shooting was an apparent flare-up between warring factions of the Gangster Disciples street gang

shooting was an apparent flare-up between warring factions of the Gangster Disciples street gang -- one whose territory is west of Ashland Avenue, the other whose turf lies to the east -- Chicago police said.Police and fire officials said a 34-year-old man shot in the chest was in critical condition at Stroger Hospital this morning. A 24-year-old man shot in the shoulder was in good condition at Loyola University Hospital in Maywood.Also, a 19 year-old man shot in the abdomen was at Stroger Hospital in stable condition, and an 18-year-old who showed up at a nearby police station with a leg wound was treated and released from Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.Only the four were wounded, despite early reports of more victims, police saidPolice said they still had few details because the shooting victims were uncooperative.police say four people were wounded in a gang-related shooting on the city's South Side Thursday night.The shooting happened around 7:30 p.m. near 77th Street and Loomis Boulevard.The ages of the victims range from 19 to 34-years old.A 34-year old man was shot in the chest and taken to Stroger Hospital in serious-critical condition. A 26-year old male victim is listed in serious-condition at Loyola University Hospital in Maywood. He was shot in the abdomen.The other two victims, a 24-year old and 19-year old man, also are in the hospital listed in fair-serious critical condition. The 24-year old was shot in the chest and the 19-year old was taken to the hospital by police after he went to a nearby police station.According to the Tribune's Breaking News Center, police blame a flare-up between warring factions of a Chicago street gang.

Simon Overland has dodged a six-figure fine after being caught with live ammunition boarding a flight from Canberra to Melbourne.

Simon Overland has dodged a six-figure fine after being caught with live ammunition boarding a flight from Canberra to Melbourne.
The Victorian Chief Commissioner, who carries a gun because of fears he could be an organised-crime target, was caught with a magazine loaded with bullets at Canberra Airport on Thursday afternoon.Has Simon Overland got off lightly? Tell us what you think in the comments below
But while Mr Overland has avoided a maximum $110,000 fine, a screening officer who missed the banned item - when Mr Overland flew from Melbourne to Canberra - has been stood down.The officer, who works in Melbourne Airport's Qantas terminal, will be retrained for his blunder.Mr Overland inadvertently left the ammunition in his carry-on luggage.Sources have told the Herald Sun he had placed his pistol, believed to be a 9mm semi-automatic Glock, in a locked box before boarding the flight.But while the State Government has backed the Chief Commissioner, former National Crime Authority chairman and prominent barrister Peter Faris, QC, said he should be charged.
"So it's OK to carry bullets on a plane?" Mr Faris said.
"It's a serious criminal offence. Any other citizen would be charged.
"The AFP should charge him and it should be left for a court to consider.
"It's a no-brainer.
"You can't just say he's the Victorian Chief Commissioner so he can't be charged."
But instead of being fined or charged, Mr Overland was cautioned and will be issued with a letter of reprimand by the Office of Transport Security.In a statement, it said it was "consistent with the approach taken where similarly inadvertent incidents have occurred involving police officers".Mr Overland contacted Office of Police Integrity director Michael Strong yesterday to brief him about the incident.An embarrassed Mr Overland told AFP officers at Canberra Airport to confiscate the bullets after being screened and interviewed.
An investigation has been launched by the Office of Security Transport, but no further action is expected.
Mr Overland, however, will have to write a detailed report for the OPI.
Mr Overland normally carries a semi-automatic pistol, but a Victoria Police spokeswoman refused to say if it is a Glock 9mm or how long he has carried a gun.
A statement from Victoria Police yesterday confirmed the incident."The Chief Commissioner had inadvertently carried a magazine containing ammunition through the screening point and when it was discovered he asked AFP members to confiscate it immediately and co-operated fully with them," it said.
Police Association secretary Greg Davies said Mr Overland did not deserve preferen- tial treatment."Our position will be there is one law for everyone," he said.
The only authorities permitted to carry guns on planes are air marshals.

B.C.’s most notorious gang members, Jonathan Bacon, 28, and two associates will face a new trial for weapons and drugs charges

B.C. gangster who escaped 15 criminal charges for weapons and drug offences when a judge tossed out a search warrant must now face a new trial.

Jonathan Bacon - who police have publicly identified as a gang member - was arrested along with Godwin Cheng and Rayleene Burton in August 2005.

Police searched two vehicles and seized marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine and more than $90,000 in cash.While officers had been denied a search warrant the day before the arrest because there were not reasonable grounds, after the arrests they were granted the warrant to search Bacon’s Abbotsford, B.C., townhouse.In the townhouse, police found more marijuana, cash, automatic weapons, illegal ammunition, silencers, a bulletproof vest, a police uniform and a police scanner.
At trial, provincial court Judge Donald Gardiner found that the arresting officer didn’t have adequate grounds to make the arrests, making the arrest unlawful and the subsequent search warrant invalid.He threw out all the charges against the accused.
B.C.’s most notorious gang members, Jonathan Bacon, 28, and two associates will face a new trial for weapons and drugs charges that were previously tossed out by a lower court.Bacon, who police have publicly identified as a member of the Red Scorpion Gang, was arrested along with Godwin Cheng and Rayleene Burton in August 2005, after police seized marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine and more than $90,000 in cash from two vehicles.Police obtained a warrant to search Bacon’s Abbotsford townhouse, east of Vancouver, where they found more marijuana, cash, automatic weapons, illegal ammunition, silencers, a bulletproof vest and a police uniform.At the original trial in June 2008, provincial court Judge Donald Gardiner threw out all 15 charges against the three accused, ruling police did not have the grounds to obtain a search warrant.
Gardiner said allowing the evidence would bring the administration of justice into disrepute.But on Thursday morning, three B.C. Appeal Court justices disagreed, saying the information used to obtain the warrant was a long way from abuse of process.
The judges ordered the three accused to stand trial on the charges again.Bacon’s brothers, Jarrod, 25, and Jamie, 22, were arrested in May 2009 on numerous weapons charges. They each face nine counts of firearms-related charges and are jointly charged with 15 additional firearms offences.Jamie Bacon and two other alleged members of the Red Scorpion gang are also facing first-degree murder charges in connection to the slayings of six people in a Surrey condo in 2007.

