Cops & Bloggers

175,000 news blogs and roughly 1.6 million posts are created each day

Saturday 31 January 2009

Rapper DMX was sentenced to 90 days in jail


Rapper DMX was sentenced to 90 days in jail Friday for convictions on theft, drug-possession and animal-cruelty charges. DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, also was placed on at least 18 months' supervised probation by Maricopa County Superior Court Commissioner Phemonia Miller.Simmons pleaded guilty Dec. 30 to three felony counts—theft, possession or use of marijuana, and possession or use of narcotic drugs—and one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty. The 38-year-old rapper has been in the Maricopa County Jail since being arrested Dec. 9 in Miami on a warrant after failing to appear in court in Phoenix. His attorney, Stephen Lee Crawford, didn't immediately return calls seeking comment. The Arizona Republic reported that Simmons was smiling as he entered the courtroom but sat down writhing in pain and subsequently said he had pain in his feet and knees and thought he was suffering from gout. Miller told him she was sentencing Earl Simmons, not DMX, the newspaper reported. "I don't know DMX. Mr. Simmons, it's time you do something different," she said. "What you have been doing is not working." Despite the prosecutor's objections, Miller said she would allow Simmons to apply to serve his sentence in Florida, the Republic said. The animal-cruelty and drug charges stem from an August 2007 raid that Maricopa County sheriff's deputies conducted at Simmons' home in Cave Creek, a Phoenix suburb. Authorities investigating a report of animal abuse found three dead dogs, guns, ammunition and drug paraphernalia. He was not given credit for time served and will not get out of jail until the end of April, said Mike Anthony Scerbo, a spokesman for Maricopa County Attorney's Office, which prosecuted the case. DMX's albums include "It's Dark and Hell is Hot," "Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood" and "Year of the Dog ... Again."

Friday 30 January 2009

Vivian Blake arrived at the Norman Manley International Airport about 12:20 p.m. after being deported from the United States.


Vivian Blake, reputed leader of the notorious Shower Posse gang, returned to Jamaica yesterday. The 53-year-old Blake arrived at the Norman Manley International Airport about 12:20 p.m. after being deported from the United States.Blake was sentenced to 28 years in Federal prison in June 2000 in a Miami Federal Court. He had been indicted there 12 years earlier but American authorities said he fled to Jamaica, by boarding a cruise ship in Miami, where he remained free until his arrest in 1994.
Dressed in a black suit and a white shirt, Blake was transported from the airport to the CIB headquarters, downtown Kingston, where he was processed and released.Blake told reporters that he felt "great" being back home."At least I come to see my family," he told The Gleaner/Power 106 News.He said the first thing that he will do is to go and visit his daughter."I am going to see my daughter Dominique, I waan kiss her," he said.Asked if he had any regrets, Blake replied, "about what?".Blake was whisked away in a tinted vehicle, driven by his attorney George Soutar.
More than 30 persons who supported Blake converged outside the CIB headquarters and when the vehicle that was transporting him drove out, they shouted his name.One woman who walked behind the vehicle as it drove along East Queen Street yelled "Vivian Mi fren".He and other members of the Shower Posse were given lengthy sentences based on 52 charges brought by Federal prosecutors. These included racketeering, smuggling and distributing marijuana and cocaine from the Bahamas through the United States.The Shower Posse, which was strong supporter of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), was also implicated in over 1,000 murders in the US. The 'Feds' said the Posse members operated lucrative illegal drug rings in Miami, New York City, Philadelphia and Virginia.Blake was raised in West Kingston, a constituency that has backed the JLP in general elections since the 1960s. He attended St George's College where he passed three GCE subjects, but went to the US in 1972 on a football scholarship.He was one of the Shower Posse's founders, reportedly ruling it with an iron hand. They were regarded as one of America's most dangerous gangs during the 1980s when the narcotics trade was booming in that country's urban centres.

Thursday 29 January 2009

arrested a 19-year-old woman they say was an accomplice to motorway gunman Stephen McDonald

Police have arrested a 19-year-old woman they say was an accomplice to motorway gunman Stephen McDonald in the lead up to the fatal police shooting of a young south Auckland courier driver.

Daryon Walker died from a single gun shot wound, execution style to the back of the head

Daryon Walker died from a single gun shot wound, execution style to the back of the head. Police have charged Jaquelah Shonsa Banks and Juan Raphael Bethea with his murder. Bethea is from Wilmington and Banks was visiting from New Jersey. Wilmington Chief of Police Ralph Evangelous said, "For us to be able to help them down the road, and help them through this, and eventually culminate in the prosecution of this, and confinement of these individuals, it's satisfying."Wilmington police also put a cold case to rest, which happened at Nesbitt Court back in October of 2007.Dywuane Reshaune Simpson was found lying dead on the ground, after being shot several times. Erving Converse Muse is now charged with his murder...Simpson’s uncle Myron White said, "It's not over with yet, but I'm glad we got some kind of closure."
A warrant is out for the arrest of a second suspect in the murder of Simpson. Detectives expect an arrest to be made in the next couple days. Police say the two murders are unrelated, but a common motive between the two may be attempted robbery.

Arrested five people Tuesday night after hearing a gun go off


Schenectady Police arrested five people Tuesday night after hearing a gun go off in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood.Out of the group police say three men were found with weapons. They include James Hill, 19, Markese Jones, 18, and a third male whose name cannot be released because of his age. Hill and Jones are currently in Schenectady County Jail.Schenectady Police arrested five people Tuesday night after hearing a gun go off in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood.The arrests come as Schenectady Police have increased patrolling in neighborhoods where crimes have been committed in an effort to get weapons off the streets. So far, five loaded hand guns have been recovered.

Dwight Dixon who says he was shot by Indianapolis Colts receiver Marvin Harrison was convicted of a misdemeanor Wednesday for lying to Police

Dwight Dixon who says he was shot by Indianapolis Colts receiver Marvin Harrison was convicted of a misdemeanor Wednesday for lying to Philadelphia police about the shooting. A municipal court judge acquitted Dwight Dixon of two related misdemeanors after tossing out two of three statements he gave police, who had evicted Dixon’s lawyer from his hospital room after the shooting. Dixon, 32, initially told police his name was Malik Turner and that he was shot by two strangers who robbed him in West Philadelphia, several officers testified. Dixon had been shot in the hand and apparently struck in the head with a gun in the April 28 incident. Police took him from the hospital to a police station, where they interviewed him twice more. Dixon eventually told a homicide detective his real name and said he was shot at the North Philadelphia location, Detective Omar Jenkins testified. Police soon found his pickup truck riddled with shell casings and bullet holes. Dixon’s lawyers said he lied to police because he feared Harrison. They noted that a bystander struck by a bullet at the scene was put in protective custody for two weeks. “He was scared, that’s why he contacted Mr. (Joseph) Santaguida,” defense lawyer Robert Gamburg argued, referring to the attorney Dixon called to the hospital. “He is still scared for his life.” Santaguida told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the first thing Dixon said to him at the hospital was that the All-Pro receiver was the shooter. “I walk into his room and Dwight whispers to me, ‘Marvin Harrison shot me,’” Santaguida told the AP. “He didn’t know what to do. He was worried about saying anything because of retribution if word got out and people thought he was a rat.” Harrison’s lawyer, Jerome Brown, declined comment Wednesday on the allegation. The assault occurred nine months ago near Harrison’s car wash in North Philadelphia. On Jan. 6, Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham said investigators had determined that five of six bullet casings found at the scene came from a Belgian-made handgun owned by Harrison, but said there were too many conflicting accounts of who fired it.
Dixon, a huge man with a shaved head and Mr. T-style beard, has a civil suit pending against Harrison over his injuries. Dixon complained after Wednesday’s verdict that Harrison has gotten favorable treatment from authorities. “He shoots me and is free to go on living in his luxury suburban house and I get charged,” Dixon said. Santaguida did not repeat the hospital conversation when he took the witness stand Wednesday. But he said he emphatically told police that Dixon did not want to talk. Dixon was also worried about his parole status, Santaguida testified. Dixon served a 5- to 10-year prison term for a parole violation stemming from a 1994 drug case. He remains on parole, and was briefly handcuffed after Wednesday’s conviction for allegedly violating parole again. He was released after Gamburg said Dixon plans to appeal the misdemeanor case. Assistant District Attorney Thomas Lipscomb said he was satisfied with the verdict. Harrison was questioned by police soon after the shooting. He said he was at his car wash at the time of the shooting; that he knew Dixon; and that the two had been in a fist fight two weeks earlier after Dixon tried to bring a gun into a bar Harrison owns, Abraham has said. Harrison said his gun had been at his suburban home the day of the shooting and that it had not been fired since he bought it, Abraham said. Police instead found the weapon at Harrison’s car wash a day after the shooting. In announcing three weeks ago that they did not have enough evidence to charge anyone with the shooting, prosecutors said they will monitor depositions in Dixon’s civil case and the criminal case remains open.

Jumez Lee was fatally shot in the head early Sunday morning during a private party

Arrested were James Hill, 19 and 18-year-old Markese Jones. The pair were charged with criminal possession of a weapon and Jones was additionally charged with unlawfully wearing a body vest police say he had on when he was stopped. As of late Wednesday night, both were still being held at the Schenectady County Jail. The third male, whose name is not being released due to his name, faces juvenile offender charges.
City police spokesman Sgt. Eric Clifford confirmed Wednesday that investigators found a gun at the scene of the the crime - the former Tip Toe Inn on Altamont Avenue in Mont Pleasant - where Jumez Lee was fatally shot in the head early Sunday morning during a private party. Police are doing ballistics testing on the weapon, Clifford said. Police said Lee, 24, whose death marked Schenectady's first homicide of 2009, used the City Mission on Hamilton Street as his address. A 26-year-old woman also was shot by the unidentified gunman who walked into the party and opened fire. She was being treated at Albany Medical Center Hospital and her name is being withheld by police.Lt. Micheal Brown, a Rotterdam Police Department spokesman, said Wednesday night that a man had reported two guns, a .45 caliber and Glock stolen from his vehicle. He did not know if the man was a Rotterdam resident and could not confirm media reports that he is a state corrections officer.Meantime, police are beefing up patrols of neighborhoods plagued by gun crime.For fear of undermining their efforts, the department is releasing few details of their plan, except that it involves teaming up with state troopers. In the past few days, however, they have made several arrests and recovered five loaded handguns.Just Tuesday night, three men were arrested on gun possession charges after a Schenectady cop heard one of them fire the weapon in the Mont Pleasant neighborhood.

