

MS-13 member gets life sentence for murder of rival Fairfax gang member
The Washington Post
By Tom Jackman | May 21, 2010; 4:00 PM ET

A member of the street gang Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, was sentenced to life plus ten years in prison Friday for his role as a gang leader and getaway driver in the slaying of a rival gang member in Fairfax County in 2007. Carlos Bladimir Montoya, 26, of Sterling, headed an MS-13 clique called Unidos Locos Salvatrucha, and was part of a group that searched for Melvin Reyes, reputedly a member of the 18th Street gang. On May 5, 2007, at the Springfield Garden apartments on Commerce Street in the Springfield area, they found Reyes. Two fellow gang members chased Reyes and shot him seven times, evidence showed. Fairfax police took the case to federal authorities, who have made fighting street gangs in Northern Virginia a priority. Last year, the two gunmen in the case, Sergio Amador Amador and Oscar Lobo Lopez, also were convicted and received life sentences. A jury convicted Montoya in January of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering activity, aiding and abetting murder in aid of racketeering activity, and aiding and abetting the use of a firearm during a crime of violence causing death. U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton imposed the life term on Friday. In the past year, four MS-13 gang members have received life sentences for killing rival gang members, U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride said in a press release Friday. Were determined to put an end to gang violence and punish those responsible. -- Tom Jackman

Alleged gang member is convicted of murder in 49th Street Massacre

Charles Ray Smith, 41, was convicted in the shooting deaths of three people, including a 10-year-old boy, in South L.A. in 2006. He was armed with an AK-47 assault rifle.
By Jack Leonard, Los Angeles Times
May 18, 2010

An alleged gang member was convicted Monday of murdering three people, including a 10year-old boy, on a quiet South L.A. street in an attack that became known as the 49th Street Massacre. Charles Ray Smith, 41, repeatedly shook his head as the verdicts were read in a packed downtown L.A. courtroom. In the audience behind him, the mother of the 10-year-old victim wept quietly. David Marcial had been riding his bicycle with his 12-year-old brother outside their South L.A. home on a warm June afternoon in 2006 when two gunmen opened fire. Among those killed in the attack were David, his uncle, Larry Marcial, 22, and a neighbor of the Marcial family, Luis Cervantes, 17. David's brother was shot but survived. The slayings shocked the city and were part of a series of high-profile interracial gang crimes that stoked fears of a possible race war. The gunmen were described as black; the victims were Latino. Police said the dead were not connected to gangs but that they suspected the attackers were. But prosecutors argued during the trial that race had little to do with the killings. They said the gunmen, armed with AK-47 assault rifles, mistook the victims as rival gang members in a bloody feud between two local gangs. Jurors deadlocked in a trial on the charges last year. This time, a new jury deliberated about two weeks before finding Smith guilty of murder and attempted murder in the attack. The panel also found him guilty of fatally shooting a construction worker three months before the 49th Street killings. The jury now must decide whether Smith should receive the death penalty. Jurors deadlocked 10-2 in favor of convicting Ryan T. Moore, 36, who prosecutors said was the second gunman in the 49th Street shooting. Superior Court Judge David S. Wesley declared a mistrial in Moore's case. Deputy Dist. Atty. Bobby Grace said his office had yet to decide whether to seek a third trial of Moore. The prosecution's case against both defendants revolved around a key witness, Alicia Merceron, who admitted driving the car in the two killings. She identified Smith as a gunman in both shootings and testified that Moore was the second shooter in the 49th Street killings.

Defense attorneys accused Merceron, 26, of lying to save herself from the death penalty or a lengthy prison term. In exchange for her testimony, prosecutors allowed her to plead guilty to manslaughter, and she is expected to be sentenced to seven years in prison.

Los Angeles: Gang member convicted of assault weapon murders, other counts
Wire update.com Monday, May 17th, 2010 By Phyllis Meehan LOS ANGELES Jurors today convicted a 41-year-old gang member of capital murder for a 2006 assault-rifle rampage against four people, including two children, in front of a south Los Angeles home. Charles Ray Smith was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder for the 2006 slayings of David Marcial, 10; his 22-year-old uncle, Larry Marcial; and a neighbor, Luis Cervantes, 17. Smith also was convicted of the attempted, willful, deliberate and premeditated attempted murder of Sergio Marcial Jr., 12, who was wounded but survived. Jurors found true special circumstance allegations that the defendant was an active participant in a criminal street gang and that he committed multiple murders. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Wesley said the penalty phase of the trial will begin May 24. Smith also was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit murder as to the events leading up to the attack. He also was convicted of the first-degree murder of Bani Yair Hinojosa on March 31, 2006, in an unrelated incident. Jurors found true gang and gun use allegations as to the murder and attempted murder counts. The jury, which deliberated for two weeks, declared itself deadlocked 10-2 for guilt on a second defendant, Ryan T. Moore, 36. The District Attorneys Office has not determined at this time whether it will seek to retry Moore. On June 30, 2006, Smith, a member of the Rolling 30 Pirus gang, emerged from a vehicle and opened fire with an AK-47 assault rifle in front of a single family residence where victims David and Sergio Marcial were riding their bicycles, and Larry Marcial and Luis Cervantes were listening to music. Smith, who went to the area seeking rival gang members, shot approximately 38 rounds at the victims, prosecutors said. None of the victims was involved in gangs.

Daniel C. Miller, 20, sentenced to life in prison

Life in prison for gang shooting

By Leia Mendoza WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Published Thursday May 13, 2010

Daniel C. Miller was sentenced Thursday to life in prison in the west Omaha shooting death of a rival gang member. The life sentence was mandatory for first-degree murder. Douglas County District Judge John Hartigan also sentenced Miller to 10 years for using a weapon to commit a felony. Before giving out the sentence, Hartigan denied Miller's motion for a new trial. A jury of five men and seven women found Miller, 20, guilty in March, rejecting Miller's version that he shot 18-year-old Julius Robinson in June 2008 in self-defense during a dispute between Millard-area gangs near 128th and Q streets. Robinson's mom, Durra "Renee" Robinson, also said a few words. "Julius needs some justice," she told Hartigan. "I lost my baby." Miller showed no emotion during the hearing and walked silently out of the courtroom. Miller's attorney, Greg Abboud, said the case still "has a lot of merit on appeal." He said it was a case of self-defense and he plans to take the case to the Nebraska Supreme Court. "(Miller) is very optimistic and he's hoping for the day that he can tell his story," Abboud said.

Robinson's father, Harry Youngblood, said that although he was pleased with the sentence, it's hard to move on. "It hurts me every day," he said. "It still ain't right. It's messed up." Witnesses testified during the trial that two gangs had planned to meet for a fight. Members had been feuding since Robinson broke off from Miller's gang the Omaha Mafia Bloods and formed his own gang. Fry, one of Miller's close friends, accused Robinson of stealing $500. Witnesses said that Robinson and others had just begun to rush toward the car in which Miller was riding. Miller shot twice with a .357-caliber Magnum hitting Robinson once. Prosecutors John Alagaban and Jim Masteller pointed out that Miller had several options short of shooting. Miller had contended that Robinson had a gun, but other witnesses said he was carrying only a small novelty bat.

Reputed gang members exchange gun fire

Los Angeles Times May 6, 2010 | 7:42 pm

A gun battle erupted near Dockweiler State Beach on Thursday afternoon after reputed gang members came to the coast in a rented stretch Hummer limousine to celebrate so-called Hood Day, according to police. Two people were injured -- one hit by gunfire and another struck and dragged by the limo after it was riddled with bullet holes, the Los Angeles Police Department said. The Hummer had ferried about eight reputed gang members, along with several female companions, to the beach to celebrate the founding of their group, the LAPD said.

Police said the violence broke out after the group encountered rival gang members about 3 p.m. near the 7300 block of Vista del Mar Lane. Words were exchanged, a scuffle broke out and shots were fired, the LAPD said. "There was a little bit of a gunfight," said Sgt. Ron Pickering of the LAPD's Pacific Division. "People scattered and the limo driver took off."

The vehicle was hit by about half a dozen bullets, police said. As the vehicle left, it struck and dragged a man. His name was not released. He was in critical condition. Another victim, described as a male in his 30s, was shot in the chest and was in stable condition, according to police. Police stopped the Hummer on the 105 Freeway east of Vermont Avenue in South Los Angeles. About eight suspected members of the Blood Stone Villains and Compton Piru gangs and several female friends were inside, according to the LAPD. Pickering said the driver was detained and several other people were booked on outstanding warrants not related to the shooting. The case was under investigation.