insult from a rival gang member was all it took for Riqo Mariano Perea to pull a gun and fire into a crowd gathered for a post-wedding party

insult from a rival gang member was all it took for Riqo Mariano Perea to pull a gun and fire into a crowd gathered for a post-wedding party three years ago, killing two people and wounding two others, a prosecutor told a 2nd District Court jury Tuesday.
"In the gang world, it's all about respect, and it's all about retaliation," Gary Heward said during closing arguments. "Riqo Perea was going to show he was the biggest and baddest." Defense attorney Randall Richards countered that Perea was ordered by an older gang member to "take the rap" for the Aug. 5, 2007, shootings and Riqo confessed to protect his family. Richards claimed "two, three or maybe four guns were used" during the attack, and none of them was fired by his client. Heward countered there was no evidence Perea was taking the fall for someone else. The jury, after 2½ hours of deliberation, agreed with prosecutors that Perea pulled the trigger. The 22-year-old was convicted of two counts of aggravated murder for killing Sabrina Prieto, 22, and Rosendo Nevarez, 29. He also was convicted of two counts of first-degree felony attempted murder for wounding Richard Lee Esquivel, 26, and Keri Garcia, 24. Perea is set for sentencing May 27 by Judge Ernie Jones, who could sentence him to life with or without the possibility of parole on the aggravated murder counts. Prior to the shooting, witnesses testified they heard an argument on the street outside an Ogden home in the 1700 East block of 1050 North, where about 40 people had gathered. The shouting included the names of two rival gangs, "Ogden Trece" and "Norte," followed by one or two shots fired into the air. Moments later, according to four people at the party, a red SUV coasted down the street as someone leaned out the front passenger-side window and fired over the roof of the vehicle. Three of the witnesses did not recognize the shooter, but the fourth, Sarah Valencia, testified it was Perea, whom she had known for about eight years. The SUV's driver and two passengers testified Perea was riding in the front passenger seat. One passenger testified he saw Perea shooting and that afterward the slide on the semi-automatic pistol was locked back, indicating the magazine was empty. The other passenger testified he never saw the gun, but did see the muzzle flash as it was fired.

The driver of the SUV, Dominique Duran, said she saw Perea hanging out of the vehicle and heard shots fired, but she claimed she did not know who the shooter was.
The killings spurred what police believe was a series of retaliatory shootings. In one case, a man was shot seven times and dumped in an Ogden industrial area, but survived. Heward said it was no coincidence that Perea's confession lined up with witness testimony and fits the physical evidence. A key witness for the defense was James Gaskill, a Weber State University professor and forensic scientist who once headed the State Crime Lab. Gaskill claimed that shots fired from the moving SUV would have left empty shells strewn along the roadway. Instead, police found 10 shell casings from a .22-caliber pistol grouped near the driveway of a neighboring home. Gaskill said the grouping indicates there was "an almost stationary" shooter near where the shells ended up. Gaskill also claimed there must have been a second shooter in the backyard of the party house, a third shooter in front of the home and possibly a fourth shooter hiding inside a Chevrolet parked in the driveway of the home. He based his opinion on the wound trajectories of the victims, a parked pickup truck that would have blocked bullets fired from the SUV and a shot-out window in the parked Chevrolet. Gaskill said a shooter in the backyard explained why Prieto was shot in the chest while running from the front of the house. But Heward said the woman could have been hit before she turned to run. Heward also noted that none of the witnesses saw or heard anyone shooting from the back of the home. Prosecutor Christopher Shaw called Gaskill's testimony "illogical" and "unreliable," and said it was not based on facts in evidence.

Hells Angels and Comanchero clubs, which have been involved in a two-year feud over a Hells Angels tattoo parlour in Comanchero territory

Hells Angels and Comanchero clubs, which have been involved in a two-year feud over a Hells Angels tattoo parlour in Comanchero territory, are also in the sights of the NSW Police as they prepare to declare one of the state's outlaw clubs to be a criminal organisation.The Hells Angels' Sydney chapter has a new president, Felix Jonathan Lyle, a man with a long and dangerous history.A kung-fu expert with connections to Sydney's criminal milieu, Mr Lyle was until 2002 a high-ranking member of the Bandidos.After years without a club, he joined the Hells Angels in 2009 as a probationary member. Last month he became president.''Less than a year and he's boss - it's impressive,'' one law-enforcement source said, adding that Mr Lyle's rise could represent a ''criminalisation'' of the chapter.A source close to the Hells Angels agreed with that assessment.''It's a total restructure - the whole ethos will be changed under Felix.''His son, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has also become an office bearer in the chapter. Lyle replaces former RTA safety officer Derek James Wainohu, who has led the chapter for more than a decade and was alleged to have been involved in the airport brawl. Under him the group was seen as being more interested in motorbikes than crime.The chapter has moved its clubhouse 20 kilometres east, from Guildford in Sydney's west to the inner-western suburb of Croydon. The Comanchero have also spent the year re-organising, after a dozen members including national president Mahmoud ''Mick'' Hawi, were charged with murder following the airport brawl.Mr Hawi was replaced as supreme bikie by his right-hand man, Duax Hohepa Ngakuru, who has recruited new faces and seemingly encouraged the club to push into Kings Cross.
It is common knowledge among club owners in Sydney's red-light district that a group of men, which includes a senior member of the Comanchero, have created an off-the-books interest in at least one nightclub.Two weekends ago four Comanchero created a scene outside a nightclub associated with Kings Cross identity John Houssam Ibrahim. One of the men is a member of a family involved in a feud with John Ibrahim and his three brothers.

Donatello Fenner, a 22-year-old leader of a North Baltimore gang shot.

Police found Fenner with several gunshot wounds about 4:20 p.m. in an alley in the 2600 block of N. Calvert St. Fenner was said to be a ranking member of the Young Gorilla Family gang, and that group has been linked to much of the violence recently in the Barclay neighborhood, just south of where Fenner was found wounded, according to police.Agent Donny Moses, a police spokesman, said Fenner was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly before 5 p.m. Moses said there were "no suspects, no motives."Fenner has eluded serious prison time, but in a June 2008 Sun article, Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III singled him out as someone police were watching as part of an increased effort to target the city's most violent people."We try to keep very good track of him. We think he's a catalyst for violence in the neighborhood," Bealefeld said of Fenner at the time.Fenner was charged a few months later with attempted murder, stemming from a May 2008 shooting, and was ordered held without bond. The charges were dropped by prosecutors in August 2009, and he was released. In November, he was picked up on an assault charge and was awaiting a March 25 court date.Ten people were gunned down in the Barclay neighborhood in 2007 alone, but the area has since emerged as one of the city's success stories. Since 2007, three people have been killed there.

Two suspected gang members are in custody for allegedly shooting a man, his wife and their 6 year old daughter

Two suspected gang members are in custody for allegedly shooting a man, his wife and their 6 year old daughter outside their Anaheim apartment complex.Just before 8:00 p.m. Sunday, the man was shot in his back and leg, the woman was shot in her leg, and the girl was shot in the foot, according to Tim Schmidt of the Anaheim Police Department.Police believe the victims were all innocent bystanders caught in gunfire.
An adult and a juvenile were arrested and booked for investigation of felony aggravated assault and gang enhancements.Their names are being withheld while the investigation continues.The family was standing in the driveway of their residence in the 600 block East Avalon Place apartment complex at the time of the shooting. Police said they were in the process of buying a car, and had paperwork laid out on the vehicle to sign.Investigators say one or both of the suspects apparently got out of a car and were targeting a rival Sunday night when the family was shot.All three victims were transported to UCI Medical Center for treatment, according to Schmidt. Their injuries were described as non-life threatening.

two decapitated men bodies were left on a scenic road packed with nightclubs in the resort city of Acapulco.

two decapitated men whose bodies were left on a scenic road packed with nightclubs in the resort city of Acapulco.In a separate incident, gunmen killed five police officers patrolling in Tuncingo, a rural community outside Acapulco. In the same area, police found bullet-ridden bodies of five men, including two who had been beheaded.Another man was found shot to death on the edge of Acapulco.Police named no motive for the killings early Saturday. It is unclear if they were related.Guerrero state is a key battleground for Mexico’s brutal drug cartels.The Los Angeles Times reports that the murders come just as spring break tourists have started to arrive:

shooting death of a 21-year-old man capped a 24-hour spate of gang violence.