24-year-old west Auckland man and a 20-year-old Manurewa woman are jointly charged with the aggravated robbery of the Sunny Brae Dairy

24-year-old west Auckland man and a 20-year-old Manurewa woman are jointly charged with the aggravated robbery of the Sunny Brae Dairy on January 16 and the Cedar Superette three days later, and a dairy on Eugenia Rise on January 23.Police say the offender in the first two holdups escaped on a green BMX bike.A 19-year-old Manurewa man is also jointly charged with aggravated robbery for the Sunny Brae and Eugenia Rise holdups.The trio face two charges of unlawful possession of a pistol, one of unlawful possession of a firearm and one charge of stealing a motorvehicle. All three are due to appear in the Manukau District Court tomorrow.Detective senior sergeant Gary Lendrum of the Manurewa CIB says the arrests followed the execution of a search warrant at a Manurewa address.Police later found a loaded sawn-off double barrel shot gun, an unloaded sawn-off single barrel shot gun and an unloaded riffle. Mr Lendrum says the arrests are a relief given the armed robberies were "definitely at the top end of the offending scale"."Hopefully it puts the minds of a few dairy owners at rest

Richard Keogh, has been shot dead in the Torrequebrada area of Benalmadena



A 35-year-old Irishman, named Richard Keogh, has been shot dead in the Torrequebrada area of Benalmadena.Investigating officers believe it could have been a settling of scores. A relative who was with the victim on the same night has been arrested on separate chargesThe events happened last Saturday night at around 11pm in front of a supermarket in Torrequebrada. Richard Keogh - from Cabra in Dublin - had been drinking coffee with some friends (including a South American man suspected to be a drug dealer) and a relative at an Irish bar. When he left to return home, a car believed to have three people inside, pulled up and at least one occupant opened fire. Keogh was shot a couple of times and attempted to escape before he fell injured and the killer fired more rounds into his body from close range, one of which struck him in the face.Shocked onlookers alerted the emergency services, although at first they thought the loud noises had been caused by fireworks. Officers from the Local and National Police hurried to the scene and found the 30-year-old Irishman lying in a pool of blood on the floor. The paramedics, who arrived just moments later, could not save his life. The police found eight bullet casings at the crime scene and interviewed witnesses. One of them said he saw a white Honda Civic leaving the crime scene. Officers later found the vehicle abandoned near a school in Torrequebrada; the keys were still in the ignition and the radio was on. Smoke was coming from one of the seats, indicating that the culprits had attempted to set the car on fire to suppress evidence. Officers found some gloves and a spent magazine from a handgun in the car.
The police say that the motive for the shooting looks like a settling of scores. But it is still unclear if Keogh was shot as part of a dispute with drug dealers based on the Costa del Sol, or if he was targeted by an Irish drugs gang with whom he was in dispute before he left Ireland with his wife and children just over a year ago. In November, 2007, Keogh was putting his rubbish out for collection when a gunman fired at least five shots at him as his wife and two-year-old son looked on. He was wounded in the shoulder and arm but managed to run back into the safety of his home. Keogh is said to have been a significant player in the drugs trade in Benalmadena. The relative who was with him the night of the shooting has been arrested as he is wanted in Ireland.
Government subdelegate to Malaga Hilario Lopez said that this kind of reprisal happens among criminals but citizens should not be worried because they are isolated incidents.

Ernest “Bama” Edwards ranking member of the Bloods street gang allegedly pulled a gun and threatened to shoot another man.

Ernest “Bama” Edwards has an extensive history of gun use violence and gun possession, police said.Police in the Village of Monticello are looking for a ranking member of the Bloods street gang following an incident Tuesday evening in which he allegedly pulled a gun and threatened to shoot another man.At about 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the parking lot of the Mobil mart at 519 Broadway, several men were involved in a disturbance when witnesses said Edwards pulled the gun and made the threat. Several beer bottles were also thrown during the disturbance with one striking a car, breaking the windshield and sunroof and showering two people inside with broken glass.Police have obtained an arrest warrant for Edwards, who is described as being black, six feet, one inch tall, weighing 225 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

man, believed to be in his 20s was shot in the shoulder when police stopped two cars during a pre-planned operation.

man, believed to be in his 20s, is in a serious condition in hospital after the incident in north London just after midnight last night. A Met Police spokesman said he was shot in the shoulder when police stopped two cars during a pre-planned operation. Officers from the Met’s specialist firearms unit CO19 and Operation Trident – which tackles "black on black" gun crime – stopped the cars on Green Lanes in Haringey. The spokesman said: “This was an intelligence-led operation during which five people were arrested at the scene on suspicion of conspiracy to rob.
“This investigation is still ongoing, led by Trident. The five people have been taken to various London police stations." The Professional Standards Department and the Independent Police Complaints Commission were informed and have attended the scene. A decision on whether the watchdogs will investigate what happened will be made later.

Daquan Blackwood, 19, and Lamont McDonald, Jr., 18, both of Newburgh, were each charged with first-degree robbery and criminal possession of a weapon

Daquan Blackwood, 19, and Lamont McDonald, Jr., 18, both of Newburgh, were each charged with first-degree robbery and criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree.Two men have been charged with armed robbery after a cabbie they had just robbed at gunpoint followed their footprints in the snow and told police where to find them.The victim had picked up the men after 2 a.m. on Wednesday and took them to Courtney Avenue at which time one pulled a gun and held it to his head while the other man took his wallet and ripped the keys out of the car. Both men fled on foot toward Liberty Street.The tax driver followed the footprints in the snow to 75 Liberty Street where they ended at the residence.When two police officers got there, they waited for the men to exist through the back and arrested them.

Cambridge pool supply company captured a man wanted for allegedly chasing and gunning down a fellow employee

Police have captured a man wanted for allegedly chasing and gunning down a fellow employee at a Cambridge pool supply company. Authorities say 65-year-old Clyde Howard was caught Wednesday by Boston police.

University of Arizona Police Department officer saw a gun in her glove box

woman was placed in handcuffs after police saw a gun in her glove box Jan. 20 at 5:55 a.m.A University of Arizona Police Department officer observed a car driving without its headlights near the ROTC building and did a routine traffic stop. A Tucson Police Department officer was also in the area and came to assist. The UAPD officer was at the driver's side window and the TPD officer on the passenger side when they asked the woman for her license, registration, and proof of insurance. When she opened the glove box, the TPD officer saw a 9 mm and shouted, "Gun, gun."
The woman was told to remove her hand from the glove box and put both of her hands on the steering wheel. She did as the officers told her. She was then asked to step out of the vehicle and told she was going to be handcuffed for the officers' safety and she was not under arrest. The woman was placed in the back of the patrol vehicle.
Police noticed that the woman's sweater said "Marine" on it. She told the officers that she was in the Marines and she was attending a prep class at the university. She said that she bought the gun several months ago and was told that she could carry the gun, loaded, in her glove box. She did not know that it was illegal to carry a loaded weapon in a glove box. Police also informed her that it was illegal to have any type of weapon on campus.There were several Marines on the sidewalk. The woman's immediate supervisor identified himself to police.Police decided not to arrest the woman for any criminal charges because they were assured the Marines would handle the situation. The gun was unloaded and the clip and bullets removed. Police asked if there was a gun safe available in the ROTC building to store the weapon, clip and ammunition. They were told there was. The woman was informed about the laws regarding weapons on campus and concealed weapons.

John Chisholm was found guilty witnesses gave evidence anonymously

John Chisholm was found guilty witnesses gave evidence anonymously for the first time in a North East courtroom.A jury was told how Robert Anderson suffered wounds to his chest, arm, leg and thumb after the BMW he was driving was ambushed in broad daylight by Chisholm in Hylton Road, Sunderland.Newcastle Crown Court heard that on May 24, 2007, Chisholm carried out the brutal assault in revenge for an earlier attempted shooting of his son, which Mr Anderson was accused of being involved in, but later cleared.
Chisholm snr denied wounding with intent, violent disorder and intimidation.The 49-year-old claimed he had been the victim of a "campaign of violence" by Mr Anderson and Alan Smart, who was the passenger in the BMW, and had lashed out after he saw a gun in the car.But jurors yesterday found him guilty of wounding with intent and violent disorder. He was cleared of the intimidation charge.
Speaking after the case, Sunderland's top police officer, Chief Superintendent Dave Pryer said: "Any criminal who considers themselves untouchable or above the law will certainly find no comfort in this city."Judge Tony Lancaster adjourned sentence until February 23 so Chisholm can be sentenced along with his son John Chisholm jnr, 27, and Carl Waters, 45, who admitted violent disorder at an earlier hearing in relation to the incident.
The judge ordered an assessment from the probation service of Chisholm snr's "dangerousness". The maximum sentence he faces is life.After the guilty verdicts, Detective Sergeant Paul Milner thanked the terrified witnesses, who saw the horror that day, for coming to court.The onlookers had been too afraid to come to court to give their evidence but were granted anonymity under new laws.