Latest Long Beach murder believed to be gang-related

By Tracy Manzer, Staff Writer Posted: 05/06/2010 06:27:07 PM PDT LONG BEACH - Police are investigating the city's third homicide in as many days, and the second believed to be tied to gang violence. The latest killing occurred early Thursday near 14th Street and Chestnut Avenue, where a 20-year-old Long Beach man was gunned down in what appears to be a gang-related attack, police said. Long Beach patrol officers were called to the intersection at about 1:11 a.m. and found the victim, who had been shot in the torso, said Officer Israel Ramirez, a Long Beach Police Department spokesman. The victim was was rushed by Long Beach Fire Department paramedics to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries, police said.

The motive for the slaying remains under investigation and there was no suspect information available Thursday. The victim's name was being withheld until authorities could notify his family, Ramirez said. Thursday's shooting comes on the heels of a fatal shooting at 1:15 a.m. Wednesday in the 2100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard that left a 30-year-old Long Beach man dead; and a shooting shortly before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, that left 25-year-old Lee Kinikini of Long Beach dead. Kinikini was shot several times in the upper body and pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The preliminary investigation showed Kinikini was standing in a driveway when he was approached by a lone person. The shooter shot him several times before fleeing on foot south down a nearby alley, police said. It was unknown if Tuesday's slaying was gang-related, though Wednesday's killing is believed to be tied to gangs, police said. Anyone with information on any of the killings is urged to call the Homicide Detail at 562-570-7244.

Trial starts in alleged gang shooting

By TERRY VAU DELL-Staff Writer Posted: 05/06/2010 10:38:30 PM PDT

OROVILLE A Biggs woman recounted on the witness stand Thursday being wounded in a nighttime drive-by shooting at her residence on Jan. 11, 2009, that prosecutors allege was gang-related. Jose Odilon Melchor, then 27, of Yuba City, and Alejandro Antonio Magana, 21, of Biggs, could face life-in-prison sentences if convicted of identical charges of shooting at an occupied dwelling, and causing great bodily injury in furtherance of a criminal street gang. The pair's attorneys claim police arrested the wrong people based on either inaccurate or speculative eyewitness statements and asked the sevenwoman, five-man Butte County Superior Court jury Thursday to acquit Melchor and Magana. Walking slowly to the witness stand, the shooting victim, Emily Esquivel, acknowledged that she was unable to identify who was in a blue pickup,

which she believed to be Magana's, circling her Second Street house four times before at least two shots were fired from the vehicle. The victim said, prior to the shooting, she heard someone in the truck yell gang slogan "Norteo," and curse at several young people in front of her house, including her teenage son. "I saw flame coming from the front of the truck (directed) towards me. ... The bullet hit me in the chest ... and I hit the wall," she told the jury. The bullet exited from her shoulder and lodged in a wall near the front door where she was standing. Two other slugs were pulled from the same area of the house, according to police reports. In opening remarks to the jury Thursday, deputy district attorney Kurt Worley said he wouldn't be able to prove who the shooter was, noting that some witnesses told police that a third man had risen up and fired the shots from the bed of Magana's pickup. Under the law, the prosecutor argued that Melchor and Magana were equally liable for the drive-by shooting under an aiding-and-abetting theory. Worley told the jury there also was some question as to who had been targeted that night, though he suggested the shooting may have been triggered by a recent break-up between Melchor and the victim's daughter. The daughter, Toni Monique Esquivel, 18 at the time of the crime, testified that when she broke up with Melchor about two weeks before the shooting he had told her, "I hurt now; you'll hurt later" a statement she said she didn't take as a threat at the time. She told the jury that although not a gang member herself, she had male friends within both the rival Norteo and Sureo street gangs, a fact which Melchor, an alleged Norteo, didn't like, she told the jury. In her initial police statements, the victim's daughter had identified her exboyfriend and Magana as being in the pickup during the drive-by shooting where her mother was wounded. But on the witness stand Thursday, she conceded it was too dark to see inside the vehicle to identify anyone, though a man dangling his arm out the right front passenger window was wearing a brown-checkered sweater identical to one that her ex-boyfriend had on when Melchor and Magana had driven in his blue Nissan pickup past a Biggs store where she was shopping earlier in the day.

Under cross-examination, Melchor's attorney, Grady Davis, got the victim's daughter to admit that she had never mentioned the sweater in prior statements to police. In his opening remarks to the jury, Davis said that several members of Melchor's family will testify that he was with them at their home in Yuba City on the he night of the shooting. Davis asserted that police had focused on Magana and Melchor from the outset based on inaccurate eyewitness statements, without ever attempting to investigate his client's alibi. Magana's lawyer, Dwight Samuel of Sacramento, contended that witnesses had changed their stories over time and had been influenced by what others claimed they saw or heard the night of the shooting. A ballistics' expert retained by the defense, Samuel said, will testify that it would have been "impossible ... to fire three times from a distance of about 44 feet at 60 miles per hour or more, '' the speed witnesses in the case variously estimated the pickup to be traveling at the time of the drive-by shooting. Moreover, Samuel argued that it was too dark outside that night for witnesses to accurately identify either the vehicle or its occupants. "The physical evidence clearly contradicts witnesses' statements," Magna's lawyer told the jury. Arguing that the police investigation had been "woefully inadequate," Melchor's lawyer urged the jurors to "keep an open mind and weigh the evidence critically." The trial resumes today and could be in the jury's hands by the end of next week

Gang expert: East Side shooting an unusual incident

The Wisconsin Journal Wednesday, May 5, 2010 The victim of a Madison shooting last week and his accused killer are members of West Coast-affiliated Latino gangs that are violent rivals in Los Angeles but usually work

together once they migrate to other parts of the country, according to a national gang expert. Operating outside of California, they normally would not be rivals, said Sgt. Richard Valdemar, a former Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department gang investigator who is now a security consultant and national speaker on gang activity. Antonio Perez, 19, was shot dead April 28 on the citys East Side after admitting he was a member of the Clanton 14 street gang, or C 14, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in the case. The precise gang affiliation of the alleged gunman, Ivan Mateo-Lozenzo, 21, was unclear Wednesday. Lester Moore, a Madison Police Department gang specialist, said Mateo-Lozenzo was a Sureo, a Spanish word for southerner and referring to members of Latino gangs in and around Los Angeles. Mateo-Lozenzo identified locally as a member of the South Side Carnales, Moore said. An amended Dane County criminal complaint filed Wednesday suggests those charged in connection with the murder may have been members of MS 13, or the notorious Mara Salvatrucha gang, while Texas authorities, who were searching for Mateo-Lozenzo in recent days, pegged him as a member of a Sur 13 street gang. Mateo-Lozenzo also known as Arain Gutierrez and Alberto Ramirez had the number 13 tattooed on his hand, according to Sgt. Kris Boneau, of the Port Arthur Police Department, which was searching for him Tuesday and Wednesday. Sur 13 can be used both as an umbrella term for all Latino gangs, including C 14, or the name of a specific gang, Valdemar said. Regardless, both Sur 13 and MS 13 are C 14 rivals in southern California, Valdemar said. Elsewhere, they normally would be friends, he said. This is consistent with how it works in California prisons, too, Valdemar said. Latino gang members who are rivals on the street form a coalition behind bars and dont fight each other, he said. Rather, they battle blacks, whites and northern California Latinos, he said. When Latino gangs travel to other parts of the U.S., such as Madison, they are basically in enemy territory and usually hang together, Valdemar said. That makes this incident unusual, he said.

40 gangs in Madison
Madison police estimate there are more than 1,100 confirmed gang members in Madison as of this month. The number of confirmed gangs in the city is around 40 and about 12 of those are the main Latino gangs, Moore said. I think that is a high number when you think about the size of the city, Moore said of the number of gang members. The department is absolutely seeing an increase in the amount of gang-related activity committed by Latino gangs, he said. Now what were having is an influx of West Coast-based Latino gangs, Moore said. The criminal complaint said when Perez was confronted last week by members of a rival gang he acknowledged being a member of C 14. He was immediately shot, witnesses told police, according to the complaint. The origins of the C 14 street gang date to at least the 1940s, Valdemar said. The name comes from the intersection of two streets Clanton and 14th in Los Angeles, he said. Many of its rival gangs have the number 13 in their names, he said. Valdemar, who retired in 2004 after spending most of his 33 years on the job combating gangs, said he was not surprised to hear the gangs are in Madison. Theyre spreading across the U.S., partly because of the influx of illegal aliens coming across our southern borders and partly because they can make more money on the illegal drug trade the farther east they go, he said. When they come into your community, they will recruit from local Hispanic gangs.

Corporate gangs organized

The gangs involved in this dispute sound like corporate gangs, as opposed to ad hoc gangs, or what some people call gang wannabes, said Dennis Dresang, a professor emeritus of public policy and political science at UW-Madison. These corporate gangs are very organized and deserve the corporate name, said Dresang, who directed a program that dealt with gang-related youth violence for nearly 10 years at the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison. They have a board of directors, and they diversify their economic activities, sometimes having legal as well as illegal activities. Latino gangs typically fund their activities through manufacturing false IDs for people, selling illegal drugs and trafficking in humans, which can include helping illegal immigrants enter the country or darker crimes such as prostitution and forced labor, said

Valdemar, who lives near Kingman, Ariz., and is a member of the Arizona Gang Task Force. His advice for dealing with gangs: Dry up the drug trade, close the borders and do something about the recruiting of young kids into these groups.