According to police, the latest killing happened shortly after 9 p.m. Friday when someone shot John "Tarzan" Maldonado three times, in his chest, the side of his torso and near his hip.Maldonado was pronounced dead at 9:44 p.m.Police believe Maldonado may have been killed in retribution for the death Thursday of another man, Jerome "Rude Boy" Scarlett.Maldonado's girlfriend, 24-year-old Shameeka Burks, said Maldonado believed he was a gang target.In addition to the two homicides, the violence that struck Newburgh Thursday and Friday included three robberies and a gang assault with machetes. Police have arrested suspects only in the machete attack.

gang from New Ellenton trying to stake a ‘claim’ on Aiken territory.

inner County feud is what witnesses say caused Friday nights’ shooting in Crosland Park. Stephon Carter, 17 was shot in the leg on Sommer Avenue, in Crosland Park around 10:35 p.m. Friday. Aiken Public Safety Investigators say a ‘block’ party turned into a fight when a crowd from another part of the neighborhood stopped by. Witnesses say that ‘crowd’ is actually a gang from New Ellenton trying to stake a ‘claim’ on Aiken territory. “They’re from another hood, so they’re going to come down here and try to get respect or trying to own this territory,” said an unidentified witness.

U.S. consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico,Three people killed in two drive-by shootings

Three people connected to the U.S. consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, were killed in two drive-by shootings, a senior White House official told CNN Sunday.
Two of the victims were an American employee at the consulate and her U.S. citizen husband. The husband of a Mexican employee of the consulate was also killed. The shootings happened Saturday afternoon, the official said.US woman working at the consulate in Ciudad Juarez and her American husband were killed in a drive-by shooting in broad daylight as they left a consulate social event, officials said.

The couple's one-year-old baby who was in the back seat of their car was left unharmed.

A Mexican man married to another consulate employee was also killed around the same time in another part of the city after he and his wife left the same event.
Several American citizens have been killed in Mexico's drug war, but it is rare for US government employees to be targeted

The American couple, identified by Mexican authorities only as a woman about 25 years old and a man around 30, were found dead inside a white Toyota RAV4 with Texas license plates

, according to the Chihuahua state attorney general's office.
The woman was shot in the neck and left arm, while the man had a bullet wound near his right eye, officials said.
"We know that the U.S. citizens were targeted," Juarez Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz told CNN, saying a police officer witnessed a car shooting at the Americans' car. "We know they were chasing them. We know they wanted to kill them."
Authorities retrieved only one shell casing, from a 9 mm weapon.
About 10 minutes before authorities received the call, they were alerted to a body inside a 2003 Honda Pilot. Inside was the husband of the Mexican employee, identified as Jorge Alberto Salcido Ceniceros, 37. Reyes said the victim was a state police officer who was married to a Mexican employee at the U.S. consulate.
Two children, 4 and 7, were injured in that shooting and transported to the hospital, the attorney general's office said.
Police recovered two shells at that scene from an assault rifle, authorities said.
"The president is deeply saddened and outraged by the news of the brutal murders of three people associated with the United States Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez," National Security Council Spokesman Mike Hammer said in the statement Sunday. "He extends his condolences to the families and condemns these attacks on consular and diplomatic personnel serving at our foreign missions. In concert with Mexican authorities, we will work tirelessly to bring their killers to justice."
3 associated with U.S. consulate killedIn response, the U.S. State Department authorized the temporary relocation of employees' families working in border-area consulates.
The families of employees at U.S. consulates in Tijuana, Nogales, Ciudad Juarez, Nuevo Laredo, Monterrey and Matamoros, are allowed to leave for a period of 30 days "in response to an increase in violence along the Mexican side of its border with the U.S.," State Department spokesman Fred Lash told CNN.
After 30 days, the authorization can be renewed, depending on a review, Lash said, adding that this was not a mandatory evacuation.
The announcement was part of a warning to American citizens regarding travel to Mexico.
The warning urges U.S. citizens to delay nonessential travel to parts of the states of Durango, Coahuila and Chihuahua, where Juarez is located, because of recent violent attacks. U.S. government employees are restricted from traveling to all or parts of these three states.
The attacks include the kidnapping and killing of two resident U.S. citizens in Chihuahua, the warning states.
"Some recent confrontations between Mexican authorities and drug cartel members have resembled small-unit combat, with cartels employing automatic weapons and grenades," the warning says. "During some of these incidents, U.S. citizens have been trapped and temporarily prevented from leaving the area."
The mayor said the shootings highlight a problem shared by both countries along their border.
"It is not just a Mexican problem -- it's is a U.S.-Mexico problem," Reyes said. "I'm very glad that the U.S. has taken that position."
He said he supported the State Department's authorization to consular families and that "it is important they feel safe."
Mexico on Sunday said that its government was committed to protecting all people, citizens and visitors alike, diplomats or not.
"The Mexican government deeply laments the killings of three people linked to the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez," Mexico's foreign ministry said in a statement. "The Mexican authorities are working with determination to clear up the facts surrounding the crime scene and put those responsible before the law."
Juarez is one of the front lines in Mexico's war against the drug cartels that operate in its territory. More than 2,600 people were killed in Juarez in 2009.
Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, has become a focal point of Mexican President Felipe Calderon's anti-drug efforts after the January 31 killings of 15 people, most of whom were students with no ties to organized crime. The incident sparked outrage across Mexico.
In the western state of Guerrero, at least 25 people were killed in a series of violent acts on Saturday, state officials said.
The bodies of 14 people, including nine civilians and five police officers, were found in various parts of the resort city of Acapulco, the official Notimex news agency reported, citing Guerrero Public Security Secretary Juan Heriberto Salinas.
In the small city of Ajuchitlan del Progreso, 10 civilians and one soldier were killed in two shootouts that started when federal officials tried to carry out search warrants on two locations, Salinas said.
Police in the state were on a heightened security alert, he said.
The government has not released official figures, but national media say 7,600 Mexicans lost their lives in the war on drugs in 2009. Calderon said last year that 6,500 Mexicans died in drug violence in 2008.

Gerbil's mob are absolutely raging that the cops are running about in his car while he is still lying in the morgue

£40,000 supercar used by police in their fight against organised crime was seized by cops from slain underworld enforcer Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll,
The Audi Q7 - unveiled earlier this week and used for the first time yesterday - was confiscated by cops before Carroll, 27, was shot dead, it emerged last night But the 4x4 is now a target for Carroll's furious associates. A gangland source said: "Gerbil's mob are absolutely raging that the cops are running about in his car while he is still lying in the morgue."They think it's disrespectful and have vowed that they'll get some sort of revenge against the police."Some of them have mentioned that they'll firebomb the car if they get a chance. They don't want people to think that the cops are laughing at them."The source added: "Gerbil loved those cars. He bought one with cash and when it was taken off him by the police, he went straight out and bought another one."The car was seized after feared Carroll could not prove where he got the money to buy it.It was also used by seven of his associates as a "pool car" as they carried out various crimes.Justice Secretary Kenny Mac-Askill unveiled the Audi at the force's Pitt Street HQ on Monday.Assistant Chief Constable John Neilson said: "We want to send a message that if you are a criminal driving about in a car like this, we will come and take it off you. It's not yours anymore, it's ours."
Yesterday the flash motor was used for the first time when officers swooped on a house in plush Jordanhill, Glasgow.They were seen escorting Jamie Daniel, 52, into the back of the car - which boasts Sky TV, heated seats and rear-view cameras - to the city's sheriff court.Daniel was remanded in custody after denying charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.A neighbour said: "I recognised the vehicle because there were stories saying it had been seized."It had the words 'Seized - with your help - from organised crime'. There was no mistaking it."Gerbil was shot and killed as he sat in the back of his car - another Audi - in a busy supermarket car park in the city's Roybroyston area in January. His masked killers are still at large.