Wednesday 28 January 2009

Anthony Perry, 22, an alleged member of a Jamaica Plain-area gang was fatally shot

Anthony Perry, 22, an alleged member of a Jamaica Plain-area gang was fatally shot in broad daylight at a busy shopping district in Jamaica Plain yesterday afternoon, shocking passersby who watched in horror as an MBTA Transit police officer tried to save the man's life on a crowded sidewalk.The man was taken to Brigham and Women's Hospital, where he later died. Police did not release the victim’s name last night, but two law enforcement officials with knowledge of the investigation said he is Anthony Perry, 22, an alleged member of a Jamaica Plain-area gang.Perry was shot in the head, one of the officials said. The officials asked for anonymity because the case is under investigation.The brazenness of the 1:40 p.m. shooting alarmed police, who fear that Perry's associates could retaliate and jeopardize a fragile truce between two rival street gangs with a long history of violence."The victim is well known to us," said Elaine Driscoll, a spokeswoman for the Boston Police Department. "Investigators believe this was a targeted incident."Perry's family did not want to comment last night.After the shooting, four people were seen speeding off in a Pontiac down Walden Street, and police credited a detective from the B-2 division in Roxbury with seeing the car and stopping it. The men were brought in for questioning, and late last night two of the occupants were charged in connection with the shooting.Chris Jamison, 23, a reputed rival gang member, was charged with murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition, Driscoll said. Shaba Olukoga, 19, was charged with being an accessory after the fact of murder, she said. The two are expected to be arraigned today.The shooting occurred at the intersection of Centre and Walden streets, near the Fellowship Church of God and not far from a Stop & Shop shopping plaza.The business district is typically crowded during the afternoon, with car and bus traffic and pedestrians from the Jackson Square train stop.Witnesses said Perry tried to flee after the shooting, making it more than 30 yards along a row of shops before collapsing in front of the 99 Cents shop, at 319 Centre St."He was just on the ground bleeding. People were around him screaming, 'call the police,' " said Johaira Suazo, of the Castillo Services cellphone store. She said a woman came rushing into her store, horrified, and that's when Suazo saw Perry collapse.Several residents took video footage of the scene. A police official - later identified as Detective Lieutenant Mark Gillespie of the MBTA Transit police - can be seen trying to resuscitate Perry. Gillespie struggled for several minutes until an ambulance crew arrived.The area, near the Bromley-Heath housing project, has had violence before - but not like this and not during broad daylight, residents said.

Marseilles Gangwar,40 bullets struck the car and the driver was hit 15 times by shots fired from very close range

The city, which has a long history of organised, violent crime, has seen a flare-up in recent months of brutal score-settling among gangs competing in the flourishing drug trade. Kalashnikov assault rifles have become a common weapon after being imported in large numbers from eastern Europe. The new gangs, which are loosely or barely organised, include Balkan criminals and youths from immigrant housing estates and gypsy travellers' camps. Two men were shot dead and two badly wounded in one shooting at a travellers' camp last July. Over a dozen died in drug trade killings last year.
Gunmen armed with an assault rifle and other weapons killed three men and wounded two others in Marseilles today in the worst ambush in recent gang wars among drug dealers of gypsy origin. Attackers armed with a Kalashnikov and up to three heavy pistols ambushed the victims' Peugeot in a rough district in the north of the port city shortly after midnight. More than 40 bullets struck the car and the driver was hit 15 times by shots fired from very close range. One of the wounded was found lying on a nearby railway track with critical chest wounds, while the other was taken to hospital by a friend. The victims, who were apparently unarmed, were ambushed when the other vehicle drew alongside their car while it was stopped at a traffic light in a deserted area. Police assumed that the massacre was prompted by a drug transaction that went wrong. A 250 gram (8.8 ounce) cake of cannabis resin was found at the scene. The five were described as aged 26 to 31 and from semi-permanent camps of travellers which have spread up around the Marseilles area over the past decade. Police have rounded up dozens in raids on the camps in recent weeks but they are struggling to deal with an underworld culture that practises extreme violence. The old Mafia-style gangs that used to rule Marseilles - including those involved in the 'French connection' drug operations of the 1970s - used to impose more discipline.
"The criminal police are working flat out on this new milieu," said Bernard Squarcini, who was Marseiles police chief until President Sarkozy appointed him chief of domestic intelligence last year. "We do not get the time to infiltrate a gang when it has already been decimated," he said. "In the days of Zampa and the Belgian (two notorious gangsters), there had to be a very serious reason for a fusillade. Now they multiply whenever this or that villain comes out of prison."
Jean-Claude Gaudin, the Mayor of Marseilles, insists that the overall crime rate in his city has remained relatively stable in recent years despite the rise in intra-gang violence. However, robbery jumped eight per cent there last year, in line with a surge in Paris and other big cities.

Tuesday 27 January 2009

Fitzgerald Thomas, otherwise called ‘Chis’, of Doctor Bird Circle fatally shot after he engaged lawmen in a gun battle

36-year-old man was fatally shot after he engaged lawmen in a gun battle at Doctor Bird Circle, Aviary Housing Scheme, Old Harbour, St Catherine, yesterday. A semi-automatic pistol was seized in the incident.Dead is Fitzgerald Thomas, otherwise called ‘Chis’, of Doctor Bird Circle.Reports are that about 5:45 a.m., a team of police went to Thomas’ home to execute a warrant on him. On entering the premises, they were met with gunfire. The lawmen took evasive action and returned the fire. After the shooting subsided, the area was searched and Thomas found suffering from gunshot wounds. The weapon, a .45 Colt semi-automatic pistol, serial number 001722, with two .45 cartridges was taken from him. He was taken to the Spanish Town Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Personal possessions of the gangland criminals Kray twins raised more than £100,000 when they went under the hammer


Personal possessions of the gangland criminals raised more than £100,000 when they went under the hammer on Monday night.Two pairs of cufflinks fetched nearly £15,000, while a letter from the artist Francis Bacon to Ronnie sold for £7,400.
One buyer alone spent more than £50,000.Photographs signed by musicians Barbara Streisand and Mark Knopfler, actress Patsy Kensit and TV presenter Fern Britton, raised a total of £1,310.Other goods included a signed copy of comedian Norman Wisdom's autobiography, dedicated to Ronnie, clothes and poems by the brothers.Also among Chiswick Auctions's 160 lots to sell were Ronnie's revered oil paintings, popular with collectors.The notorious pair, who were jailed for life for the murder of Jack McVitie in 1969, dominated London's crime scene in the 1950s and 60s.
They went on to develop a cult-like status among the public and celebrities alike.
A spokesman for Chiswick Auctions William Rouse said: "It was extraordinary, and there's been an extraordinary group of people in the sale room."The interest has been phenomenal from the beginning."A solicitor's letter to Reggie Kray explaining his refusal for parole in May 1995 was included in the sale, making £600.
He was freed in 2000 aged 66 because of his deteriorating health, and died shortly afterwards.Ronnie Kray died in prison in 1995 aged 61.

Prescott Valley police arrested four members of two local street gangs Jan. 15 on charges of assault and participation in a criminal street gang

Prescott Valley police arrested four members of two local street gangs Jan. 15 on charges of assault and participation in a criminal street gang, police said in a press release issued Monday.The four juveniles were fighting outside when police arrested them after dispatchers received several calls from witnesses reporting the fight, police said. Police booked the young men into Yavapai County Juvenile Detention.On Jan. 22, police executed search warrants for five residences connected with the four arrested juveniles and also found illegal weapons in addition to evidence of participating in a street gang.Police officials have been investigating numerous acts of criminal damage graffiti throughout Prescott Valley for the past five months, the release said.During that time, police with search warrants located and confiscated various examples of gang graffiti.Police declined to release the names of the gangs, saying gang members want to get their gang's name in the media.
Police said they expect these types of gang crimes to happen again because gang graffiti is an ongoing problem in the area.

Monday 26 January 2009

Vivian Blake, the man who is said to have operated one of the world's most powerful criminal networks may be on Jamaican soil by the end of this week

Vivian Blake, the man who is said to have operated one of the world's most powerful criminal networks may be on Jamaican soil by the end of this week.The infamous shower posse head was released from the confines of prison in the first week of January. Since then preparations have been made for his return to Jamaica. Blake's Attorney David Rowe told RJR News on Monday morning the arrangements for his return are now complete. However, he was unable to reveal the scheduled date of Blake's return because of a bilateral secrecy agreement. "The arrangements are now complete between US Homeland Security and the Government of Jamaica for Mr. Vivian Blake to be repatriated to Jamaica. The precise date is still going to be confidential but all parties have completed their arrangements and his repatriation is eminent," said Mr. Rowe. The former Tivoli Gardens strongman was sentenced to 28 years in federal prison in June 2000 in a Miami Federal Court.He served just nine years of that sentence after turning state's evidence.He had been indicted there 12 years earlier, but fled to Jamaica where he had been hiding until his capture.
He and other members of the Shower Posse were given lengthy sentences based on 52 charges brought by federal prosecutors.These included racketeering, smuggling and distributing marijuana and cocaine from the Bahamas through the United States.
His sentence was shortened after entering a plea deal with US prosecutors.The Shower Posse was implicated in the murders of more than 1,400 persons in the US.US agents said the Posse operated lucrative illegal drug rings in Miami, New York City, Philadelphia and Virginia.Blake was featured on the US Black Entertainment Television's crime series, American Gangster last year.

Thursday 22 January 2009

Limerick gangs have escalated the gang war after a series of arson attacks in which four vehicles have been destroyed.

Limerick criminal gangs have escalated after a series of arson attacks in which four vehicles have been destroyed.Just a month before Christy Keane -- a leading crime figure in the Keane gang -- is released from prison, gardai in the city are on high alert after arson attacks on vehicles belonging to four of his relatives.The 48-year-old is due to be freed from the Midlands prison in mid-February and the feud, which was just beginning when he was jailed in 2001, shows no sign of cooling on the eve of his release.Last year, chief executive of Limerick's regeneration agencies, Brendan Kenny, tried to initiate peace talks following a lull in the feud, but it is clear that old wounds continue to fester following a succession of arson attacks in St Mary's Park last weekend.On Sunday night, a 2008-registered Range Rover was found burnt out following an attack in the coal yard where it was parked. The vehicle, owned by Keane's nephew, Owen Treacy, is estimated to have been worth over €70,000
Treacy was abducted with his uncle, Kieran Keane, in 2003 by the McCarthy-Dundon gang. His uncle was shot dead while Treacy was stabbed repeatedly.Treacy's sisters' car, a Peugeot 306, has also been burned out.Also at the weekend, the 2005-registered Volkswagen Passat belonging to a family member was destroyed.Arsonists also gutted the 2004-registered Toyota Avensis belonging to a female member of the family. The damage to the vehicles is in excess of €100,000, but it is the repercussions that may be inflicted upon the culprits that worry authorities most in Limerick. As far as officers are concerned, the arson attacks are a direct message to the original crime chief of Limerick gangs that his enemies are ready and waiting for his release.Christy Keane (48), who comes out of prison a grandfather, will have to return to jail if he wants to see his only son, Liam, who was yesterday jailed for the same period his father received -- 10 years.
Liam Keane was arrested last May after driving a stolen car with a loaded Glock handgun which had been used to shoot McCarthy-Dundon gang member, Jimmy Collins less than a fortnight beforehand.
When interviewed by gardai, Liam Keane was asked why did the gangs hate each other so much and replied: "That's life, that's the way it goes."Liam Keane told officers he picked the gun up in a field, "out the Ballysimon way", and had it because of the way his uncle, Kieran Keane, ended up.Already some of Christy Keane's closest neighbours are fearing his release and have sold their homes. Fine Gael councillor Diarmuid Scully told a meeting of Limerick City Council's economic and planning committee that two homes in Lynwood Park, Singland, have been sold by residents ahead of Christy Keane's return.
Mr Scully urged the Criminal Assets Bureau to examine whether the home was bought with the proceeds of crime.On top of this, detectives in the city this week uncovered further links between some of country's most dangerous criminals and the Keane and Collopy gangs based in St Mary's Park with the arrest of a major convicted criminal from Dublin.