MS-13 gang member sentenced to death in N.C.

By Jerry Markon Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, April 29, 2010; 3:38 PM

A federal jury in North Carolina has handed down the first death sentence against a member of the violent Mara Salvatrucha street gang, another milestone in the national and Washington area crackdown targeting the gang known as MS-13, Justice Department officials said Thursday. Alejandro Enrique Ramirez Umana was sentenced to death Wednesday by a jury in Charlotte after being convicted of racketeering in connection with the murders of two men who "disrespected" his gang signs. Officials said he tried to kill witnesses from jail and attempted to sneak a knife into the federal courthouse in Charlotte. U.S. Marshals found the knife attached to Umana's penis, officials said. Witnesses testified that Umana, 25, was a veteran member of MS-13, which has its roots in El Salvador and Los Angeles and is considered the Washington region's largest and most violent gang. At least seven MS-13 members were convicted on murder-related charges last year in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, part of a federal probe aimed at crippling the gang in Northern Virginia by targeting its leaders and using federal racketeering statutes once employed against the Mafia. The FBI and the Justice Department's gang unit are also targeting MS-13 and other violent street gangs nationally, and Umana's death sentence follows a series of indictments and convictions of gang members over the past several months. In Maryland, for example, an MS-13 leader was convicted last month of conspiring to murder two girls and was sentenced to life in prison. "In courtrooms from North Carolina to Texas and Maryland to Tennessee, the Criminal Division's Gang Unit and our partner U.S. attorney's offices are targeting the most dangerous gang members and taking these violent offenders off our streets," Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer, who heads the Justice Department's Criminal Division, said after Umana's sentence in the North Carolina case. He called the sentence "the most severe punishment available under the law against a defendant who has inflicted violence and pain on numerous communities."

Fatal shooting in Greenfield

The Monterey County Herald Posted: 04/14/2010 12:08:16 PM PDT Updated: 04/14/2010 12:08:16 PM PDT

Greenfield police say a 25-year-old man was killed Tuesday in an apparent gang motivated attack. Chief Joe Grebmeier said Rene Lopez Jr. died at Mee Memorial Hospital in King City after he was shot several times at about 8:50 p.m. Lopez was standing outside his parent's home on Elmwood Drive in Greenfield with at least one other person at the time of the attack, Grebmeier said. It appears no one else was injured and witnesses told police people were seen running away. The shooter was standing about 40 feet away from Lopez, Grebmeier said. Lopez had associated with gangs in the past and shots were fired at his grandmother's home several months ago. Grebmeier said Lopez was living at that home but it is unclear if he was the intended target. The slaying of Lopez is the second gang-related killing in Greenfield this year. Angel Gutierrez, 40, was fatally shot outside a motel on Jan. 14. Gutierrez was the half-brother of Yliza Martinez, 30, one of two women shot at the same motel Dec. 5. Veronica Gallegos, 30, was found dead that night in their motel room. Martinez died a week later. A 15-year-old boy was arrested and charged in the December killings. Police are seeking Francisco Alejandro Tamayo, 18, of Greenfield, as a suspect in the case. Grebmeier said officers have not found a direct connection between Lopez and the other slaying victims or suspects though he said Greenfield is a small town.

FBI: El Paso gangs could join cartel power struggle

By Aileen B. Flores \ El Paso Times Posted: 04/12/2010 12:00:00 AM MDT

EL PASO -- Two gangs could be on a collision course in El Paso, says an FBI specialist. Marco Cordero, a special agent with the FBI's gang task force, said the Barrio Azteca and Los Sureos gangs may start a power struggle. "The information on the streets is that Los Sureos may be aligning with the Chapo Guzmn cartel," Cordero said in an interview. The alliance between Los Sureos and the Sinaloa cartel, led by Joaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn Loera, makes Barrio Azteca and Los Sureos natural enemies, Cordero said. Many in law enforcement believe Barrio Azteca members are fighting on the side of the Jurez cartel against the Sinaloa cartel. More than 5,000 homicides have occurred in Jurez since 2008. "We see two possibilities," Cordero said. "They can work in harmony or they can do what the cartels are doing in Jurez, fight for the control of the plaza, in this case El Paso." Detective Andres Sanchez, an El Paso police gang investigator, said the two gangs have never been aligned. "The information that we have is that they are not getting along," Sanchez said.

He said several confrontations in El Paso involving Sureos and Aztecas have occurred within the last year and a half, including assaults and stabbings. Sanchez said Los Sureos do not have a leader and are not as organized as the Barrio Azteca gang. Los Sureos are under the California Mexican Mafia, a prison gang that originated in the 1950s. Los Sureos are broken into at least 200 different cliques, or gangs, scattered throughout the United States, Sanchez said. He said El Paso authorities have identified between 15 and 20 Sureos groups who moved to El Paso between the late 1980s and early '90s. "Authorities have confirmed the presence of about 400 Sureos gang members in El Paso," Sanchez said. Sanchez said these groups are mostly attracted to border cities because of the drug trade. He said it was common to see street gangs operating with cartels to smuggle and sell drugs in the United States. Cordero said the Safe Streets Gang Task Force, made up of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, is working to stay ahead of gangs. The community has to be willing to work with authorities to ensure that El Paso continues to be safe, Cordero said. "We are only as safe as people want us to be. We are going to do our part, but we don't have as many eyes and ears as they have," he said. Recently, the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, El Paso police, the Sheriff's Office and other law enforcement agencies carried out Operation Knockdown, an effort to elicit information from Barrio Azteca members about an unsolved high-profile triple-homicide on March 13 in Jurez. The victims were Lesley Enriquez Redelfs, 35, who worked for the U.S. Consulate in Jurez, and her husband, Arthur Redelfs, 34, a detention officer for the Sheriff's Office in El Paso. Also killed was Jurez resident Jorge Alberto Ceniceros Salcido, 37, whose wife, Hilda Antillon Jimenez, also worked for the U.S. Consulate. Operation Knockdown led to the arrests of 54 Barrio Azteca members and alleged associates. On March 23, Jurez authorities arrested Ricardo "Chino" Valles de la Rosa, 45, a former Barrio Azteca gang member from El Paso, suspected of other killings but not the consulate murders.

Mexican officials said Valles claimed the target of the attack was Arthur Redelfs. Valles purportedly said the detention officer had mistreated gang members at the El Paso County Jail. El Paso County Sheriff Richard Wiles said the allegation was untrue and called Redelfs a "model officer."

Expert testifies that Newark schoolyard slayings were gang-related

By Alexi Friedman/The Star-Ledger April 07, 2010, 7:24PM

Jennifer Brown/The Star-Ledger -Rodolfo Godinez is transported by Essex County Sheriff's officers in 2007, following his arraignment on charges in connection with the slayings of three college students in a Newark schoolyard.

NEWARK An expert witness on a violent Central American street gang said today the August 2007 schoolyard slayings of three friends in Newark was likely gang-related and not a random crime. Testifying at a pre-trial hearing for defendant Rodolfo Godinez, New York State Police investigator Hector Alicea said it was his opinion that based on Godinezs statements to police the killings were planned by members of the MS 13 gang. "The more crimes you commit, the more status you get in MS13," said Alicea, an expert on the gang. He said Godinez, 26, the first of six suspects to face trial in the triple homicide, told police that "I was the one who recruited everybody for them." Todays daylong hearing in Newark will determine how much of Aliceas testimony can be introduced at trial. Superior Court Judge Michael Ravin did not issue a ruling. Jury selection is scheduled to begin tomorrow.

Alicea said he believes Godinez, who admitted to police he is a member of MS 13, knew about the attacks ahead of time and that the victims were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Godinez was in court today, shackled at the waist and appearing heavier than when he was arrested two weeks after the killings. He communicated with his attorney in English, but followed the proceeding in Spanish through a translator. Authorities say all six defendants in the schoolyard slayings have ties to MS 13. All have pleaded not guilty to murder, attempted murder and other charges and will be tried separately. Godinezs attorney, Roy Greenman, said Aliceas conclusions were conjecture and that his client never admitted to planning or carrying out the attacks. "He was not a participant and he did not plan it," Greenman said, referring to Godinezs statements to police. But Alicea said it was his belief the participants were looking to fill a gang "quota" with the attack when they happened upon the four friends. While there is no indication Godinez shot the victims himself, Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Thomas McTigue said "we have evidence to establish he was there, he summoned people there and he was complicit." Alicea said gang members have to commit criminal acts to maintain their status within the gang. "If you are not going to be committing a crime for the gang, you will be expelled, and if you have knowledge of MS13, they wont let you get away," he said. Greenman also disputed much of what his client told police. "He was making things up," he said. As an example, Greenman cited Godinezs assertion the killings were in retaliation, after one of the victims whom he named as a Bloods gang member killed an MS 13 member. Greenman and McTigue rejected that outright. In fact, the four victims were all promising students with bright futures. On the evening of Aug. 4, 2007, the four were set upon behind Mount Vernon Elementary School in Newarks Ivy Hill section. Three men and three juveniles confronted the victims, robbed them, then lined them up against a wall and shot them in the head, authorities have said.