40-year-old Eduardo Ochoa was wanted for violating his federal supervised released after serving a 77-month prison sentence for possessing a firearm.

40-year-old Eduardo Ochoa was wanted for violating his federal supervised released after serving a 77-month prison sentence for possessing a firearm.Authorities say Ochoa also is an investigative lead in multiple homicides within the past month in the Phoenix metropolitan area.They say Ochoa was arrested Wednesday after his vehicle was stopped and a handgun and narcotics were found. Authorities say Ochoa’s has prior convictions for weapons violations, aggravated assault and endangerment.Federal authorities say the Mexican Mafia is one of the oldest prison gangs in the U.S. and operates both within and outside prison.

Collapse of the Hells Angels has created a toxic environment a biker war is imminent.

The Redlined Crew made their first big impression in mid-January when they allegedly attacked a Rock Machine member who had been lured to an auto repair shop that has connections to the Hells Angels."Tensions are extremely high ... Violence is imminent," a veteran police officer with extensive knowledge of the organized crime scene wrote last month in newly released court documents obtained yesterday by the Winnipeg Free Press.
Police explain in detail why they believe the relative calm of the past few months is about to be broken -- including evidence of gang members stockpiling weapons in preparation to take out their rival "by any means necessary." The document was used to obtain a search warrant for a home in the city's East Kildonan neighbourhood, where a loaded handgun was found hidden in a backyard last month.Police say a pair of newly arrived gangs are at the centre of the brewing battle as they try to fill the "vacuum" created by a major undercover sting operation dubbed "Project DIVIDE" that ended last December. Police used a career criminal turned secret agent to infiltrate the Hells Angels, resulting in the arrests of 34 high-ranking members and associates.
Police say every member of the Zig Zag Crew -- the Hells Angels so-called "puppet club" -- was put behind bars while only a handful of Hells Angels remain free. With the demand for drugs as high as ever, the criminal underworld was thrown into turmoil."The Rock Machine has been attempting to establish a foothold in the province of Manitoba due to the arrests in DIVIDE. Members of the Rock Machine have been capitalizing on the fact the Hells Angels members and supporters are low in number and have been 'flying' their colours throughout the city of Winnipeg, enraging members of the Manitoba Hells Angels," police wrote in their affidavit.
The Rock Machine have a long history with the Hells Angels in Quebec, especially during the 1990s, when dozens of gang members were killed. But they are new to Winnipeg.The Hells Angels responded quickly despite their diminished state, according to police. Two long-time members of the gang assembled a new group in January to stand up to Rock Machine members trying to take over Winnipeg's drug scene. The "Redlined Support Crew" is comprised entirely of imposing young men who are free in the community and have previously shown their allegiance to the Hells Angels --at least informally.

most violently ruthless gang in the world, the Aryan Brotherhood

most violently ruthless gang in the world, the Aryan Brotherhood came to bloody birth in San Quentin Prison in 1964. The prison population of San Quentin – called the ‘Q’ – began choosing sides based on skin color. Blacks only socialized with other blacks. Hispanics refused to speak with anyone who wasn’t Hispanic. To protect themselves against the blacks and Hispanics, a few outlaw bikers – who were white – doing time in the ‘Q’ formed their own clique. Back then the cliques weren’t called gangs. Instead they were called “tips.” The black tip was called the Black Guerilla Family, and had ties to the Black Panthers and the Nation of Islam. Mexican Mafia or La Eme was the name the Hispanics chose. The white boys called their tip the Diamond Tooth Gang, which referred to their teeth. To add an aura of fear and terror to their persons, the white guys glued bits of broken glass to their teeth. When they smiled, the sunlight glittered off the glass in their teeth. It looked as if they had diamonds in their teeth. A number of gangsta’ rappers later adopted this ‘jailhouse’ dental fashion. The rappers put real diamonds in their teeth. And the current trend of wearing baggy pants real low on the buttocks – called ‘sagging’ – also began in prison and carried over into popular culture.For some reason, after a while they changed the name from the Diamond Tooth Gang to the Blue Bird Gang. No one seems to know exactly why. Whatever the origin of the name, the Blue Bird Gang began to attract other white members at the ‘Q’. Soon this gang of “white warriors,” as they called themselves, dropped the Blue Bird name and designated themselves the Aryan Brotherhood – a direct reference to their skin color.
The Aryan Brotherhood recruited only the biggest, the baddest and the toughest white inmates. It was an exclusive order of white warriors. Their motto was “blood in, blood out.” This meant that each potential member had to “make his bones” before he became a full-fledged member. “Making one’s bones” meant spilling blood in hand-to-hand combat. Either the blood of another prisoner from a rival gang, or the blood of one of the guards. It didn’t matter which, but blood had to be spilled.

Daniel C. Miller and Austin Fry went by the menacing-sounding name of “Omaha Mafia Bloods.”