Wednesday 21 January 2009

Street gang member who supplied the handgun used in the fatal shooting of a Shirley Avenue teenager last summer was sentenced today

Street gang member who supplied the handgun used in the fatal shooting of a Shirley Avenue teenager last summer was sentenced today to the next ten years in state prison."This is another consequence of people having guns who should not have them," State Supreme Court Justice Penny M. Wolfgang told Dijon Thomas, 18, in a courtroom filled with friends and relatives of the slain Jermain Martin/
Rayshonne Stevens, the mother of the victim who was gunned down at Bailey and Stockbridge avenues June 7, stressed that her son was not a gang member.
Ms. Stevens told Thomas "a higher power will judge you and you will pay.""I would like to take this moment to apologize," said Thomas, who pleaded guilty Oct. 28 to a first-degree manslaughter charge and has been in custody.
Thomas, who had been a friend of victim, told the judge he could not personally shoot his friend over a street fight but "in God's eyes I'm still guilty."
Gerald "Nana" Gibson, 18, faces sentencing March 16 after pleading guilty in December to first-degree manslaughter plea for shooting the victim in retaliation over a street fight, according to James F. Bargnesi, chief of the Erie County District Attorney's Homicide Bureau.Gibson, of Alexander Avenue, Cheektowaga, has been in custody since his arrest in Pittsburgh as he was about to board a bus for Las Vegas two weeks after the early evening fatal shooting.

Jamie Bacon alleged member of the Red Scorpion gang appears to be the intended target of an afternoon shootout in Abbotsford.


Jamie Bacon, 23, was wearing body armour when gunmen in another car opened fire on his black Mercedes at the corner of South Fraser Way and Sumas Way about 3:50 p.m., hitting the leased luxury sedan several times.

Jamie Bacon alleged member of the Red Scorpion gang appears to be the intended target of an afternoon shootout in Abbotsford. Around 4:00 pm Tuesday, police received several reports of gunfire near the intersection of South Fraser Way and Sumas Way. Witnesses reported two cars firing at each another. When officers arrived on scene they found one of the cars involved, a black Mercedes, had crashed into a concrete stairway leading to a Keg restaurant. Police say the intended target is well known to them and was wearing body armour. He was not seriously injured. Police won't confirm reports the man driving the car was known gang member Jamie Bacon.
Police questioned the driver before releasing him and are still looking for the passengers of the other car. The Bacon brothers -- Jamie, Jarrod and Jonathan -- are all well known to police. In 2006, Jonathan, the oldest brother, was shot several times outside the family's Abbotsford home on Strathcona Court. No charges have been laid in connection with the shooting. In 2008, police took the unusual step of setting up a 24-hour surveillance camera to monitor the house after death threats were made against their family by rival gangs.The youngest of a trio of notorious Abbotsford brothers narrowly escaped death Tuesday after his vehicle was targeted in a wild rush-hour shooting at a busy Abbotsford intersection.One bullet hit another car that happened to be passing, though no one was injured, Abbotsford police Const. Casey Vinet confirmed.Const. Vinet said it is amazing no one was hurt in the brazen shooting.
"We are concerned about the public nature of this shooting," he said. "It is intolerable...somebody could have easily been injured."

"There is a public safety issue absolutely," he said. "It is one of the main thoroughfares. At 10 to four in the afternoon, there would have been a fair bit of traffic coming and going."Abbotsford Mayor George Peary said he was in a police board meeting when he learned of the shooting, near a strip mall that houses a popular Save-On Foods. The public gunplay is extremely troubling, said Mr. Peary.
"It is a matter of great concern to myself and our citizens," he said. "This family of three boys seem intent on wreaking havoc."He pointed to the extraordinary public warning issued by the B.C. Integrated Gang Task Force last May saying the Bacons were targets of death threats and anyone near them could get caught in the crossfire.
"It's frustrating because among our citizens, public safety is a very high priority," Mr. Peary said. "They want to be safe as they move about the community and of course, with bullets flying, there is trepidation." He said the police are doing everything they can to control the violence, including camera surveillance on the Bacon family home on Strathcona Crescent in Abbotsford."They are policed as much as possible," he said, adding he will get a full briefing from police on the incident, likely today.

Jamie Bacon, who is facing a series of gun and drug charges, was briefly detained after the shooting but is not cooperating with investigators. He was later released.
The Mercedes, which was riddled with bullet-holes, was found a few blocks from where the shooting occurred, crashed into the concrete stairs in front of a Keg restaurant. Mr. Bacon had apparently bailed out of the car to flee his attackers.Vinet said he could not identify the intended shooting target, but The Sun has learned it was Jamie, who with middle brother Jarrod is facing 24 firearms and drug counts laid last May 31 -- the same day as the police warning was issued.
"We do have a male well-known to us being questioned," Const. Vinet said before Bacon was released. As one of his bail conditions, Mr. Bacon must live at his parents' Strathcona Court home, where shootings occurred in 2002 and 2006. Eldest brother Jonathan was nearly killed in the 2006 shooting.A Surrey shooting in 2007 also targeted the brothers.Just last Friday, Jamie and his two brothers, as well as an associate, were stopped by Abbotsford Police at the busy Sevenoaks Mall after mall security thought one of them had a gun. No weapon was found, but one of the brothers was wearing body armour.The brothers, who are closely aligned to the Red Scorpion gang, have been the target of death threats by rivals in the United Nations gang. Just three weeks ago, an associate named Dennis Karbovanec was wounded in a New Year's Eve shooting.

Colin and Dean McCaffrey, aged 24 and 22, were each jailed for 14 years at Sheffield Crown Court after admitting conspiracy to rob UK Bullion

Colin and Dean McCaffrey, aged 24 and 22, were each jailed for 14 years at Sheffield Crown Court after admitting conspiracy to rob UK Bullion on Ecclesall Road in July 2007.Now the pair – described as the ringleaders of the raid – have had their sentences slashed to 10 years each, meaning they will be automatically released after five years when they have served half of their term.Lord Justice Moses, sitting in London's Appeal Court with Mr Justice Pitchford and Mr Justice Griffith Williams, said the brothers had been involved in a "meticulously planned robbery" which had netted an enormous amount of jewellery.The brothers, from Manchester, were part of an organised crime gang which travelled from Manchester to stake out the jewellery store before ramming the shutters with a Toyota Corolla in broad daylight and reversing at speed.Wearing white boiler suits and balaclavas, they burst inside, wielding claw hammers, crow bars and an axe. They smashed all the display cabinets and snatched valuables from the safe.Some employees managed to flee upstairs but others were forced to lie on the floor throughout the terrifying ordeal and one female shop assistant was threatened with an axe.After ransacking the shop in just 60 seconds and stealing watches and diamonds, they sped away in a black Audi, then transferred to other vehicles.But witnesses saw the men passing the gems between vehicles and they were arrested in Manchester the following day.Colin and Dean, described in court as "ringleaders", were caught through a combination of forensic examination work, the monitoring of hours of CCTV footage, number plate recognition systems and mobile phone analysis.Almost the entire stock taken but only £127,000 worth of jewellery was recovered by police. They dropped some jewellery as they fled and earrings worth £6,000 were found in a raid on a house in Merseyside.Lord Justice Moses allowed the appeal which was made on the grounds insufficient credit had been given for the brothers' young age and guilty pleas.

latest victim of the drugs boss was Michael 'Roly' Cronin

latest victim of the drugs boss was Michael 'Roly' Cronin, who had fallen foul of the gangster in a dispute over money.Cronin (35), and one of his associates, James Maloney, whose funeral took place yesterday, were both shot in the head in the front seats of their English-registered car by a gunman who was known to them and who had been sitting in the back of the vehicle.Gardai say the prime suspect for the shooting has not been seen since the killings. They are awaiting the outcome of detailed forensic tests on the murder weapon, a .357 Magnum and clothing dumped by the gunman as he made his escape on foot through Gloucester Place.Meanwhile, four of the five people arrested on Thursday by gardai investigating the double murder were still being held last night at the Bridewell, Coolock and Store Street garda stationsThe three women and one man were all detained at their homes in the north inner city. A second man was released yesterday without charge.Gardai have foiled a suspected 'hit' on a major gangland figure after intercepting a car in north Dublin.
The intended victim, officers believe, is the leader of one of the biggest crime gangs in the capital -- and is alleged to be responsible for ordering the double murder in the north inner city last week.He has been blamed for masterminding at least three murders since he took control of the drug-trafficking empire that was left leaderless after the shooting of Martin 'Marlo' Hyland at a relative's house in Scribblestown Park, Finglas, in December 2006.Uniformed gardai were on patrol in the Dunsoghly area of Finglas on Thursday night when they noticed a car being driven in a suspicious manner.The gardai followed the car, which then sped off into the Dunsoghly estate, off the Ratoath Road, where the gardai saw one of the two occupants throw an object over a wall and into the garden of a house.The gardai intercepted the car at Cappagh Road and detained two men, aged 30 and 27. One of the men is from Finglas and is associated with the victim of one of the murders alleged to have ordered by the gang boss. The second man is from the Oriel Street area of the north inner city.After a search of the garden, gardai recovered a loaded pump-action shotgun. Inquiries established that the shotgun had been stolen in a burglary in Drogheda.Last night, the two men were being held in Finglas and Blanchardstown garda stations under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act. They can be detained without charge for a maximum of three days.Gardai say the drugs gang boss and one of his accomplices have addresses in that part of Finglas and they believe the shotgun was to have been used in an attack.