Iofemi Hightower, 19, Dashon Harvey, 20, and Terrance Aeriel, 18, all died. Only Terrances sister, Natasha Aeriel, who was stabbed, shot and sexually assaulted, survived. In court today were James Harvey, Dashons father, and Dorothy Harvey, his grandmother; along with Shalga Hightower, Iofemis mother. Natasha Aeriel, now 22, continues to receive treatment for her injuries. She is expected to testify at trial, though Greenman said she could not identify his client in a photo array. McTigue confirmed that but said she did identify at least one of the defendants.

Huntington Station Latin Kings Rounded Up

By Timothy Bolger on Mar 30th, 2010

From top left: Angel Cordero, Luis Lemus, Edwin Morejon, Jose Sosa, Scal Mazara, Jeremiah Bowens and Antonio Diaz Jr. Eight alleged members of the Huntington Station chapter of the Latin Kings gang were arrested Thursday on drug, assault and weapons charges, authorities announced Friday. Angel Cordero, who was described as the leader of the group, was charged under federal racketeering laws. Six other suspects and a juvenile who authorities described as highranking were also apprehended in a joint investigation led by the FBIs Long Island Gang Task Force, which Suffolk County police joined last summer once gang violence began increasing. Also arrested were Jose Sosa, Antonio Diaz Jr., Jeremiah Bowens, Luis Lemus, Edwin Morejon and Scal Mazra, police said.

They were reportedly held without bail after an initial court hearing. The Latin Kings are believed to have about 50,000 members nationwide, about a fifth of them in the New York City area with a fraction of that amount on Long Island. They are behind the top two largest gangs on LI, the Bloods, a predominantly African American gang, and MS-13, a rival Latin American gang, who together make up the majority of the approximately 5,000 known gang members on LI. The roundup comes shortly after a crackdown on gangs in the Brentwood and Central Islip areas in response to a string of violent deaths thought to be gang-related.

Alleged gang member gets 24 years in Md. slaying

The victim, Edwin Umana of Wheaton. (Family photo)

By Dan Morse Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, March 27, 2010

A Montgomery County gang member was sentenced to 24 years in prison Friday, becoming the first of six alleged members of the Latin Kings to be punished in a stabbing and stomping murder last year on a Wheaton street. Another defendant, Jose Vasquez, 21, was convicted last month of stabbing the victim in the head and is scheduled to be sentenced next month. Four more defendants are awaiting trial. The case shocked residents, in part because it began harmlessly enough -- a 21-year-old man calling out to women on a porch as he walked by a house -- and ended up with a

half-dozen gang members chasing the man down the street and assaulting him, according to police accounts. Moments before handing down the sentence, Circuit Court Judge Michael Algeo spoke of the senselessness of gang life. "There seems to be that mental thing that goes on when you put the numbers together, that all of the sudden you think that you have this awesome power," Algeo said. "And all you have is a bunch of stupid people, doing stupid things, all in the name of, 'I'm a Latin King' or 'I'm MS-13.' Well, isn't that just special?" The defendant, Christian Salmeron, 20, had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. At his sentencing Friday, he stood and spoke for about four minutes, struggling with what to say as he apologized several times to relatives of the victim, Edwin Umana of Wheaton, who were seated in the courtroom. "This is something that never should have happened," Salmeron said. Umana's mother, Blanca Fuentes, also spoke, saying that her grief has become worse since Umana was killed in July and that recently she has heard her son's voice. "Edwin tells me, 'Mom, it was not my time to die,' " she said. In an interview after the hearing, Fuentes said she has sought the help of a counselor. "I can't sleep because I hear him talk to me," she said. Relatives remembered Umana as a generous person who worked at a Five Guys hamburger restaurant and at a Party City store. He was not a gang member, said Montgomery County Deputy State's Attorney John Maloney, who helped prosecute the case. Five days before Salmeron's sentencing, Algeo sent Renee Bowman, 44, to prison for the rest of her life for killing two of her adopted daughters and abusing the third. "I have to tell you, Mr. Salmeron, that this has been a bad week," he said. "This stinks." The judge's sentence of 24 years was near the top of sentencing guidelines in the case. He told Salmeron that his remorse seemed genuine, which isn't always the case among defendants. "You want to be a member of the gang, you're going to have an opportunity. You can go to the Department of Corrections," Algeo told the defendant. "I have heard that they have gangs in there. But I sure hope that you choose a different road, my friend."

County rocked by gang shooting at Rancheria, arrests made

Ledger Dispatch Sunday, March 14, 2010

By Scott Thomas Anderson - Bill Lavallie

The impact of gangs operating in Amador County took a sudden and shocking turn at 5 a.m. yesterday morning, when a confrontation at the Jackson Rancheria Casino led to one teenager getting shot in the neck and another getting shot in the face. The Amador County Sheriff's Office learned of the gun play almost immediately after it happened. Deputies rushed to the scene and discovered two young, Hispanic men bleeding amidst the slot machines and lights. Each had been hit with pistol fire at close range. Law enforcement officers from around Amador converged on the Rancheria to quickly set up a perimeter. The entire gaming facility was then evacuated as the sheriff's SWAT cleared the parking structure. The heavily-armed team members, along with deputies and detectives, began searching every vehicle on the grounds. They carefully combed the area where witnesses had observed the shooter and connected suspects fleeing. Eventually, four suspects were netted between two parked cars. As the cuffs were being slapped on those individuals, a bystander reported seeing two suspicious males coming out of the brushy, wooded area near Dalton Road. A California Highway Patrol officer was in position to apprehend them while sheriff's deputies raced to the scene. Using surveillance video of the actual shooting, detectives confirmed that one of the two suspects coming out of the brush was the trigger man. That shooter, 19-year-old Gilbert Zaragoza, has now been identified by authorities. Sheriff's personnel have also located Zaragoza's gun, a 22. caliber revolver. Amador County Undersheriff Jim Wegner stated that all parties involved in the confrontation were from Stockton and had known associations with the violent street gangs the Nortenos, and the Surenos. The groups are deadly rivals in California's gang culture. It's still unclear which side fired during the clash. Since December, the Ione Police Department and the Jackson Police Department have both arrested alleged members the Nortenos for various felonies - all individuals who live in Amador County.

Gilbert Zaragoza, 19, alleged gunman

The two victims in today shooting were medi-flighted to trauma centers in the Central Valley. They are reportedly in stable condition. The alleged shooter is being held at Amador County Jail for attempted murder without bail. Having worked all day at the crime scene, Wegner told the Ledger Dispatch that he appreciated assistance on the perimeter from the CHP, Jackson PD and Sutter Creek PD. He also praised the Rancheria's security officers for their efforts. "Their security did a really good job of helping us," the undersheriff said late Sunday afternoon. "They got surveillance images to us right away and provided important information to help our detectives make this arrest."

Two teens charged with murder in what police call gang rite Prosecutors seeking to try 14-year-old as adult after death of 75-year-old woman.

Jennie McClusky

Two teens were charged with murder Friday in the death of an elderly woman who was struck in the face and severely injured during a gang initiation robbery, police said.
Jonathan Anthony Kelly-Contreras, 17, and a 14-year-old had already been charged with aggravated robbery after investigators said they snatched the purse of 75-year-old Jennie Sue McClusky outside a South Austin Taco Bell. McClusky was elbowed in the face during the Jan. 25 robbery and fell face down to the parking lot pavement, police have said. She had been in hospice care in the days before her death on Wednesday. Contreras was booked Friday night into the Travis County Jail with bail set at $1 million. His attorney said he did not participate in the crime. The other teen had not yet been arrested. Authorities would not release the name.