Daniel C. Miller and Austin Fry went by the menacing-sounding name of “Omaha Mafia Bloods.”On the other side was Julius Robinson, an 18-year-old who had just broken off from that group to form his own menacing-sounding Millard gang — “LOC 228.” The LOC stood for Loc’ed Out Criminals — and the 228 was some combination of Robinson’s and other members’ birthdays.The feud between the groups had heated up in the late spring of 2008, when Robinson was accused of stealing $500 from Fry during a marijuana deal.
Then the spat became deadly when Miller and Fry drove to a southwest Omaha apartment complex to settle it.What happened next is not in dispute: Miller pulled a .357 Magnum revolver and, from the passenger’s seat of Fry’s Chrysler, fired twice — hitting Robinson once and killing him.
What remains in dispute is why.In opening statements Tuesday for Miller’s first-degree murder trial, Miller’s attorney, Greg Abboud, said Miller had no choice but to fire after the car he was in was ambushed by at least 10 members of Robinson’s gang.
“Dan Miller, realizing the gravity of the situation, shot him,” Abboud said. “He shot him in self-defense.
“(Another witness) will tell you the same thing. It was a kill-or-be-killed situation.”Hardly, prosecutor John Alagaban said.
Alagaban equated Miller’s actions to those of a drive-by shooter. Alagaban said no evidence would be presented at trial that Robinson or any of his fellow LOC 228 members had guns.
In fact, Alagaban said, Robinson had taken off his shirt and was brandishing nothing more than a novelty 12- to 18-inch baseball bat when he approached the car carrying Miller.Alagaban said tensions had grown between the groups since Robinson’s departure weeks earlier from the Omaha Mafia Bloods gang.
On June 15, 2008, the two groups made plans to fight at a gas station. Soon after, someone gave word to Miller, who was swimming at a pool.
Miller left the pool and went to his parents’ west Omaha house to get the .357 Magnum he had hidden under his mattress.
He then loaded the revolver with two bullets.
Fry, who is expected to testify for the prosecution, drove Miller and two other OMB members to the apartment complex near 128th and Q Streets.
Abboud said Miller and his three friends were overwhelmed as they drove up. Some of Robinson’s fellow group members will admit that they planned to ambush the car before Miller, Fry and their friends could get out, Abboud said.
That’s exactly what they did, Abboud said.
“It was an ambush,” Abboud said. “They’ll tell you that one of the strategies was, ‘Act first. Don’t let them get out of the car. Then we pull them out of the car and beat them.’
“That’s what the plan was.”
Abboud said Miller will testify that he thought one of Robinson’s gang members had a rifle he was pumping. In reality, Abboud said, that object may have been a pipe that was about the same size and circumference as the barrel of a rifle.
An apartment manager will describe finding a butterfly knife in a bush near where Robinson lay dying — a knife overlooked by police, Abboud said.
Witnesses also will testify that Robinson had crouched behind a sign before jumping out and rushing the car, Abboud said.
At least one passenger in the car with Miller will testify that it was a “kill or be killed situation,” Abboud said.
Alagaban painted a different picture. The prosecutor pointed out that Robinson had his shirt off and carried only a novelty bat — one that a police officer described as a 12- to 18-inch-long Royals souvenir.
“The victim has his shirt off in fistfight mode, (saying) ‘Let’s go,’” Alagaban said.
Alagaban said Miller had several options short of shooting. If they feared for their lives, Miller and his friends had an easy escape by driving on down the street, away from the approaching group.
Instead, Alagaban said, Miller raised his gun as he sat in the passenger seat, fired across Fry and killed Robinson as he approached the driver’s side door.
“Daniel Miller was there on June 15, 2008, to kill Julius Robinson,” Alagaban said. “And that’s what he did.”

Marvin "Shyboy" Mercado and his brother, Pierre, hid out in the Philippines for 10-years before being caught and extradited back to the U.S

Asian Boyz gang member will finally go to trial for the 15-year-old murder
Marvin "Shyboy" Mercado and his brother, Pierre, hid out in the Philippines for 10-years before being caught and extradited back to the U.S. last May. Both men are reputed members of a Van Nuys clique of the Asian Boyz gang.Investigators say the group is responsible for a mid-1990s bloodbath that left as many as 17 people dead and many more wounded.Pierre faced two counts of attempted murder when he fled. But his big brother "Shyboy" ran to escape prosecution for six murders. According to the criminal complaint, he's been charged with two more murder counts, including the killing of Jennifer Gregory's husband.

Gangland hit squad who executed drug boss Kevin "Gerbil" Carroll used guns previously fired in an attack on a house

Forensic experts have linked the murder weapons with a gangland warning attack on a house near Milton, in the north of Glasgow.Six shots were fired through a front window in the 2007 incident but no one was injured.Now the connection between the shooting and Carroll's execution last month outside an Asda supermarket in Robroyston, Glasgow, has provided detectives with an Aladdin's Cave of evidence.
A police source said: "In the preparation and execution of the murder, there has been a degree of recklessness.
"The killers were careless in disposing of the weapons behind a public library.
"And it beggars belief that the guns had already been used in a previous incident.
"As we examine the background and motive of the earlier case, other people are coming into play.
"Carroll had a lot of enemies and there has been much speculation about who may have been behind the murder.
"But the guns link is opening up opportunities to eliminate different groups and it may provide a clear path to those responsible for the shooting."
Underworld sources have claimed Carroll, who worked as an enforcer for the Daniel crime clan, was killed as part of a running feud with the Lyons family.
Detectives believe that Eddie Lyons Jnr, 30, was shot by Carroll just days before he was assassinated.
Eddie Jnr is rumoured to have been shot three times by Gerbil, with two shots hitting his bulletproof vest and a third striking his arm.
The dad-of-two is understood to have left his £250,000 home in Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, after Carroll's murder and he is now believed to be in Spain.
His dad, Eddie Snr, 51, is the head of the notorious crime clan.
Earlier this week, we revealed detectives raided a house in north Glasgow looking for Eddie Jnr.
Officers swooped on a property owned by his mother-in-law in a bid to question him about Gerbil's murder.
But his wife, Joanne, told cops she did not know where her husband was and other family members also pleaded ignorance.
The police operation was triggered after a black BMW X5 was spotted parked outside his mother-in-law's house in Milton.
Police were alerted about the 4x4, which is believed to belong to Eddie Jnr, and members of Strathclyde Police's Gangs Task Force were scrambled.
Carroll was shot dead as he sat in the back of a black Audi in the car park of the Asda store at about 1.30pm on January 13.
Police revealed more than 10 shots were fired at Carroll as horrified shoppers looked on.The three-man hit squad then sped off in a dark blue Volkswagen Golf, later found burned out in Glenmavis, Airdrie.A fortnight after the hit, their guns were found dumped behind Coatbridge Library in Lanarkshire.

Clark, Harris and other members of the Tre Tre Crips, a northeast Denver street gang, got angry at the Broncos in the club

Clark, Harris and other members of the Tre Tre Crips, a northeast Denver street gang, got angry at the Broncos in the club because Marshall's cousin sprayed champagne around the VIP area when the new year arrived.
Marshall provided a more comprehensive timeline while deleting his cousin altogether. The jury may or may not buy the deletion, but the rest of the tale confirmed several reports that have been floating around since that night. It didn't hurt the drama or value of Marshall's testimony that he has never before spoken publicly about that night.
He testified that the problems began as soon as he and his party arrived at the club. Clark, in the crowd outside waiting to enter, took exception to Marshall's party going right in, saying those on the street had money to spend too.
Marshall said he tried to make a joke, telling Clark if he had money, drinks inside could be on him. Clark didn't laugh. Marshall testified he told the bouncer to let Clark and Harris in, trying to defuse the situation.
That's why he got angry later when he found Clark and Harris confronting Williams and his table in the club's VIP area, he said. By other accounts, the confrontation at Williams' table was about champagne sprayed by Marshall's cousin. Marshall said he wasn't with his cousin at the time and didn't see anyone spraying champagne. In any case, the dispute continued, Marshall now upset his good turn was being repaid with hostility.
By the time they all spilled outside at closing time, Marshall admitted he was angry and helped to escalate the confrontation, eventually getting punched in the jaw by Harris, he said. When he saw Clark's group running off for no apparent reason, he said he had a bad feeling about what was coming next.
"I just remember, like, man, it's time to get out of here," he said.
The defense went after Marshall hard. Some of its attempts to undermine his credibility hit their marks. Still, it's a debatable legal strategy before a jury that's bound to include some Broncos fans. Motive is probably not Clark's strongest suit.
This was defense attorney Abraham Hutt's first question, referring to Marshall's initial 2007 police interview: "The first thing you told them was a lie, wasn't it?"
The issue? Whether Marshall disclosed the names of his entire traveling party that night. Even if he omitted his cousin and teammate Elvis Dumervil on purpose to protect them, it seems likely the jury will view that as a rather minor offense compared to some of the other stuff it's heard about. This trial is not rated PG.
Typically, Marshall didn't give an inch, battling Hutt just as he battled the Crips that night, just as he battled Broncos coach Josh McDaniels last season. It's who he is. The same quality that provided the prosecution's best day so far on behalf of his fallen teammate also contributed to the hostilities that led up to his murder.