Tuesday 20 January 2009

GANGSTER Dave Courtney has avoided a prison sentence after a Bristol judge heard the criminal turned-author had taken a new direction in life


Reformed GANGSTER Dave Courtney has avoided a prison sentence after a Bristol judge heard the criminal turned-author had taken a new direction in life.
Courtney, 49, author of a number of best-selling true crime books, appeared at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday afternoon to admit a charge of possessing ammunition - a single bullet – without a firearms certificate.
But after Judge Ticehurst heard Courtney, from Plumstead, south London, had the round in his possession for a prop in a stage show, in which he encourages wayward youths to keep on the straight and narrow, he let him off with an 18-month conditional discharge.
Courtney, who claims to have had links with notorious criminal siblings the Kray brothers, has a long list of antecedents including affray and theft – all of which are chronicled in his numerous books.
But Courtney's counsel Donal McGuire told the judge his client, who has also starred in various movies and documentaries, now spends his days raising cash for community centres and lecturing would-be crooks with his mantra "crime doesn't pay".
Prosecutor Simon Morgan told the court Courtney was pulled over by police on October 29, 2007, in Lewins Mead, in the city centre, because the red BMW he was in had the illegal licence plate BADBOY1.
Officers searched Courtney and his vehicle and found the live ammo in his pocket, as well as a number of other prop weapons in the boot.
Mr Morgan said: "He told officers it was for a show. He displayed these as part of his performance. He was taken straight into custody where he said it was blank ammunition.
"He was extremely surprised to learn it was in fact live ammo. The officer tells me his surprise was in fact very genuine.
"But the simple point is, a man with his record, he should know better."

Friday 16 January 2009

John A. "Junior" Gotti should remain behind bars while he awaits trial on charges he was involved in three gangland murders and cocaine trafficking.

New York City judge says John A. "Junior" Gotti should remain behind bars while he awaits trial on charges he was involved in three gangland murders and cocaine trafficking.Manhattan Judge Kevin Castel ruled Thursday against a defense motion asking that Gotti be freed on bail so he could help prepare his defense. The government had argued the 44-year-old defendant is a risk to the public.Gotti is the son of the late Gambino crime family boss John Gotti. He was arrested last year on a racketeering indictment brought against him in Tampa, Fla.The case was later transferred to New York.Gotti's lawyers say prosecutors indicted him with old evidence that has not worked at three previous trials that ended with hung juries.

Thursday 15 January 2009

Disgraced ex-FBI agent John Connolly Jr. "crossed over to the dark side,"


Disgraced ex-FBI agent John Connolly Jr. "crossed over to the dark side," said Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Stanford Blake. The sentence will run consecutively to a 10-year racketeering sentence.Connolly, 68, was convicted in November of second-degree murder in the death of businessman John Callahan, an executive with World Jai-Alai. Callahan's bullet-riddled body was found in the trunk of a Cadillac parked at Miami International Airport.Connolly's fall from celebrated mob-buster to paid gangland flunky captivated a South Florida courtroom for weeks. In testimony at his sentencing hearing last month, he denied having any role in Callahan's death."It's heartbreaking to hear what happened to your father and to your husband," he told members of Callahan's family. "My heart is broken when I hear what you say."
He explained, in the face of vigorous cross-examination, that rubbing elbows with killers and gangsters and winning their confidence was part of his job. His attorney argued that Connolly did what the FBI wanted him to do, and now was being held responsible.Connolly did not testify at his trial.Prosecutors had asked that Connolly be given a life sentence, saying the 30-year minimum was not enough because Connolly abused his badge. In a Boston Globe interview published last month, however, Connolly vigorously denied being a corrupt agent."I did not commit these crimes I was charged with," Connolly told the newspaper. "I never sold my badge. I never took anybody's money. I never caused anybody to be hurt, at least not knowingly, and I never would."During his two-month trial, jurors heard that Connolly told his mob connections that Callahan, 45, was a potential witness against them, setting him up for the gangland-style slaying.According to testimony, Connolly was absorbed by the very gangsters he was supposed to be targeting -- members of South Boston's notorious Winter Hill gang. His story was said to be the inspiration for the character played by Matt Damon in the 2006 Martin Scorsese movie, "The Departed."
Connolly's tale was closely followed in New England, where he grew up in Boston's "Southie" neighborhood, the same area long dominated by the Winter Hill gang and its notorious leader, James "Whitey" Bulger. Sought in 19 slayings, Bulger is the FBI's second most-wanted fugitive.During the first two decades of his FBI career, Connolly won kudos in the bureau's Boston office, cultivating informants against New England mobsters. Prosecutors said Connolly was corrupted by his two highest-ranking snitches: Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi.Connolly retired from the FBI in 1990 and later was indicted on federal racketeering and other charges stemming from his long relationship with Bulger and Flemmi. He was convicted of racketeering in 2002 and was serving a 10-year federal prison sentence when he was indicted in 2005 in the Callahan slaying.During testimony, jurors heard that Connolly was on the mob payroll, collecting $235,000 from Bulger and Flemmi while shielding his mob pals from prosecution and leaking the identities of informants.The prosecution's star witnesses at the Miami trial were Flemmi, who is now in prison, and mob hit man John Martorano, who has admitted to 20 murders, served 12 years in prison and is now free.Callahan, who often socialized with gangsters, had asked the gang to execute Oklahoma businessman Roger Wheeler over a business dispute, according to testimony. Martorano killed Wheeler in 1981 on a golf course, shooting him once between the eyes, prosecutors said.After Connolly told Bulger and Flemmi that Callahan was going to implicate them in the slaying, Martorano was sent to do away with Callahan, prosecutors said.But one star witness did not testify -- the former FBI agent who inspired the 1997 film "Donnie Brasco." He refused to take the stand after the judge denied his request to testify anonymously.

Wednesday 14 January 2009

Three young men have died, and police say the rivalry between Bloods and Crips is mounting.

Some who lived through it recall the height of the city's gang violence in the 1980s and 1990s."I have actual gang members saying, 'This is bad out here,' " Michael Johnson, a former Crip, told The Oregonian newspaper.In response, pastors at funerals are appealing from the pulpit to gang members to end the shooting. Police are paying overtime to put more officers on the street.Probation officers are making more contacts with gang offenders on supervision and mapping out safety plans for those who may be targets. Outreach workers are staying visible on the streets and are lobbying to keep their programs going.Dan Saltzman, Portland's new police commissioner, promised to press the City Council to maintain gang outreach programs and to try to keep local community centers open late with programs aimed at teenagers."We don't want to wait for the shootings and just try to arrest people afterward," he told the paper. "There's just a lot of different tacks we have to take."Although the city's homicide rate and overall crime rate are down, gang violence has increased sharply over the past year, police say.They say they identified more than 150 new gang members and seized 112 firearms from gang members in 2008, about one-eighth of all the guns they seized in the year.On Dec. 12, Darshawn Cross, 31, collapsed from multiple gunshots during a funeral in the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church.Police say near-daily shootings followed, with bullets flying in drive-by shootings, during car chases, outside busy malls and theaters and into homes.On New Year's Eve, two 18-year-olds were killed at a Gresham apartment complex. One, Willy Butler, was a half brother of the man accused of shooting Cross."We have a crisis," said Lt. Mike Leloff of Portland's gang enforcement unit.

$5 million civil judgment against the 5th Hill Gang and 11 named members

"The 5th & Hill Gang has long been heavily involved in the sale of heroin in downtown Los Angeles, and we know they have profited from these illegal activities," said City Attorney Delgadillo, who several weeks ago filed a similar action against the 18th Street gang. "We are going to work aggressively with our Federal, State, and local partners to locate and collect their assets - and every penny we strip away from these criminals will be returned to the neighborhoods they have tormented."$5 million civil judgment against the 5th & Hill Gang and 11 named members as part of a permanent injunction restricting the criminal activity of the gang and its narcotics associates in the historic core of the City´s downtown area. This civil judgment is the first ever obtained against a criminal street gang.Approved by L.A. Superior Court, the permanent gang injunction severely restricts the ability of the gang to commit criminal and nuisance activity, including the sale of heroin and other narcotics within the established downtown Safety Zone as defined within the boundaries of 2nd Street to the north, San Pedro Street to the east, 9th Street to the south and Olive Street to the west. At the core of the Safety Zone is the northeast corner of Pershing Square, at which 5th and Hill Streets converge.
Terms of the permanent injunction include many of the standard gang injunction provisions, including limiting the gang´s ability to associate in public with other members, intimidate witnesses, to sell or possess drugs, or to possess weapons or graffiti tools. A unique provision of the injunction makes the gang injunction effective, not only against gang members, but also against the gang´s "Heroin Sales Associates" - defined as anyone arrested twice for possession for sale, or sales where the alleged controlled substance was heroin, and the arrest occurred within the established Safety Zone. This new provision was sought by city prosecutors because 5th & Hill Gang members attempt to insulate themselves from criminal liability by using non-gang members to move their product on the street."The Fifth and Hill Gang injunction and now the first ever civil judgment of its type, are evidence of a healthy prevention-focused partnership between the community and different components of the criminal justice system," said LAPD Chief William Bratton. "We will use these tools judiciously to improve safety and to help dismantle violent gangs." In addition to granting a permanent gang injunction, the Court also awarded $4,200,000 in civil damages against the 5th and Hill gang as well as gang members Jesus Barcenas, Everado Bautista, Adolfo Catala, Alejandro Delatorre, Jesus Gonzalez, Carlos Hernandez, Juan Bautista Osorio, Carlos Quiroz, Marco Rivera, Gustavo Roman, Jr., and Cesar Tovar. The Court also awarded an additional $857,500 in civil penalties against the gang and the named members for their violations of the State´s Business and Professions Code Section 17200.
"Because of our innovative and creative solutions to the gang problem.like the City Attorney´s new civil damages actions - we´re making Los Angeles one of the safest big cities in America," said L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti. "I look forward to working with City Attorney Delgadillo to ensure that any money he recovers is distributed to the communities damaged by these gangs, as quickly as possible." "I want to congratulate the City Attorney for thinking outside of the box to bring down this opportunistic street gang," said Councilmember José Huizar. "And I´m happy to hear that the gang´s drug profits made off of the misery of others is going to be returned to the communities they originated in to do some real good."
The injunction - prosecuted by Gang Division Deputy Jim McDougal - includes more than 400 pages of declarations from law enforcement officials regarding the long-standing criminal activity of the 5th & Hill Gang located within the historic core of downtown Los Angeles, as well as declarations submitted on behalf of the local Business Improvement Districts regarding the economic harm caused by the 5th & Hill Gang.
The 5th & Hill Gang is known to have a monopoly on heroin sales in downtown Los Angeles. A vast majority of crimes committed within the Safety Zone, including graffiti and assaults, are related to heroin sales business conducted by the gang.
The City Attorney sought a preliminary gang injunction against the 5th & Hill Gang in November 2007, and the preliminary injunction was granted in February 2008. As part of the original filing, City Attorney Delgadillo´s prosecutors included an additional Cause of Action pursuant to penal code Section 186.22 a(c) seeking damages using the 2007 Amendments to the STEP Act signed into law by the Governor. That amendment expanded existing law to provide prosecuting City Attorneys and District Attorneys with the authority to seek damages against gang members under injunction, and to collect from them assets acquired from their criminal activity. "This is exactly the kind of anti-gang impact that we hoped to see with the passage of SB 271 and SB 1126," Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said."By giving prosecutors more tools to fight gang activity at the local level, we are protecting our communities at the same time we're able to strengthen our statewide anti-gang efforts."The December 2008 filing against members of the 18th Street gang was a stand-alone damages action filed pursuant to the 2008 Amendments to penal code Section 186.22 a(c), and was the first to make use of the passage of SB1126 which authorized prosecutors to collect damages from any assets the named gang members have to satisfy the judgment, whether or not a direct link is established between the criminal conduct and the asset. Since taking office in July 2001, City Attorney Delgadillo has increased the number of gang injunctions from eight to 40, covering more than 65 gangs and more than 61 square miles of claimed gang territory in Los Angeles. In addition, LAPD reports cite a 33 percent decline in gang membership since 2001, and a 25 percent reduction in gang crime since 2002.