Homicide Sgt. Hector Reveles said police and prosecutors decided to bring murder charges against the teens after McClusky's death. Reveles said officials from the Travis County medical examiner's office plan to rule her death a homicide, but he declined to specifically say how she died. "It is our belief that she sustained injuries that eventually caused her death," Reveles said. "Were it not for that robbery, she would be alive today." Friends have described McClusky as frail, perhaps not weighing more than 90 pounds. Prosecutors said they plan to ask a judge to allow them to charge the 14-year-old as an adult due in part to the seriousness of the crime and to send a message to other teens participating in gang activity. A hearing on that request probably won't be held for a couple of weeks, officials said. Reveles said police arrested Contreras on Friday after keeping him under surveillance in recent days. Contreras had been released by state District Judge Charlie Baird last month on a personal recognizance bond on the aggravated robbery charge. Attorney Amber Vazquez Bode, who is representing Contreras, said Friday that she sought the bond in exchange for Contreras living at home with his parents and wearing a monitoring device. She said her client, a mental health patient who has previously been sent to a Texas Youth Commission facility, did not participate in the robbery. He had been at the Taco Bell to meet a cousin and witnessed the crime. Bode said Contreras "is horrified" by McClusky's death. "He did not want anything to do with this," she said. "All of this just kind of occurred, and he saw it happen." Bode, who said she did not know why Contreras had been sent to TYC, said her client will cooperate with police, although Reveles said Contreras was not being helpful. According to an arrest affidavit, witnesses overheard Contreras and the 14-year-old talking before McClusky was robbed. Contreras told the other teen, "If you want to be in the Piru Bloods, you gotta do it. ... I'm your (original gangster) you gotta do it," the affidavit said. Travis County Assistant District Attorney LaRu Woody said a judge is likely to consider the 14-year-old's offense, maturity level and ability for rehabilitation to determine whether he will be tried as an adult. She said that during the past five years, prosecutors have sought to have juveniles tried as adults in about 25 cases. Many of those requests were resolved by allowing teens to serve sentences in which they were sent to TYC facilities and later evaluated when they became adults to determine if they should be sent to adult prisons.

In 1996, LaCresha Murray, then 11, became the youngest person in Texas charged with capital murder in the death of Jayla Belton, 2, whom Murray's family was baby-sitting in East Austin. She was convicted twice of lesser charges, but both convictions were overturned after she spent three years in juvenile prison. Woody said prosecutors chose to ask a judge to charge the 14-year-old in McClusky's death because of the severity of the crime, among other factors. "We have concerns, and we need to respond quickly," she said. "We need to be proactive in ensuring our community is safe."

Hemet police dept. bomb squad on the scene

3rd booby trap against police possibly planted by gangs

New Haven Register
Published: Saturday, March 6, 2010 HEMET, Calif. (AP) A dangerous device found near an officers car may be the third effort to booby trap gang task force police, police said Friday. Right now, it is believed that it is related to the other incidents, yes, Lt. Duane Wisehart said. Somebodys apparently declared war on us.

A gang task force officer who went to a convenience store found a suspicious device next to his unmarked car at around 9 a.m., police said. Authorities closed the street and evacuated some businesses while a county sheriffs bomb squad examined the device. The device was rendered safe by the sheriffs team, Wisehart said. Details were not immediately released. Investigators were trying to determine whether the device was planted next to the car at the convenience store parking lot or whether it may have been attached to the car at the officers home and come loose. The gang enforcement unit in Hemet has been targeted twice by bizarre efforts to harm its members. On Dec. 31, someone drilled a hole in the roof of the units headquarters and diverted a natural gas line from a heater, filling it with the flammable gas. The booby trap was discovered before anyone was hurt. Last month, a gun rigged to shoot when the headquarters security gate was opened sent a bullet whizzing past an officer. Again, nobody was hurt. No arrests have been made. After the last attempt, Wisehart said the gang unit was being moved to an undisclosed location and reviewing security measures.

Austin police deny upturn in random gang violence

Updated: 3/5/2010 2:05 PM By: News 8 Austin Staff

A 17-year-old and a 14-year-old boy are charged with murder for the death of 75-year-old Jennie McClusky. McClusky died Wednesday from injuries sustained when she was beaten and robbed in a Taco Bell parking lot in January. The Austin Police Department said the attack was part of a gang initiation. Jonathon Anthony Contreras, 17, was arrested Friday. Both Contreras and the 14-year-old are charged with felony murder.

Contreras is being held on $1 million bond. Since the attack, a series of drive-by shootings in Austin have also been connected to gangs. Police say though the violent crimes are disturbing, they're not worried about increased gang activity. "Austin remains one of the safest cities in the United States, particularly with respect to gang violence," said Chris Noble with APD. APD is still investigating whether anyone else was involved in the attack on McClusky. "If those additional charges are pursued, my officers with the organized crime division will go out in full force, every single one of them that I can get my hands on, to go out and hunt those two down and bring them in," Noble said.

Police make 2nd arrest in SF nightclub shooting

The Associated Press Posted: 02/17/2010 09:08:28 AM PST Updated: 02/17/2010 09:08:29 AM PST

SAN FRANCISCOAuthorities say they have arrested a second man in connection with a gang-related shooting at a San Francisco nightclub that left one person dead and four others injured. Twenty-four-year-old William Josefa Agbekoh was arrested Sunday on suspicion of murder during a traffic stop in Richmond. Police say he is friends with Keandre Davis, the man accused of firing the shots that killed 19-yearold Lawon Hall on Feb. 7 outside the Suede Nightclub and Lounge in San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf. The 20-year-old Davis remains hospitalized after he was shot by a San Francisco patrol officer who came upon the scene. Davis is expected to be arraigned on Friday. San Francisco police Lt. Mike Stasko says the shooting appears to have stemmed from a fight between rival Richmond gangs.

Gunman In 2008 Gang Shooting Gets 13 Years

By HILDA MUOZ The Hartford Courant 3:42 p.m. EST, February 16, 2010 HARTFORD - The gunman in a 2008 gang-related shooting that claimed the life of a member of a rival gang was sentenced in Superior Court today to 13 years in prison. The case against Carlos Vega, a suspected member of the Almighty Latin Kings, was difficult to resolve because potential witnesses to the shooting of Johan Rosa in July 2008 refused to cooperate with investigators, a state prosecutor said. Vega, who had previously pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, said in court that he didn't intend to take a life, but acted in fear for his own life someone who was with Rosa was also armed. "I know the pain will never go away, my conscience will never be at ease. I'm sorry," he said while apologizing to Rosa's sister, who sat in the audience. While sentencing Vega, Judge David P. Gold referenced a letter that Rosa's sister had written. "Rather than speak in vengeful terms, she asks that in your term in prison you try to better your life and that you realize how large a part of her life you took away when you took her brother," Gold said.

Rosa, a high-ranking member of Los Solidos, was gunned down on Affleck Street, according to an arrest warrant. The warrant cites drug distribution in the city as the cause of a conflict between the gangs that summer. Vega was arrested in the shooting along with Jesus Che, whose case is on the trial list. He is charged with conspiracy to commit murder, according to online court records.

Ronald Eugene Brewer, 21, alleged Crips gang member

Witnesses: Gang connections fueled dispute before sniper shooting in Hawkins County
By Jeff Bobo Published February 16th, 2010

ROGERSVILLE Day two of Ronald Eugene Brewers first-degree murder trial Tuesday in Rogersville included testimony from eyewitnesses, a forensic pathologist, police, and a woman claiming to be a queen in the Black Gangster Disciples gang. Brewer, 21, is accused in the the Dec. 9, 2008, Rogersville Wal-Mart sniper shooting death of Jackson Blue Sellers, 18. Prosecutors allege that Brewer and his co-defendant, Travis Lee Goins, 23, are either members or wannabe members of the Crips street gang. Goins is scheduled for trial in June.

The night of the shooting Brewer, who is accused of firing the fatal shot, was allegedly aiming at Josh Hinkle. Hinkle and his brother Jordon Hinkle are supposedly in the rival Bloods gang. Brewer allegedly missed his target and instead hit innocent bystander Sellers. Amy Snapp, 30, a former Rogersville resident who now lives in Knoxville, testified Tuesday in Hawkins County Circuit Court she was friends with both Hinkle brothers, as well as Brewer and Goins. She told the jury that at the age of 23 she was promoted to the rank of queen in the Black Gangster Disciples. With regard to Brewer and Goins, Snapp said she took them under my wing. Snapp added that she tried to be a peacekeeper between the Blood-affiliated Hinkles and Cripaffiliated Brewer and Goins. Assistant Attorney General Doug Godbee showed Snapp and the jury several photos taken from Brewers MySpace site showing Brewer and Goins wearing blue bandannas over their faces and on their heads and flashing gang signs. One of the gang signs was identified by Snapp as B.K. or Blood Killer. Snapp said she went to the Wal-Mart parking lot that night to socialize. Jordon (Hinkle) told me that him and Eugene (Brewer), or Josh and him (Brewer) were supposed to be fighting, Snapp said. I said, Why? They didnt have no explanation. Snapp said she observed Brewer and Goins in the parking lot in a black car, and then they left. Snapp said as she was leaving to buy some food at Pals she heard what sounded like a firecracker. Snapp said at the Route 66 parking lot exit she observed the black car occupied by Brewer and Goins driving away from the old car wash overlooking the Wal-Mart parking lot. Snapp repeatedly described the Hinkles, Brewer and Goins as being affiliated with their respective gangs. When asked by defense attorney Greg Eichelman to explain that, Snapp said theyre wannabe members of the gangs, or posers. We got a lot of posers here, Snapp said. You got posers everywhere you go. Jordon Hinkle, 16, testified that he is a Blood. He contradicted Snapps testimony, telling the jury he wasnt aware of any potential fight to take place that night between himself, his brother and Brewer. He also denied that any verbal altercation occurred at Wal-Mart prior to the shooting or that the flashing of gang signs between he and Brewer had occurred earlier at school.