Four members of the Bandidos, including president Joe Louis “Bandido Joe” Flores, and a friend of the lone shooting victim, were arrested

Four members of the Bandidos, including local chapter president Joe Louis “Bandido Joe” Flores, and a friend of the lone shooting victim, were arrested, deputies said in a news release Wednesday.The incident at Fred’s on the River escalated into a shooting after the victim, Steven Hoff, 31, 30914 La. 16, Denham Springs, called his friend for help as gang members arrived and argued with him, deputies said.
Hoff’s friend, Brian McDonald, 39, 15357 Joe Sevario Road, Prairieville, arrived at the bar on La. 42 along the Amite River and brandished a gun to get the gang members off Hoff, deputies said.McDonald, who was treated for non-life-threatening injuries at the hospital and released, was arrested on counts of aggravated assault, disturbing the peace and possession of a firearm at an alcoholic beverage outlet, deputies said.In addition to information on McDonald’s arrest, deputies provided the following list of the four gang members arrested and the counts against them:Joe Louis Flores, 31, 34230 Hocks Cove, Denham Springs, attempted second-degree murder, possession of a firearm in an alcoholic beverage outlet and second-degree battery.
Jose Felisiano Flores, 31, 11040 Burgess Ave., Denham Springs, second-degree battery and disturbing the peace.
Derrick Johnson, 35, 13458 Prairie Lane, Walker, second-degree battery and disturbing the peace.
Chester Hunnicutt, 38, 44523 La. 42, Prairieville, principal to attempted second-degree murder, possession of a firearm in an alcoholic beverage outlet, second-degree battery and disturbing the peace.
No bonds had been set early Wednesday afternoon, deputies said. No counts were filed against Hoff on Wednesday, but Hoff’s actions in the fracas remain under investigation, deputies said.

Fresno Police investigators say rival gang members showed up at a party and got into a fight.

One person wast taken to the hospital, and two people were sent to the Fresno County Jail after a weekend shooting. It happened Sunday night in Southeast Fresno, in the parking lot of an apartment complex at Maple and Huntington.Fresno Police investigators say rival gang members showed up at a party and got into a fight. One person was shot in the leg. Police stopped a car with two suspects inside about a half a mile away. The victim is expected to recover.

New York City Mob Tour will cost $50 per person for a two-hour tour.

Mob aficionados will soon get to take a tour of the Mafia’s “greatest hits” in Manhattan.
John Ciarcia is planning a new bus tour that will point out the scenes of some of New York City’s most famous gangland murders.
Ciarcia says most New Yorkers and tourists have no idea about places with a major mob history, such as a Starbucks in Midtown that used to be a barbershop where mob boss Albert “The Executioner” Anastasia was gunned down by assassins.
While there are other mob tours of New Jersey and elsewhere, Ciarcia’s tour is believed to be the first in Manhattan.
The New York City Mob Tour will cost $50 per person for a two-hour tour.
I’d take that tour. Really, of all the horrible tours of that city I would be the most entertained here.

the New Boys are declaring a war on one club, they can expect to cop it from all clubs

The New Boys has been undercutting other dealers, and targeted outlaw bikies, the Hell's Angels, in a series of drive-by shootings in August.The New Boys emerged in the northern suburbs about four years ago and once congregated at pubs around Elizabeth and Smithfield. They use Hindley St as their base, as well as the Norwood entertainment strips, including The Parade, where they sell drugs. The gang has two "chapters" and is extensively involved in selling drugs, including ecstasy tablets and methamphetamine, and street fights, usually using knives.The group said to be headed by a city tattooist, the target of the bungled bomb attack who lashed out at cameramen yesterday when he returned to his home, metres from the crime scene.It was two hours before sunrise on Thursday when Enfield shook with the force of the home-made bomb, ripping apart a hire car and killing two men on Truscott Rd.Convicted drug runner Vahe Hacopian, 31, of Munno Para West, and a 23-year-old Walkley Heights Hell's Angels associate, made it within metres of their suspected target when the explosives accidentally detonated.Their target, a tattooist and New Boys drug dealer, lived just metres from where shrapnel showered the road.They were killed instantly, with one man's body blown across the road while the other remained in the vehicle, secured by his seatbelt.The tattooist was a suspect in the 2008 Gouger St shootings, his Enfield home raided by STAR Group officers hours after the gun battle.Yesterday, he returned home to his wife and children, but stayed only five minutes.A uniformed police officer stood about 40m away, guarding the crime scene around Thursday's bomb blast."Get that camera off the house," he shouted while rushing at a television cameraman. "Haven't you got any respect for my kids and wife? Is this how you protect the community, you maggots? Insects. Dogs."The tattooist has a criminal history dating back to when he was 17, including numerous convictions for serious assault and drug dealing.Yesterday, bikie expert and author of The Brotherhoods, Inside the Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs, Professor Arthur Veno said Adelaide was most likely in the middle of a turf war between drug dealers. "It's extremely unlikely that the (motorcycle) clubs are doing this," he said."The clubs are desperately trying to get rid of these guys."They have to distance themselves from the criminal element because the understanding is if they want to keep their club, they need to get rid of that kind of thing. It's much more likely to be an underworld drug situation or turf war."Prof Veno said if the New Boys wanted a war with one club, they would be shut down by all of them. He said the once-warring bikie gangs had been brought together by the United Motorcycle Council to fight the state government's anti-bikie laws."If the New Boys are declaring a war on one club, they can expect to cop it from all clubs, who will join together and stop it real quick," he said. "The bikie clubs are under so much pressure and they've reached a consensus through the United Motorcycle Council that they will push out the criminal element."They are desperately trying to keep a lid on things.

targeted killings in Monterey County during the past year are the result of gang orders to cleanse the area of those considered traitors by Norteños

targeted killings in Monterey County during the past year are the result of gang orders to cleanse the area of those considered traitors by Norteños and their parent gang, the Nuestra Familia.Recent slayings of at least seven people not in good standing with the gang in Greenfield and Salinas led investigators to conclude that a "cleanup" of the streets in the wake of two large federal racketeering cases is continuing."We're dealing with violence that is spread across the Salinas Valley and beyond," Greenfield Police Chief Joe Grebmeier said. "The issues are not in any one city and the solutions will have to involve the region."Gang members, agents and federal prosecutors -- all of whom asked not to be named -- say the FBI is working a new gang conspiracy case in the Salinas Valley. Only San Francisco U.S. Attorney Joseph Russoniello said on the record that the FBI and his office are investigating more gang crimes in Monterey County.The brazenness of some slayings remind longtime gang cops of a bloody era more than a decade ago, when gang leaders in Salinas and points south ordered dozens of killings in a civil war and power struggle within the gang.