Tuesday 13 January 2009

Marlo "Bow Wow" Jones aka "Bow Wow" was arrested Friday after a January 5th incident where a Bone Thugs-n-Harmony member was robbed and beaten


Marlo "Bow Wow" Jones aka "Bow Wow" was arrested Friday after a January 5th incident where a Bone Thugs-n-Harmony member was robbed and beaten in Universal City. Marlo "Bow Wow" Jones, 30, was driving Saturday morning when officers identified his vehicle as being used in a robbery earlier in the week. "Bow Wow" was arrested around 8:50 a.m. and taken into custody downtown where he is being held lieu of a $1,160,396.00 bail. In a profile last year about USC coach Pete Caroll's do gooding activities, "Bow Wow" is featured as someone trying to make a change in his life: "Marlo 'Bow Wow' Jones is an ex-gangster, a guy who by his account has spent seven of his 29 years in jail, now working to turn his life around.On January 5th, Byron McCane, or Bizzy Bone as he's known from Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, returned to his hotel room at the Universal Hilton where he "was confronted by a group of suspects, including two females," an LAPD release stated. "The male suspects beat and choked the victim" before taking jewelry that he was wearing and storming the room looking for more. Meanwhile, "Bow Wow" was immediately terminated from Unity One, the contractor with the City of Los Angeles gang intervention program. "Unity One was founded after the 1992 Los Angeles riots by Darren “Bo” Taylor, a former gang member who became a peacekeeper respected by street toughs as well as by law enforcement and community activists struggling to reduce inner-city violence," the LA Times found.

Monday 12 January 2009

Rodolfo Duarte, was arrested after allegedly attempting to carry a loaded weapon onto an aircraft at O’Hare International Airport

Rodolfo Duarte, was arrested after allegedly attempting to carry a loaded weapon onto an aircraft at O’Hare International Airport, the second such arrest in weeks.
Rodolfo Duarte, 27, was arrested Thursday at O’Hare International Airport and charged with boarding an aircraft with a weapon, according to police News Affairs Officer David Banks. Jefferson District police indicated a loaded “homemade” firearm, which has no make or model but has the ability to fire, was found inside his bag. One bullet was in the chamber and another was outside the chamber of the gun when he was arrested Thursday afternoon, district police said.On Dec. 6, Goce Stojanovski, 47, of Crown Point, Ind., was charged with trying to board an aircraft at O’Hare with a weapon, according to police.A loaded .25-caliber semi-automatic handgun was found wrapped in a napkin in a pocket of his carry-on briefcase, with five live rounds, including one in the chamber, according to court records.

Sunday 11 January 2009

Pedro Sanz,well-known Calgary gangster is cooling his heels in jail after breaching curfew.

Pedro Sanz, well-known Calgary gangster is cooling his heels in jail after breaching curfew.Police were investigating a shooting in the community of Dover last night. CPS Spokesperson Kevin Brookwell says they came upon the man partially by chance.
Police were looking for a black car in relation to the shooting when they noticed another car with a person in it that they recognized. They stopped that car and arrested Pedro Sanz, who was wearing body armour at the time.

Michael Colson, 29, of 877 Middle St., pleaded guilty before Judge Robert T. Kane to trafficking more than 14 grams of cocaine

Michael Colson, 29, of 877 Middle St., pleaded guilty before Judge Robert T. Kane to trafficking more than 14 grams of cocaine, trafficking the drug in a school zone, failing to stop for police, leaving the scene of property damage, driving to endanger, assault and battery on a police officer, resisting arrest and five counts of assault with a dangerous weapon — motor vehicle.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Gregory Tinsworth. Defense counsel was Tom Henneberry.
On April 11, 2008, Vice and Intelligence Unit detectives were surveilling the area of 1091 S. Main St., where they saw Colson engaged in a suspected drug deal. Police were aware he had been convicted of possession of a drug with intent to distribute and they also had information from multiple informants that he was recently selling crack cocaine, said Gregg Miliote, spokesman for the District Attorney’s Office.
When police saw Colson start driving a car, they recalled that his license was suspended, so they had an officer in a marked cruiser stop his vehicle.
“As they approached the rear of Colson’s car on foot, they saw him looking at them in his rear view mirror,” Miliote stated. “His backup lights came on and he revved his engine as he put his car into reverse and drove at the officers, who had to run out of the way to avoid being struck.”
Miliote said Colson then put his car in drive and squealed his tires as he moved forward and drove at the uniformed officer who had conducted the stop. “This officer also had to jump out of the way to avoid being struck.”
Colson then drove down the narrow residential street at 60 mph, nearly striking an unidentified pedestrian, Miliote added. At the next corner, Colson collided head-on with a responding cruiser operated by Officer Raul Camara. Colson then fled on foot with all the officers chasing him.
“During the pursuit, he was observed throwing down a plastic bag which was later determined to be 16 grams of cocaine,” Miliote said. Once officers caught up with Colson, he fought with them, punching three, but was eventually subdued, Miliote said.
The officers nearly struck by the defendant’s car were Detective Lt. James Keighley, Detectives James Smith, William Falandys, Brian Nadeau and Officer Derick Silva.
“This case involved rapid prosecution by ADA Tinsworth and a tough sentence for a man who put police lives at risk,” Miliote stated. “Members of the Fall River Police Department involved in this case should be commended for their swift actions on the day of the incident.”

Murder of Roly Cronin who had been involved in the drugs trade imminent arrests.

Murder of Roly Cronin had been involved in the drugs trade since his teens, and he received a 13-year sentence for possession of heroin in 1996. He enjoyed the usual trappings of drugs wealth -- expensive holidays, upmarket cars and a generally lavish lifestyle.
He lived with his partner and child in Buckingham Street, a short distance from where he died, for a number of years but had moved to Finglas last year, apparently after running into trouble with other drug dealers in the north inner city.GARDAI have obtained crucial DNA evidence from the Magnum pistol used in the killing of Michael ‘Roly' Cronin and his driver. Officers are expected to swoop on the chief suspect for the double murder in the coming days in an effort to match his DNA to the sample recovered from the powerful pistol used in the shooting. Dozens of officers are this weekend hunting the man in his 30s they suspect of the hit - an associate of drug boss Cronin's from the north inner city. The second man shot in the incident, James Moloney, from Poppintree in Ballymun, died yesterday afternoon from his injuries. He had been on life support at St James's Hospital since being shot twice in the head as he sat beside Cronin. A breakthrough in the case occurred last night when preliminary forensic tests on the gun yielded a DNA sample, which gardai believe belongs to the killer. A source told the Herald: "It's a key piece of evidence and the next step is obviously to match it to the hitman.
"We have a chief suspect and we are trying to locate him this weekend. But we're keeping an open mind and there'll be a few other people we'll need to speak to as well. "The case is progressing slowly but surely. Given the nature of DNA analysis, it could take four to six weeks to get a full match." The main suspect is known to gardai and was friendly with Cronin in the past, and officers believe that this friendship explains why the gang boss allowed him into his car at Langrishe Place, off Summerhill, last Wednesday night. As the black Volvo S40 drove off, the gunman fired one shot at Cronin and two at Moloney before fleeing. He dropped the murder weapon, a Magnum .357, under a car at Gloucester Place, and also discarded a black jacket and gloves nearby -- all of which have been recovered by gardai. Forensic tests are continuing on the jacket and gloves, and gardai are hopeful of obtaining DNA from one if not both pieces of evidence. The source added: "It's rare that a hitman would leave so much evidence at the scene. He was obviously panicking as he ran from the car on Summerhill down into Gloucester Place." Moloney, in his 20s, was an associate of Cronin's. He was originally from Poppintree, but more recently lived at Braithwaite Street in the south inner city. He had been on life support since the shooting last Wednesday but a decision was made yesterday to switch off the machine.
While Cronin was a major drug trafficker, Moloney had no criminal convictions. Moloney had been warned in recent weeks there was a hit out on his boss and told to stop working for him. The remains of Cronin, who was originally from Ballymun but had also lived in the north inner city and Finglas, will be released for burial in the coming days. The dad of one was released from prison four years ago, after serving a 10-year sentence for drugs possession. After his release from jail, he aligned himself to Marlo Hyland's Finglas-based crime gang, while also running his own business in areas from Ballymun to Poppintree. Officers are examining a number of motives for Cronin's killing, but the chief line of inquiry is that he fell out with other criminals in the north inner city over cash owed for drugs. Gardai in the city divisions on both sides of the Liffey expressed concern last week that the new young gangs, aged mainly in their late teens and early 20s, are causing a great deal of trouble. They are putting intense pressure on their younger teenage street dealers and any drug seizures by gardai or losses of earnings are punished with severe violence. These gangs are mainly involved in heroin dealing. They are also unafraid of the established, older gang figures in the city.
Senior sources also said that with cutbacks on the garda budgets, there are strict controls on overtime, with detectives being made to work general office hours which is curtailing murder investigations. They also claimed that there appears to be relatively little interest expressed in the gangland crime from senior garda management. One pointed out that while three very senior gardai attended the investigation of one very high profile "domestic" murder last year, none has been seen near any of the ordinary gangland murder scenes or other less high profile killings in the city

Outbreak of gangland violence after two murders and at least three attempted murders in the opening week of the New Year.