Josh Hinkle, 20, testified that he was a member of the Bloods until four months ago when his child was born, although he still wears the red colors. Josh Hinkle said animosity between he and Brewer began in middle school, and the two had never seen eye to eye. As for Goins, Josh Hinkle said hed wrecked a car belonging to Goins father in 2003, and theyd had an ongoing dispute over restitution for the damage. Josh Hinkle denied that a fight was to occur the night of the shooting, although he and Brewer still didnt like each other. I never even spoke to them (at Wal-Mart), Josh Hinkle testified. I dont know if we ever locked eyes. I tried to ignore them because I knew we had problems and I was trying not to start any problems. Both brothers also denied threatening Brewers grandmother, something that Brewer alleged in his statement to police. Several eyewitnesses testified Tuesday with similar accounts of the shooting such as comparing the sound of the gunshot to a pop. Some recalled seeing the black Nissan Maxima occupied by Brewer and Goins at the car wash above the Wal-Mart parking lot. Some said they observed the black car fleeing the scene after the shooting. Agent Scottie Ferguson with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said the distance between the car wash parking lot and the spot where Sellers was shot is approximately 115 feet. Ferguson also read from Brewers six-page statement to police in which he claimed that Jordon Hinkle flashed gang signs at him earlier in the day outside of Cherokee High School, and Brewer said he threw gangs signs back at Jordon Hinkle. Brewer said he and Jordon Hinkle had words in the Wal-Mart parking lot that night. Brewer stated that on the night of the shooting more of Joshs buddies pulled up and I could feel the animosity. Brewer further stated they have threatened to shoot me in the past and that some of the group with the Hinkles were yelling at us but never came toward us that night. Brewer said thats when he went to his fathers house and retrieved a .22-caliber rifle. They returned to Wal-Mart and then positioned themselves in the car wash parking lot overlooking the Wal-Mart parking lot. In his statement to police Brewer said, I got into the passenger seat, and Travis drove to where we could see the people. He was too close. I told him to pull back. Everyone knew we were up there. I pointed the gun out the window. I asked Travis where Josh was sitting. He said he was

sitting on the cart thing. Travis asked me not to kill him, so I aimed low. I pulled the trigger. I assume Jackson walked in front of Josh. I didnt know Jackson. ... The dude that died, I did not mean for him to die. I would tell him I was sorry. Theres nothing I can say to him. Hes gone. Forensic pathologist Dr. William McCormick testified that a .22-caliber bullet was recovered from behind Sellers jawbone, and Sellers died from bleeding. Specifically he asphyxiated from swallowing and inhaling blood. The bullet had entered from the back of Sellers neck and was traveling at a downward trajectory, McCormick said. Brewer was captured six days after the shooting and led police to the Nissan Maxima hidden behind the home of Brewers fathers girlfriend in Bulls Gap. A .22-caliber shell casing was found in the floorboard. Brewer allegedly told police hed thrown the .22-caliber rifle in a dumpster at Model City Apartments in Kingsport, but it wasnt recovered by police. The trial will resume Wednesday morning.

A photo of slain gang interventionist Ronald "Looney" Barron, posing with his fiancee Andrea Taylor, is shown during a news conference at the Wilshire Station of the Los Angeles Police Department on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010 in Los Angeles. Gang interventionist Barron, was killed Sunday after he left a bar in central Los Angeles and noticed the boy defacing a wall. Police say Barron confronted the tagger, who shot the 40-year-old multiple times. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Police arrest teenager suspected in the shooting death of anti-gang counselor

Los Angeles Times February 9, 2010 | 10:49 am
Los Angeles police said Tuesday that they have arrested a teenage tagger suspected of fatally shooting a veteran gang interventionist after he confronted the youth over graffiti. The suspect, who is 16, is a Los Angeles resident but police declined to identify him, citing his age. Police noted the boy was not affiliated with a street gang, contrary to a department news release that stated investigators believed the shooter belonged to a gang. "He's a tagger, not a gang member," said Los Angeles Police Department Cmdr. Andrew Smith, who said investigators received help in identifying the suspect by Los Angeles Unified School police. Police said the boy fatally shot Ronald Lamonte Barron, who worked for the interventionist organization Amer-I-Can. Barron and his girlfriend were leaving a bar Sunday night in his old neighborhood in the Mid-Wilshire area when he noticed a tagger defacing a wall on Pico Boulevard. Detectives said Barron confronted the tagger, who fatally shot him as his girlfriend and others looked on. Surveillance video appeared to show a gunman wearing dark-colored clothing arguing with Barron in front of "numerous witnesses." The suspect then pulled out a pistol and shot Barron, 40, multiple times at point-blank range before calmly walking away from the scene. Barron's death was mourned not only in the gang intervention world but at City Hall and LAPD headquarters, where the reformed Mansfield Crips gang member was seen as an honest broker in the effort to reduce the grip of gangs in some neighborhoods. The LAPD's Smith said that in addition to more police, gang intervention workers would step up their presence in the neighborhood to reduce tensions.

Attorney: Ala. school shooting likely gang related

Associated Press - February 8, 2010 7:04 PM ET MADISON, Ala. (AP) - A lawyer for a ninth grader charged in a fatal school shooting in Alabama says the violence was likely related to gangs.

Bruce Gardner represents a 14-year-old being held in the slaying of Todd Brown, a fellow ninth grader at Discovery Middle School in Madison. Gardner said Monday both teenagers were involved in gangs. Police say that's 1 of the possible motives they are investigating. Gardner's client is being held in youth detention. His name hasn't been released because of his age.

Man sentenced to life in slaying of Revere police officer

February 5, 2010 04:11 PM

David L. Ryan/Globe Staff James Heang and Robert Iacoviello Jr. in Suffolk Superior Court

By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff

Robert Iacoviello Jr. was sentenced today to life in prison for the murder of off-duty Revere police Officer Daniel Talbot, who was shot to death after a chance encounter led to an exchange of words and gunfire between a group of alleged gang members and drunken police officers in 2007. Suffolk Superior Court Judge Patrick Brady imposed the mandatory sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years on Iacoviello after hearing tearful expressions of anger and sorrow from Talbot's fiancee, Constance Bethell, and his relatives.

Talbot's mother, Patty, looked directly at Iacoviello as she delivered her victim impact statement in court today."Because of your actions, I don't have my son any more,'' she said in a hard, clear voice. "Gangs and guns don't belong in America.''

Patty Talbot said she was with her son when he died at a Boston hospital. "I held his hand, kissed him, and told him I loved him,'' she said.

Bethell, who was with her fiancee at the high school when he was shot, said she is wracked by guilt for not having prevented Talbot from going to the high school.

Bethell said she cannot forget what she saw on the morning of Sept. 29, 2007, including the sight of Talbot "dying before my eyes and I could do nothing to save him.'' Iacoviello was convicted of second-degree murder. His co-defendant, James Heang, was convicted of being an accessory after the fact for helping to dismantle the handgun used to shoot Talbot. He was sentenced to serve up to six years in state prison. Talbot and fellow Revere officers William Soto and Evan Franklin participated in firearms training and then spent the rest of the night and early morning drinking at restaurants before continuing to party on bleachers behind Revere High School. Around 1 a.m., Derek Lodie, an alleged gang member, walked near the bleachers, leading Talbot to launch a taunting tirade that included language likely to incite gang members, witnesses testified. Talbot was a member of the department's gang unit. Lodie, who admitted his role and is serving an 8- to 12-year sentence, summoned Iacoviello, who was convicted of shooting Talbot. The two men were convicted Tuesday following two days of deliberations by a jury whose forewoman told the Globe the panel was shocked by the officers' behavior. Iacoviello's defense attorney, Peter Krupp, read a somewhat defiant letter in court written by his client's parents, Robert and Michelle Iacoviello.

"We feel in our hearts that the jury got it wrong. We know that the son we raised could not have done such a horrific thing to another human being,'' they said in the letter. "No matter what, we will be by his side every step of the way.'' The convictions will be appealed, attorneys said. Paul Talbot, the slain officer's brother, also gave a victim impact statement. He said the convictions have eased some of the anger and pain he has felt since his brother's slaying. And he ended by urging everyone in the courtroom to remember his brother. "Never forget Officer Daniel Talbot, Badge Number 163, and in the words of his nephew, one of the good guys,'' he said. Talbot's name has been added to the the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC.