In late 1998, several regiment leaders and so-called traitors were slain, with attempts made on many more as Nuestra Familia crew bosses fought over control of the valley.The slayings of three people in and near the Pueblo Inn.motel in Greenfield in December and January point to the possible involvement of a higher "shot caller" presumably still at large, investigators said.
Israel Cota of Soledad, who police say is a Nuestra Familia boss for Salinas Valley, is wanted on warrant by state parole officers. Police declined to say if he is a person of interest in the Greenfield slayings.Police continue to try to apprehend 18-year-old Francisco Tamayo, believed to be the shooter of two women at the motel, but investigators do not consider him to be the gang authority who ordered the crime.
Yliza Martinez and Veronica Gallegos, both 30, were shot in their motel room Dec. 5. Gallegos died that night, Martinez died a week later.Shortly after the slayings, fire crews were summoned to put out a mysterious fire in the motel's hallway.Although police have not speculated on a suspect or motive behind the apparent arson, gangs for years have used arson and fire bombings as warnings to tell would-be crime witnesses not to cooperate with police.On Jan. 14, Gallegos' half-brother Angel Gutierrez, 40, was shot and killed not far from the motel.About that time, officers learned Cota failed to show up for a parole appointment. Cota was released from Monterey County jail in late December.Citing an ongoing investigation, police declined to say whether they are aware of a specific motive for the three slayings, although Gutierrez was known to have had a falling out with Nuestra Familia years ago. Before that, he was "very active" with the gang in Soledad, an investigator familiar with his history said.Some killings likely ordered Salinas police detective Lalo Villegas said that just because a gang member is on a hit list doesn't necessarily mean his killing was ordered by the gang."Norteños can be on a hit list forever and nothing ever happens to them," he said.
Nonetheless, in the past year, he said, "we've also seen some of the true hits."
Gang officers from Monterey, Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties say current levels of violence are in part the unforeseen consequences of large federal prosecutions.
A leadership struggle at the gang's highest level emerged after the FBI's Operation Black Widow took out the Nuestra Familia's top captains and generals and sent them to a federal supermax prison in Colorado in 2005. Since then, it has been well-documented that two factions in the Central Coast have struggled over control of the gang: Those still loyal to the leaders in federal prisons, and those loyal to the new general, D.C. Cervantes of Chino, in Pelican Bay State Prison, the gang's traditional headquarters.During the past year, investigators say, the Pelican Bay faction has asserted its authority after the government's Operation Valley Star in 2007 swept up key figures in the Salinas and Central valleys still reporting to the old leaders.
A second likely factor in the violence is competition from rival Sureño gangs.
The bloodshed has stepped up in part, police say, because the Nuestra Familia is trying to re-establish territory lost to its archenemy during the Nuestra Familia's recent years of organizational chaos.

"Sureños are definitely getting more organized," said Villegas. "We do know that we've been having some high-ranking people trying to unite them. They're starting to be a little more structured than we've seen before.

"Villegas said the Salinas Valley is seeing Sureños targeting suspected traitors within their ranks, although he said he hasn't seen evidence the killings were ordered by higher-ups.Links to '98 homicide?One curious aspect of the investigations is that police are looking into whether at least two of the past year's victims may have known something about the slaying 12 years ago of Nuestra Familia's Salinas crew leader Miguel "Mikeo" Castillo by Rico "Smiley" Garcia, a case that made dramatic headlines at the time.In 1998, Alberto Arizpe contacted police in an apparent attempt to mislead officers shortly after Castillo's killing, according to a police report.He told skeptical detectives that Castillo's attackers were three Sureños -- members of the Norteños' rival gang. But Garcia later admitted to conspiring to kill Castillo and is serving a life sentence in a federal prison in Florida.Arizpe eventually left the gang after he was assaulted and beaten by Norteño gang members in Monterey County Jail.Last summer, he was 28 years old when he was killed along with a female friend in a brazen home-invasion attack on a Salinas residence.Authorities are looking into whether last week's slaying victim, Gutierrez, was connected to Castillo's murder.Suspect not believed to be gunmanThe only person charged in the Pueblo Inn killings is a 15-year-old boy held in Juvenile Hall. Prosecutors say he was not the triggerman in the slayings of the two women, but was present when they were killed.On Wednesday, a county court is expected to decide if the boy will be tried as an adult on two counts of murder.

Hells Angels violent biker war with the Rock Machine Motorcycle Club

Rising tensions between two biker gangs have Winnipeg police closely monitoring their actions.Police paid close attention to a bar at a St. Boniface hotel Saturday night following a tip that a fight could be imminent.The news follows a serious attack against a Winnipeg member of the Rock Machine Motorcycle Club inside a business on St. Mary's Road about three weeks ago.Sources tell CTV News the victim was lured to the business where he was then beaten.The victim had such serious injuries that he was unrecognizable.Officers say they had received information that the people responsible for the attack were Hells Angels members and a few of their associates.
The group was allegedly unhappy with the victim because he is a former member of the Zig Zag crew, which is a puppet club to the Hells Angels.He had apparently been seen around the city wearing his new gang's vest, which drew negative attention from the Hells Angels.Since the attack, police have been preparing to deal with some sort of retaliation.There were suspicions that members of the Rock Machine were going to attend a bar on Saturday night at the hotel because they knew associates of the Hells Angels frequented the place.Nothing appeared to happen at that bar Saturday night.Still, a number of Rock Machine members from outside the province have been seen in Winnipeg over the past week.Saturday night's events follow the execution of several search warrants, including one last week on Mighton Avenue in Elmwood.A 30-year-old man was arrested and a loaded nine millimetre handgun was seized at the home.CTV News has learned the man who was arrested is a member of the Redlined Club, a group which is considered a friend club to the Hells Angels.This arrest is also believed to be connected to the rising tensions between the gangs, say sources.Police have confirmed they were at the bar on Saturday night, but will not provide any further information.The public's safety was one of the main reasons police say they were there in such large numbers.
There has been trouble between the Hells Angels and the Rock Machine in the past. Both groups were involved in a violent biker war in Quebec in the mid-nineties.
A truce was made but police say they are worried violence could erupt again.

24-year-old Howard Astorga, found guilty of first-degree murder

Four-year-old Roberto Lopez loved creating artwork out of glitter and sequins at a neighborhood arts and community center in the southern edge of Echo Park. It was while Roberto was near that neighborhood center that he was fatally shot a year ago last month by a gang member on parole. Today, a jury found that gang member, 24-year-old Howard Astorga, found guilty of first-degree murder, according to Associated Press. Astorga was firing his gun at a speeding car but one of those bullets struck Roberto instead. Astorga faces a prison sentence of 82 years to life.Since the murder, several groups have tried to organize residents of the neighborhood, wedged between Temple Street and Vista Hermosa Park, against crime.