Outbreak of gangland violence after two murders and at least three attempted murders in the opening week of the New Year.The long-running feud between two gangs in the south inner city is fully expected to flare up after members of the two gangs bumped into each other in a city-centre take-away in the early hours of January 3. One man was struck on the head with a hammer and then repeatedly kicked in the head as he lay senseless on the floor. The victim is still in hospital and it is not yet known if his injuries will cause permanent brain damage.Shortly before that attack, a gunman called at a flat in Pearse Street, pointed a gun at a man who answered the door and pulled the trigger. The gun failed to fire. Gardai said the victim was an entirely innocent person and they believe it was a case of mistaken identity. They have yet to find the intended victim.Then, within the space of two hours on Wednesday evening last, two men were murdered in central Dublin and another shot and severely wounded at a house in Kinsealy in north Dublin. The Kinsealy victim is expected to recover, despite being shot in the chest and neck.Gardai admitted last week that they are uncertain as to why gangland violence has flared again in the city. Despite an amount of conjecture, gardai do not know the reasons for the murders of Michael 'Roly' Cronin, 35, and his associate James Moloney, 26, a man with no known serious criminal involvement, in Summerhill in the south inner city at 8.40pm last Wednesday. While it was known that Cronin was at odds with other drug dealers in the Finglas, Coolock and Blanchardstown areas, it was not clear why he was back in his old neighbourhood in Summerhill in the north inner city where other gangs control the drugs -- particularly heroin -- supply in the city centre. Gardai have a firm suspect for the double murder, a man in his early 20s from the north inner city area, described as a relatively minor gangland figure. The gunman was in the back seat of Cronin's car as it pulled into Langrishe Place off Summerhill. He apparently shot Cronin, who was driving, in the head, and the car crashed into a barrier. He then turned the gun on Moloney, shooting him twice in the head.
Two hours after the double killing, a gunman forced his way into a house in Drynam Drive about six miles away in Kinsealy, then rampaged through the house looking for his 29-year-old victim. A young woman visiting the house with her baby was cornered in a bathroom where the gunman pointed his gun at her. His victim was hiding in a bedroom barring the door and the gunman fired through it, hitting him twice. It is believed that a drug gang from the Coolock and Darndale area was behind the attack, which is not thought to be linked with the shooting in the north inner city.Senior garda sources said last week that while they were anticipating violence in the Finglas and other north-western areas of the city, the double killing in the north inner city and the rekindling of the south-city feud are worrying developments.
As it does every few years, the character of the gangland scene in Dublin is changing, and younger, and, according to gardai, more ruthless gangs are yet again emerging.

Friday 9 January 2009

Timothy McGhee Gang leader described by police as a thrill-killer sentenced to death

Gang leader described by police as a thrill-killer was sentenced to death Friday for murdering gang rivals and trying to kill police officers.
Superior Court Judge Robert J. Perry agreed with the recommendation of the jury that 35-year-old Timothy McGhee should be put to death. The judge said McGhee's crimes were unprovoked and showed no consideration for human life. McGhee treated his crimes "as some kind of perverse sport, as if he were hunting human beings," Perry said. McGhee appeared in court surrounded by three deputies. Authorities said he was the highest-ranking gang member in the city's tough Atwater Village neighborhood. He was convicted in October 2007 of killing two gang rivals and a woman. Ronald Martin, 17, was shot 28 times as he sketched a picture along the Los Angeles River. Prosecutors said Ryan Gonzales, 16, was killed because he and McGhee had the same nickname—"Guero," which is Spanish for someone with light skin. Margie Mendoza, 25, was fatally shot while she was in a sports utility vehicle with her boyfriend.
The two police officers were led into gang territory and ambushed in 2000. They escaped injury after McGhee opened fire on their patrol car. Three other gang members have been convicted and sentenced in the crime. Jurors who convicted McGhee also upheld special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and murder to further the activities of a criminal street gang, which made him eligible for the death penalty. He previously received a sentence of 75 years to life for taking part in a riot at the downtown Men's Central Jail in January 2005. McGhee had been placed on the U.S. Marshals Service's most-wanted list before his February 2003 arrest in Bullhead City, Ariz. He's been in jail since then.

Victims, 34, 28, and 23, were walking or standing in the 100 block of James Street when the shooter emerged from an alley about 2:35 a.m. and fired

Three men were shot near Pioneer Square early Friday, one of two shootings investigate by Seattle police in the span of 30 minutes.The victims, 34, 28, and 23, were walking or standing in the 100 block of James Street when the shooter emerged from an alley about 2:35 a.m. and fired multiple blasts, police spokesman Mark Jamieson said.One of the victims' friends pulled him into the trunk of a car and drove him to Harborview Medical Center. The other two victims were treated by medics and taken by ambulance to the hospital, Jamieson said."We're still trying to sort it out. But it doesn't appear that this is a random thing," he said.Homicide and gang detectives were investigating and trying to identify suspects. No one has been arrested, Jamieson said.Police detained the driver who took the victim to the hospital, but it appears that person was a witness and not involved in the shooting, Jamieson said.About 30 minutes earlier, police were called to a University District bar, where patrons traded gunfire outside.No one has been arrested, but police found a handgun stashed in the wheel well of a vehicle parked outside the bar in the 5500 block of University Way Northeast. Officers also recovered four .40-caliber casings and one spent bullet, Seattle police reported. The gunmen exchanged gunfire in front of the bar and in an alley behind it. Police were unable to find suspects or any victims.

suspected gang member Robert Mayberry picked-up in Atlanta for distribution of heroin

Robert Mayberry picked-up in Atlanta for distribution of heroin. He'll have to come back to Cincinnati to face charges here. Police are taking a more aggressive approach to gang activity. They're hoping this latest arrest shows gang members even if they run, eventually police will catch them.Suspected members of a gang called the Taliband saw a show of force from police-- rounded up with cameras rolling. Officers hope it sends a message. "If you are out here involved in gang-related behavior not only will the individual that committed the offense be targeted, but that entire group will be targeted." Tuesday, the long arm of the law reached from Cincinnati to Atlanta and tapped suspected gang member Robert Mayberry on the shoulder. Police say the man who went by the name "One Eyed Kenny" in Avondale streets was picked up by U.S. Marshals. Officers credit a tip from Sofast and the Cincinnati Initiative to Reduce Violence program, called CIRV.
"It's a collaborative effort of not just Cincinnati police, but also federal marshals, prosecutors, probation officers. We're bringing in the whole gamut of law enforcement judges." Officers believe Mayberry was the head of the "Grimmie Gang". He fled Cincinnati when police arrested most of the gang about a year ago. Officers recently arrested suspected gang member Kenneth Milton and eight others for violent crimes in Kennedy Heights and Pleasant Ridge. The youngest member of the Coleridge Boys is actually an 11-year-old girl. "However, it definitely sends a message that we need to be doing more reaching out to the children in the community and letting them know that this is definitely not the path to go down." The 11-year-old suspected gang member is accused of breaking into a couple's home and threatening the homeowner with a gun in her waistband. Sergeant Danita Kilgore says in her experience finding a gang member that young is atypical.Numerous members of the Grimmie Gang have recently gone to trial for murder. Many of them agreed to plea deals that sent them to prison.

Miguel Angel Soto Parra, arrested on Wednesday in Mexico City, is a former police officer who was one of the earliest members of the Zetas

Miguel Angel Soto Parra, arrested on Wednesday in Mexico City, is a former police officer who was one of the earliest members of the Zetas, a group of hitmen made up largely of army deserters, a source at the attorney general's office said. President Felipe Calderon has scored a number of big arrests since he sent the army to crack down on drug gangs. But turf wars have spiraled out of control, with some 5,650 people killed last year, many of them tortured or beheaded. The Gulf cartel, which relies on the Zetas to settle scores with rival gangs, is one of Mexico's top smuggling groups, running Colombian cocaine into Texas via the border cities of Matamoros, Reynosa and Nuevo Laredo, security officials say.

19-year-old Juan Vasquez was arrested early Friday on suspicion of killing two teenage boys.

El Paso County sheriff's Lt. Lari Sevene says 19-year-old Juan Vasquez was arrested early Friday on suspicion of killing two teenage boys. It wasn't immediately clear if Vasquez had an attorney. Investigators say a shooting east of Colorado Springs that left two people dead stemmed from a gang-related clash over a stolen iPod.Deputies responded to a report of a fight involving nearly two dozen people at about 4 p.m. Thursday near Cimarron Eastridge Park, and found at least one person performing CPR on a shooting victim.One person died at the scene. The second died at a hospital less than an hour later.The names of the victims have not been released, but Sevene says they attended Sierra High School and New Horizon School.

It’s been one of the last unsolved mysteries from the gangland career of John Gotti.