Gang member held in killing of football star

Arlon Watson, 21, is accused of shooting Dannie Farber Jr. in a Compton restaurant.

Arlon Watson, 21, appears in court Wednesday after being charged with murder. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times / February 3, 2010)

By Richard Winton and Alexandra Zavis

February 4, 2010

The shooting death last May of high school football star Dannie Farber Jr. left his family, friends and teammates in disbelief and authorities mystified. For months, investigators struggled to determine the identity of the young man in a hooded sweat shirt and baseball cap who confronted the Narbonne High senior in a Compton chicken restaurant, where Farber was eating dinner with his girlfriend. "Where are you from?" the suspect allegedly demanded. Farber stood up, apparently aware of the danger, and replied, "I don't gangbang," according to prosecutors. Moments later, Farber -- three weeks from graduation -- was shot dead as his girlfriend watched. The killer fled, and the trail quickly grew cold. Though the incident was captured on the Louisiana Fried Chicken restaurant's surveillance video, the killer's face was not visible. Though witnesses and locals stayed quiet, authorities said Wednesday that the killer did not. Investigators said Arlon Watson, 21, of Compton told people he had shot Farber. Then "some people came forward and helped the investigation," leading to the arrest of Watson, a gang member with a criminal record, Sheriff's Lt. David Dolson said Wednesday. Compton gang investigators arrested Watson last week on an unrelated warrant. Prosecutors charged him with the murder, alleging that he committed it for the benefit of a street gang. Farber's family saw the alleged killer for the first time on television Wednesday. Farber's grandmother said family members, including his mother, scrambled to the Compton courthouse when they learned the suspect would make his first appearance. They missed the brief proceedings after being directed to the wrong courtroom, and left disappointed. "We want to know why he did this. That's the main thing," said Michelle Malveaux, Farber's grandmother. "Somebody just sitting in a restaurant, eating with his girlfriend, you don't just go up and ask him where he's from. . . . Just because you live in Compton doesn't mean you are from a gang." Malveaux said her grandson, an All-City wide receiver, dreamed of playing for USC after a stint at Los Angeles Harbor College. "He always told me, 'Grandma, I'm going to have a football in my hand, not a gun,' " she said. Investigators confirmed that Farber was not involved in gangs and did not know Watson. Dolson said the motive for the killing was nothing more than Watson's suspicions about a young man he did not recognize. "He considered it a gang turf deal . . . and this might be a rival," Dolson said. "Ultimately he did it because he is a thug." Authorities said Watson was convicted in 2008 of a robbery in the South Bay and sentenced to 138 days in jail.

At Farber's high school, students, parents and coaches gathered Wednesday for national signing day, when college football recruits around the country sign letters of intent. "Four of our kids had scholarships. It was a big thing," Narbonne Coach Manuel Douglas said. "But for me, it was a little bittersweet. . . . Both these things happening on the same day."

Sureo Gang Member Arrested in Fatal Fresno Shooting

Thursday, February 04, 2010

Alfredo Fuentes, 22, alleged gunman FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Gang officers arrested Alfredo Fuentes and confiscated two guns at his home in Sanger Wednesday. Police said Fuentes is responsible for a shooting last Thursday that left one man dead and another wounded in East Central Fresno.

Investigators said two rival gangs got into an argument. One of the groups left in a vehicle and then returned. That's when the shooting happened.

Julian Escobar, 24, alleged gang member

Alleged Salinas gang member, Watsonville murder suspect appears in court

By Jennifer Squires - Santa Cruz Sentinel Posted: 02/02/2010 04:49:40 PM PST WATSONVILLE - An alleged Salinas gang member accused of murder for the fatal shooting of a Hollister teen on basketball court in the Apple Hill community in March made his first court appearance Tuesday, but did not enter a plea because his attorney wasn't present. Julian Escobar, 24, told Judge Heather Morse he didn't need court-appointed legal counsel because he has hired Salinas attorney Tom Worthington to represent him. "I have an attorney. He's just not present today," Escobar said in court, where he appeared dressed in yellow jail-issue clothes with his wrists and ankles shackled. Morse read the lengthy criminal complaint filed by the District Attorney's Office. The document detailed the shooting, which killed Angel Escobedo, a 19-year-old Cuesta College student, who was in town visiting family. Watsonville police have said Escobar is a Salinas gang member who came to Watsonville to retaliate for a past incident. They declined to discuss it, but said he wasn't targeting Escobedo in particular. Escobedo and friends were playing basketball the afternoon of March 21 when two men approached them and asked their gang affiliation. The basketball players said they weren't involved in gangs, according to police. That's when Escobar pulled a .38-caliber revolver and opened fire, according to court documents. Escobedo was hit several times and died. Escobar also is charged with four counts of attempted murder for allegedly shooting at the other basketball players, as well as gang and gun crimes, the criminal complaint stated. None of the other young men were hit. Escobar was arrested Saturday near his Salinas home after police followed up on a tip that they say identified him as the shooting suspect. Prosecutor Rob Wade said Escobar could be sent to prison for life, if convicted. Worthington did not return calls seeking comment Tuesday. Escobar returns to court Thursday, at which time he is expected to enter a plea. He is being held in County Jail on $1 million bail.

Bobby Prince McGowan, 19

Teen charged in Sweet 16 party shooting

Mike Martindale / The Detroit News January 08. 2010 7:52PM Ferndale -- A Detroit teen was charged Friday in the Dec. 19 slaying of a teenager and wounding of another victim at a Sweet 16 birthday party at a VFW Hall. Bobby Prince McGowan, 19, of Detroit was arraigned on a six-count warrant charging him with first-degree murder, assault with intent to commit murder and firearms offenses in the death of Charles Dorchy, 16, of Detroit and wounding of 16-year-old Tyshaun Thompson of Royal Oak Township. McGowan allegedly crashed the party -- as did the two victims -- and pulled out a sawed-off shotgun and fired one shot, striking both victims. Magistrate Larue Mead ordered McGowan held without bond in the Oakland County Jail pending a pre-exam conference Jan. 21. Police said the shooting resulted from a confrontation between two gangs, one from Detroit and the other from Royal Oak Township. According to witnesses, gang members who crashed the party for two Ferndale High School students engaged in name-calling and making hand-sign gestures, which escalated into a shoving incident. During the confrontation, McGowan allegedly pulled out the weapon from under a trenchcoat.

Plainfield gunman is sentenced to 18 years for killing bystander

Saturday, January 09, 2010 Julie O'Connor STAR-LEDGER STAFF A 20-year-old Plainfield man was sentenced to 18 years in state prison yesterday for shooting a bystander caught in the daytime crossfire between two rival youth gangs. Jakeem Pope was 17 years old at the time of the 2007 homicide but was prosecuted as an adult. He was convicted of aggravated manslaughter and weapons possession and must serve at least 151/2 years in prison before becoming eligible for parole, according to the sentence handed down yesterday by Superior Court Judge Stuart Peim. Authorities said Pope, the father of a 2-year-old girl, had belonged to a youth gang called "Arlington Ave." The day of the shooting, authorities said, Pope's gang was being chased by members of another youth gang called "116," who were armed with sticks and shovels. In the municipal parking lot about 4:20 p.m., Pope pulled out a gun and fired once at the 116 youths, but instead hit Buhktiar Abdul Latif Katchi in the chest, said Assistant Prosecutor Michael Henn. Katchi, 31, had been walking through the lot, carrying a shopping bag. The March 13, 2007, homicide was the city's first that year. In an unrelated prior case involving the victim, authorities said, Katchi, who was born in Pakistan, had falsely accused his cousin in 2005 of being an al Qaeda member and of planning to bomb a British embassy in Toronto. Katchi phoned a 911 operator from his home in Los Angeles three days after a bomb exploded in front of the British consulate in Midtown Manhattan. He was arrested a week later and served 14 months in federal prison before pleading guilty to the crime, telling investigators he did it to get back at his cousin, who owed him money. After being sentenced to time served and probation, Katchi returned to Plainfield, where his mother and brother lived. He worked at a general merchandise store a block from the parking lot where he was shot.