Morgan Hill police are offering $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the gang-related death

Morgan Hill police are offering $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the gang-related death of a 24-year-old Hollister man, the city's first homicide in four years.
Sgt. Jerry Neumayer said today that detectives are still trying to figure out who killed Juan Jose Arrellano Jr. on Oct. 2.
Shortly before midnight that day, police responded to 911 calls from residents who heard multiple shots fired near the Crest Avenue apartments. The arriving officer found Arrellano on the sidewalk, bleeding from a gunshot wound in his upper body. He was pronounced dead at 11:35 p.m.
Witnesses told police they saw at least two young men, between 16 and 20 years old and wearing dark blue clothing, shoot Arrellano with a 9 mm handgun while shouting gang-related slurs.
Arrellano was the first homicide in Morgan Hill since 2005.
Officers flooded the area with the help of dogs from the Santa Clara County sheriff's K-9 unit and air support from San Jose police, but to no avail.

Capture of Raydel Lopez Uriarte and Manuel Garcia Simental apparently wipes out the existing leadership of the cartel headed by Teodoro Garcia Simenta

Capture of Raydel Lopez Uriarte and Manuel Garcia Simental apparently wipes out the existing leadership of the cartel headed by Teodoro Garcia Simental, who was captured last month. Teodoro and Manuel Garcia are brothers.Lopez, known as "El Muletas," and Garcia, known as "El Chiquilin," were arrested Monday in La Paz, a city in the southern end of the Baja California peninsula, said Amy Roderick, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.Mexico's Public Security Department confirmed the arrests in a brief statement, describing Manual Garcia as the gang's leader after his brother's arrest and Lopez as the current second-in-command. It said the arrests were the result of leads starting with the capture of Teodoro Garcia in La Paz on Jan. 12, but offered no further details on the operations.Roderick said there were no U.S. indictments pending against the suspects.The gang was known for its brutality, having executed, beheaded and mutilated hundreds of rivals in Tijuana, which is across the U.S. border from San Diego. Gang members pinned notes to corpses and dissolved bodies in caustic soda.Tedoro Garcia's arrest netted 19 mobile phones and two laptop computers. Twelve more cartel suspects were arrested in two raids in late January, including two men and a women who were allegedly about to dissolve a body in a bathtub with chemicals.Manuel Garcia is the youngest of three brothers. The oldest brother, Marco Antonio, was arrested in a shootout with Mexican authorities in Tijuana in 2004.
Teodoro Garcia was once considered a top hit man for Tijuana's dominant drug gang, the family-run Arellano-Felix cartel. He launched a new group affiliated with the Sinaloa cartel after law enforcement arrested or killed most of the Tijuana cartel leaders in 2008.

The splintered organizations have been involved in a violent turf battle in Tijuana, a valuable trafficking corridor to the U.S.

More than 1,500 people have been murdered in Tijuana since the beginning of 2008.

Across the country, more than 15,000 people have died in drug-related violence since President Felipe Calderon launched a crackdown on cartels when he took office three years ago. More than 2,500 of the killings occurred last year in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas.

The military announced Monday that soldiers had seized more than 12 tons of marijuana found beneath a false floor of a tractor trailer. The drugs were found during a routine search at a checkpoint near San Felipe, a town in the central part of the Baja California peninsula.

Today another Mexican cartel leader was taken off the street and is no longer able to carry out his bloody turf war

Teodoro Garcia Simental, blamed for a years-long campaign of massacres, beheadings and kidnappings that chased away tourists and caused social upheaval in northern Baja California, was arrested by Mexican federal police without the suspect firing a shot, and immediately flown to Mexico City.The heavyset Garcia, believed to be in his mid-30s, with close-trimmed hair and a goatee, scowled and dabbed at his mouth as he was paraded before television cameras at a police base wearing a zippered warm-up jacket.Better known for savage killing rampages than narco-business acumen, the man nicknamed "El Teo" bedeviled Mexican authorities for years and narrowly escaped capture several times. Last January, authorities arrested the man they said admitted being Garcia's body disposal expert. Known as El Pozolero, or "the stew maker," he claimed, authorities said, to have dissolved 300 bodies in barrels of caustic chemicals.Mexican federal authorities, acting on intelligence provided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, said they tracked Garcia down after a five-month surveillance operation. He was captured in an upscale area in the southern part of the city."Today another Mexican cartel leader was taken off the street and is no longer able to carry out his bloody turf war," said Michele Leonhart, acting administrator of the DEA. "This was not an isolated event: It exemplifies the growing effectiveness of our information sharing with [Mexican President Felipe Calderon's] administration, and our continued commitment to defeat the drug traffickers who have plagued both our nations."Though Garcia was not considered to be in the top echelon of Mexican drug lords, few reputed crime bosses have had such a ruinous effect on a region. Mexican authorities say he was responsible for hundreds of killings during a nearly two-year power struggle with rivals in the Arellano Felix drug cartel, in which he had once been a top-ranking lieutenant.Garcia is said to have branched out from traditional drug trafficking and focused his criminal empire on extortion and kidnapping, targeting all levels of society. During his reign, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Tijuana residents moved out of the border city to avoid being kidnapped, and more than 42 police officers were killed.

masked gunman walked into a southern Sacramento County Vietnamese restaurant Wednesday afternoon and executed a 22-year-old man at close range.

authorities are calling a likely gang hit, a masked gunman walked into a southern Sacramento County Vietnamese restaurant Wednesday afternoon and executed a 22-year-old man at close range.No words were exchanged before the unknown assailant fired a black semiautomatic handgun multiple times at the victim, hitting him in the head and chest, said Sacramento County Sheriff’s Sgt. Tim Curran.The gunman fled on foot down 53rd Avenue, and had not been identified by evening, Curran said.Few homicides investigated by authorities, he said, are “as cold and as calculated as this one.”
“It’s very scary,” he said.Curran said detectives suspect the killing to be gang-related because the victim had been validated as a gang member by law enforcement and because the area – near Stockton Boulevard and the 65th Street Expressway – is known for gang activity.Deputies were called to the Pho Ga Hung Vietnamese Cuisine restaurant on Savings Place for a shooting just after 2:15 p.m., Curran said. They found a 22-year-old man, whose name was not released, on the restaurant’s floor. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

He is the fifth homicide victim within the Sheriff’s Department’s jurisdiction in 2010.The victim was eating with three friends – a man and two women – when the suspect walked into the restaurant, up to their table and unloaded his gun, Curran said.

Three employees also were inside at the time, but nobody else was shot at or injured, Curran said. For that reason, he said, detectives suspect the victim was targeted.Witnesses described the suspect to deputies as a man between age 28 and 35, 5 feet, 7 inches tall with a medium build. He wore a dark ski mask and a dark jacket.
Curran said the victim’s friends, who later wept in the parking lot, and the employees were cooperative with detectives. At this point, he said detectives do not believe they were involved in the killing.The call drew roughly two dozen deputies and detectives, including a number of investigators from the gang unit. It also drew spectators, who stopped along the sidewalk of the busy 65th Street Expressway.Richard Sims said he walks by the shopping center often while on his way to the grocery store. He described it as fairly quiet and humble.But he agreed with the Sheriff’s Department’s assessment about gang activity in the area, and noted that people he believes are gang members often congregate at one of the businesses in the center and at another across the street.“There’s something going on,” said Sims, 52. Gesturing toward the deputies, he added, “These cats know – the police know – but they don’t come by here.”
Curran said that’s because budget cuts and resulting layoffs mean deputies have little time for anything but emergencies.“Unless there’s a call for service there, our deputies don’t have time to be proactive,” he said. “They’re going from call to call to call.”