Whatever happened to the neighbor who accidentally ran over and killed the mobster’s John Gotti. 12-year-old son Frankie — and then vanished?The answer may be found in Brooklyn court papers filed this week by federal prosecutors.They say 51-year-old John Favara was shot to death on orders of the outraged Gambino crime family boss — and his body was dissolved in a vat of acid. Prosecutors say a cooperating witness has fingered a 62-year-old former mobster as the perpetrator in the 1980 affair. Charles Carneglia, an alleged mob soldier awaiting trial on five murders, made sure there was no body to be found by dissolving Favara’s remains with flesh-eating acid, which he kept by the drum in his basement, a government witness testified.“In a later discussion concerning his expertise at disposing of bodies for the Gambino family, which included a discussion of a book [Charles Carneglia] was reading on dismemberment, [Carneglia] informed another Gambino family associate that acid was the best method to use to avoid detection,” government prosecutors wrote in court papers.What happened to Favara has been the stuff of New York lore: In 2004, the federal agents dug up a lot in Queens on a tip that Favara’s remains were buried there. Most recently, the government believed his body was buried in vat of cement and dropped into Sheepshead Bay.

Experts who viewed the video clips speculated that Mehserle fired his gun because the officer had mistaken his handgun for a stun gun.

A BART police officer, idenitified as 27-year-old Johannes Mehserle, shot Grant on the Fruitvale station platform after responding to reports of men fighting on a train. Four officers had pulled Grant and a few other men out of the train. The victim was lying face down on the platform when he was shot. The shooting and events leading up to it were captured on amateur videos that have been broadcast on CBS 5 and other television outlets. Mehserle resigned from the transit agency shortly before he was supposed to be interviewed by investigators Wednesday. Mehserle's attorney did not respond to calls for comment. Grant's family in Hayward has filed a $25 million wrongful death claim against BART, and they want prosecutors to file criminal charges against Mehserle.
"There were racial slurs directed at the young men," family attorney John Burris said Thursday. "But I have no evidence that this particular officer (Mehserle) directed racial slurs towards Oscar Grant." Police have not classified the confrontation as a hate crime.
Some experts who viewed the video clips speculated that Mehserle fired his gun because he believed Grant had a deadly weapon, while others think the officer had mistakenly his handgun for a stun gun.

105 people were arrested in violent Oakland protests over the BART police shooting of an unarmed man

Heavy police presence greeted Bay Area Rapid Transit commuters Thursday after at least 105 people were arrested in violent Oakland protests over the BART police shooting of an unarmed man.The unruly protesters, responding to the Jan. 1 fatal shooting of 22-year-old Oscar Grant III, smashed store windows, burned cars, and vandalized an Oakland police cruiser as they made their way throughout the downtown area.Grant's mother, Wanda Johnson, beseeched residents to avoid further violence and not tarnish the image of her son."You're hurting people who have nothing to do with the situation. You're vandalizing their property, hurting their cars and breaking their windows. Please just stop it, please," Johnson said at a Thursday afternoon news conference. About 15 people were taken into custody around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, but the bulk of the 100-plus arrests were made after police cornered protesters outside the Paramount Theatre around 11 p.m., said Oakland Police spokesman Jeff Thomason.Charges against them include inciting a riot, assault on a police officer, vandalism, rioting and unlawful assembly, Thomason said. Two of the arrests involved illegal handgun possession and another was for drug violations.
He indicated at least one person, a TV cameraman, was injured in the violence. No police officers were hurt, he said. Police officers patrolled outside BART headquarters in Oakland Thursday to ensure calm during the agency's morning meeting, where many African-American community leaders expressed outrage over the killing of Grant, who was black.Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson told BART directors that Grant's death "appeared to be an execution,'' and he called for BART to hold a public meeting that allows the community to understand the policies and procedures in which police officers shoot people.The Rev. Amost Brown was even more blunt: "It was murder. Not trying to explain away, not trying to explain whethere he had his taser or he had his gun. The evidence was there. And we should all say, that was murder. And this gentleman needs to be brought to justice." Oakland City Councilwoman Desley Brooks said BART appeared to be trying to cover up the incident and alleged, "There was a failure to communicate and acknowledge the taking of a life.''Brooks also contended that most protests in the wake of Grant's death were peaceful and that the violence was caused by "a renegade group'' that wanted to "wreak havoc.''What had started as a peaceful demonstration involving about 500 people at the Fruitvale BART station over Grant's shooting death escalated Wednesday night. Oakland police in riot gear threw tear gas and started making arrests as they tried to break up the demonstration; extra officers were called in for duty."The crowd started to become more agitated, more hostile, started throwing stuff at the police," Thomason said. "We gave a dispersal order four to five times over a 20-minute period, then we had our officers go in and start making arrests."

Thursday 8 January 2009

Arrested Ralph Fuller, 50, at about 7 p.m. Monday in the slaying of Michael McDaniel.


Arrested Ralph Fuller, 50, at about 7 p.m. Monday in the slaying of Michael McDaniel.
Fuller was taken to the Clark County Detention Center and charged with one count of murder with a deadly weapon, police said.When officers arrived near Martin Luther King Boulevard and Owens Avenue at about 8:48 a.m. on Dec. 16, they found McDaniel in the driver's seat of his vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds. McDaniel was taken to University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said.Witnesses at the scene told police the victim was in his vehicle waiting to go westbound on Owens when another man who was also stuck in traffic left a white Nissan vehicle, walked up to the victim's vehicle and fired multiple shots into the driver's seat, police said.Witnesses said the shooter then calmly walked back to his vehicle, made a U-turn eastbound on Owens and left the scene, police said.

Reward for information in a fatal shooting at a Far North Dallas smoke shop last week has been doubled to $10,000

reward for information in a fatal shooting at a Far North Dallas smoke shop last week has been doubled to $10,000, police said today. 1 dead, 3 injured in Gas Pipe smoke shop shooting in Dallas Investigators have not identified a motive in the killing of 18-year-old Rebeca Rae Kemp. Three other people were injured when a gunman standing with two other men opened fire from the front doorway of the Gas Pipe in the 18600 block of Marsh Lane. At the request of Dallas police, Schepps Dairy added $5,000 to an existing reward posted by Crime Stoppers in the Dec. 30 shooting. The money is being offered for information leading to an arrest and grand jury indictment in the case.

Enrique Zavala Zamudio, 19, and Joel Chavez Zavala, 21, died at the scene from their gunshot wounds.

Two people were killed and four were injured after two gunmen opened fire on a group of people barbecuing in Greenfield on Sunday, police said.The shooting took place at about 7:40 p.m. at 438 Calaveras St.Witnesses said they saw two Hispanic men in their late teens or early 20s walking in the neighborhood and looking “suspicious” just minutes before gunfire rang out, police said.Enrique Zavala Zamudio, 19, and Joel Chavez Zavala, 21, died at the scene from their gunshot wounds.The other four victims were brought to local hospitals.As of 5:30 a.m. Monday, two of the victims had been released from area hospitals, while the other victims were in stable condition.The two alleged gunman fled the scene on foot and are currently on the loose, officials said.Police said the two men may have gotten into a brown GMC Yukon or a Chevrolet Blazer, but no license plate was seen.

Randy Davis is charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of Michele Davis

Randy Davis is charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of Michele Davis last September. She was found dead after her car went out of control near downtown. Police believed she died in the accident, but an autopsy showed she had been shot.
Witnesses reported seeing a red pickup truck in the area at the time Michele Davis' car crashed.Randy Davis was arrested a week later. He remains in the Polk County jail on $500,000 bond.

Oscar Juliuss Grant III,steady stream of mourners passed by the wreath-flanked casket



steady stream of mourners passed by the wreath-flanked casket of Oscar Juliuss Grant III, and by the time his funeral service began Wednesday morning, an overcapacity crowd of about 1,000 people had packed into South Hayward's Palma Ceia Baptist Church.As family members took their seats — more than 100 of Grant's relatives attended — one woman became overcome with grief and allowed herself to be escorted outside.The church's Rev. Ronald Coleman changed the tone with music, singing "I don't know what you came to do, but I came to pray today" to a crowd that increasingly clapped along.Coleman urged the crowd to "show the world how we believers handle stuff like this, and lift up this family."So set the mood for most of the services, which squarely focused on the life of 22-year-old Grant, and not on his violent shooting death on the Fruitvale BART platform, early Jan. 1.Grant had long been a member of the church on Ruus Road, and pastors spoke warmly about the man whom they'd known since he was a young boy."I met Oscar when he was young — 6, 7, 8 years old," Deacon Eugene Carter said during the service. Oscar always knew so much for a young person. It seemed like he knew as much as some adults. ."‚."‚. He would ask adult questions."Grant had shown leadership skills as part of the church's Royal Ambassadors program, Carter said, which made the deacon think that one day the boy would become a pastor himself. From a young age, Grant enjoyed fishing, baseball, chess and dominoes, Carter said."Whatever you knew how to do, Oscar already knew how to do it," he said.

Nine-millimetre Mack 11 machine pistol found with a cache of weapons during a drug search




A nine-millimetre Mack 11 machine pistol found with a cache of weapons during a drug search was an “unusual” find, said Constable Amy Phillipo of the London Police Service. London city police went looking for drugs today and found a stockpile of weapons, including a prohibited semi-automatic pistol that can easily be converted into an automatic gun. But knives and guns that can be legally purchased in Canada are frequently found during drug investigations, she said, adding some are registered and some are not. The semi-automatic Mack 11, which holds 13 rounds of ammunition, is a prohibited weapon in Canada, said a member of the drug and gun squad, adding it can be converted into an automatic weapon with simple modifications. “It has no military use,” he said. “It is not used by the Canadian forces.” Phillipo said the gun was seized along with drugs, seven knives, a homemade tazer and pepper spray after police executed a search warrant at a Dundas Street residence about 9:30 a.m. today. A suspect in a drug investigation was spotted and arrested at Dundas and Burwell streets before police searched the address listed on the warrant, said Phillipo. After the search, police charged Anthony Gratkowski, 23, of London with 11 weapons and firearms offences, possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, possession of marihuana for the purpose of trafficking and possession of the proceeds of crime. During the search, police also seized ammunition, a digital scale, 110 grams of marihuana bud, 2.5 kilograms of marihuana shake and a small quantity of cocaine as well as the weapons. Police displayed the seizure for the media this afternoon and the items included a bayonet with a grip handle and wrist strap, a machete with a long blade, a knife with a split blade and a dagger that tapers to a needle point.

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...