Two suspects charged in Pico Rivera pizza parlor murders

By Ruby Gonzales and Bethania Palma Markus, Staff Writers Posted: 01/08/2010 08:31:51 PM PST PICO RIVERA - Prosecutors filed charges this week against two alleged gang members for a June 27 shooting outside a pizza parlor where three men were killed and seven people were wounded. On Friday police arrested Rudy Ruiz, aka "Chapo", 30, of Whittier, at his apartment. They also looked for a gun and other evidence. Police did not say if they found a gun at the site. The other suspect, John Perez, aka "Diablo", 43, of Pico Rivera, was already in custody on an unrelated case. It's the second time the two had been arrested for the shooting. Police on July 24 arrested Ruiz, Perez and Christopher Johnson, 18, of Montebello on suspicion of the killings, but released them after the District Attorney's office requested more investigation. During the shooting, two armed men opened fire on an estimated 50 people attending a dinner fundraiser at Falcone's Pizza t 9247 Slauson Ave. The fundraiser was for the Oldschool Riders, a local motorcycle group with no gang ties. On Wednesday, prosecutors charged Ruiz and Perez with the murders of Carlos Carrera, 39, of La Habra, Garret Dandini, 25, of Whittier and Tony Dandini, 39, of Whittier and of conspiracy to commit murder. They are also accused of trying to kill Maria Corona , Eileen Rios, Raul Zamora, Daniel Valenzuela, Teresa Torres, Ricardo Hernandez and Brian Ramirez, according to the criminal complaint.

They did not arrest Johnson. Prosecutors also allege that Ruiz and Perez personally used a gun to commit the crimes, intentionally fired the weapons and committed the shooting for the benefit of and at the direction of a street gang. Ruiz was being held without bail at the sheriff's Pico Rivera Station and will be arraigned Tuesday in a Los Angeles court, said sheriff's Lt. Andrew Berg. Perez was scheduled to be arraigned Friday at a Los Angeles Superior Court but will be arraigned at a later date, said Homicide Detective Phil Guzman. Police got a break in the case just three days after the shooting. After a car chase, Perez was arrested and a gun was recovered from the vehicle, Guzman said. "That gun matches one of the guns used in the shooting," Guzman said. Even after they arrested and released the pair in July, detectives kept working on the case. "This is one of the most single violent (incidents) to have occurred in the city of Pico Rivera," said Pico Rivera Station Capt. Mike Rothans. "Three people dead, seven injured and the potential for more people to be injured. There was such a potential for more victims," he said. Rothans gave credit to the detectives on the case and said he was happy the suspects were charged a week before he left the station. He was recently promoted to commander. Guzman said they continued working the case and gathering evidence after prosecutors didn't file charges in July. He said now the DA's Office felt comfortable they got enough evidence to charge Perez and Ruiz. He has theories about the motive for the shooting but declined to discuss them. The slain men and the local motorcycle group don't have gang ties, according to authorities. Detectives said while one man wounded claimed to be a former member of the Mongols, a criminal motorcycle gang, it didn't appear the shooters targeted anyone in particular. About four years ago, the Mongols had a disagreement over drug sales with the Mexican Mafia, or La Eme, a prison-based gang that controls Latino street gangs in Southern California. The Mexican Mafia put a "green light" on Mongols members, or a go-ahead for gang members to kill them on-sight.

But gang detectives said that dispute seems to be over. A manager at Falcone's Pizza on Friday declined to comment about the arrest and about charges being filed in the case.

The paper wrapped around the brick depicted a six-pointed star and the words Three Six Eight. The star is a symbol associated with the Folk Nation and affiliated groups. The number 368 and references to incarcerated Gangster Disciples founder Larry Hoover appear alongside the six-pointed star in the local graffiti.

DAs office, newspaper vandalized in Taunton

By Laura Crimaldi Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Taunton police are investigating several gang-related vandalism incidents targeting the county prosecutors satellite office, the courthouse and local newspaper. The vandals most recently hit the satellite office of Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter by throwing a brick wrapped in paper through a glass window, police said. The brick included a note with a gang-related message and was found yesterday morning. The note read Three Six Eight taking over (expletive), said Detective Manny Spencer. The paper included the image of a six-pointed star and a cross. I am not surprised and I am not deterred, Sutter said in a statement. We are going to keep the pressure on against illegal firearms, gun violence, neighborhood gangs and drug dealers. Our aggressiveness has been a hallmark of my administration and it will continue to be. Other locations hit over the last two weeks were the Taunton Daily Gazette office and local courthouse, Spencer said. In those cases, vandals spraypainted their message in blue paint on the wall, he said. While the graffiti contains a gang-related message, Spencer said he believes the vandals are wannabes, who have no gang affiliation.

I believe they are youngsters, ages 15 to 20, Spencer said. I dont think they are gang members. Spencer said he has seen similar graffiti in a public housing development on DeWert Avenue. Anyone with information about the vandalism is asked to call Spencer 508-821-1475 ext. 130.

Oakland police investigating gang-related shooting

Oakland to seek injunction against street gang

Demian Bulwa, Chronicle Staff Writer Saturday, January 2, 2010

Oakland is poised to join San Francisco as one of the first Northern California cities to try to tame street gangs by slapping them with lawsuits. In coming months, City Attorney John Russo will seek Oakland's first civil gang injunction, his office said. Such measures bar gang members from associating with each other or displaying colors, among other sanctions, in certain areas of town. Officials in Russo's office and the Oakland Police Department declined to reveal the gang they planned to target, saying they did not want to tip off its members. But they said they were gathering evidence and would soon reach out to community groups and civil rights advocates who may have concerns about the injunction.

The plans come as Police Chief Anthony Batts, who took over in October, promises to focus his resources on "gangs, guns and drugs." With 116 killings, Oakland had the state's highest per capita homicide rate in 2008 among cities with at least 100,000 residents. Gang injunctions are a way for cities to hold criminals accountable, said Rocio Fierro, a deputy city attorney who acts as general counsel for the Police Department. "We see a lot of the crime here in Oakland related to gang activities, directly or indirectly," she said. The strategy is certain to prompt criticism from opponents of gang injunctions. They see the measures as unfair, ineffective and politically motivated. They've fought them in cities like San Francisco, which has injunctions in place against five alleged gangs, and Los Angeles, which has more than 55 injunctions. Opponents say the lawsuits can prompt racial profiling of black and Latino men. Those who are named as gang members, they say, can have trouble finding work because of either the restrictions or the stigma. And unlike in criminal court, indigent defendants in civil hearings do not have a right to an attorney. "It's an attractive tool for police because it gives them a lot of discretion and it circumvents a lot of protections and rights people have when they're accused of criminal activity," said Alan Schlosser, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California. Proponents say gang injunctions have helped to bring calm to areas plagued by violence. Gang injunctions have been used in California since the 1980s. The California Supreme Court upheld their use in 1997, ruling that San Jose could use the tactic in the Rocksprings neighborhood. The way the measures are set up has varied from city to city. In some places, alleged gang members must be given a chance to fight their inclusion in court. In other places, police officers have been given the leeway to add names to an injunction list during traffic stops. Some injunction zones extend over a few blocks, others for miles. Typically, the measures prohibit a list of gang members from hanging out together in a "safety zone," from displaying gang colors and tattoos there, from intimidating witnesses and from recruiting members. Some injunctions also include curfews in a zone. Violations of the court orders are punishable by as much as six months in jail. Community leader Bob Jackson, a church bishop who founded the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce and a job training academy for ex-felons, said the injunction sounded like an idea worth trying. "They're not so notorious and bad when they're by themselves," he said of gang members. "I would rather try something like that rather than continue the way we're going right now."

But Jackson said the injunction would be a "Band-Aid" unless young people in the criminal justice system were given more chances to succeed. "Let's set up some opportunities for these people to get jobs and get training," Jackson said. "I don't know a lot of people who really want to be crooks and criminals."

Pittsburg woman gets 31 years for gang killing

By Malaika Fraley Contra Costa Times Posted: 01/05/2010 04:14:54 PM PST Updated: 01/06/2010 07:25:48 PM PST MARTINEZ A Pittsburg woman who was 19 when she fatally shot an Antioch High School senior over street gang politics was sentenced Tuesday to 31 years in prison. Sol Mercado, 24, took a plea bargain and pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter with use of a gun and for the benefit of a criminal street gang. Had she been convicted, she would have faced more than 50 years in prison. Mercado fatally shot 18-year-old Humberto Gutierrez, of Antioch, on Dec. 1, 2004, at the intersection of Yosemite Drive and Harbor Street in Pittsburg as Gutierrez was driving to a fight that he had planned. Gutierrez may not have been a gang member, but he had ties at some point with members of rival gangs, prosecutor Derek Butts said. He had recently switched allegiances and had much personal animosity with the group, most of them minors, that he had summoned to fight at Buchanan Park in Pittsburg. Mercado, who had been brought to the United States as a child from a small village in Puerto Rico and raised in poverty by a single mother, viewed the gang as her surrogate family. She has matured since her incarceration, defense attorney Christopher Bowen said, learned English and obtained a high school diploma. "I know she feels terrible about what happened," Bowen said. "Mr. Gutierrez lost his life and her life is changed forever. "It's a tough sentence but one that acknowledges the seriousness of her actions," Bowen said. Attorneys said Mercado would likely be in her 40s when she is eligible for release.

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