A Hells Angels associate shot to death in Marin last weekend was identified Monday as William Crompton Maclean, 25, of San Leandro. The investigation into Maclean's death continued Monday as police looked for the red sport-utility vehicle that raced away after the homicide. The sheriff's department was still trying to determine whether the shooting was related to the motorcycle association's activities, or whether some other motive was at play, said sheriff's Sgt. Keith Boyd. "At this point, we don't have any indication as to a motive and we're investigating any possibilities as to why this occurred," Boyd said. Maclean was shot about 8:15 p.m. Saturday while riding in a white Chevy pickup truck that was leading a procession of Hells Angels motorcyclists through Marin to Sonoma County. Sheriff's investigators said someone in a red SUV, possibly a Dodge Durango, opened fire on the Chevy pickup on northbound Highway 101 between Tiburon Boulevard in Mill Valley and the Paradise Drive exit in Corte Madera. Maclean was struck in the upper body. The driver of the pickup truck, a member of the motorcycle club, veered off the freeway at Paradise Drive and called 911 from the pay phone at California Highway Patrol headquarters in Corte Madera. Maclean was rushed to Marin General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Maclean was one of about 200 mourners who attended memorial services Saturday afternoon for Carl "J.R." Serrano, a member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club Frisco chapter in San Francisco. Serrano, 56, who died of cancer May 4 while in prison, was buried in Colma on Saturday. The Hells Angels rode in processions that day before Maclean's contingent headed north.

Evaristo Alvear, 22, and Jose De Jesus Camacho, 21, were charged with drive-by shooting during their arraignment in Yakima County Superior Court.The two alleged Wapato gang members were charged today with shooting up a Wapato home last week. A Wapato police officer heard the shots being fired near the 200 block of West Elizabeth Street on Friday, and with assistance from Yakima County Sheriff's deputies arrested three men seen fleeing the crime scene. Police found five bullet casings on the street. Two bullets passed through the home and struck a parked vehicle in the back. Police said Alvear was the shooter and Camacho was the driver. Both are being held in lieu of $200,000 bail.

Member of the Hell’s Angels motorcycle club was selling T-shirts on Panama City Beach when he was confronted by members of the Outlaw Motorcycle Club, deputies with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office wrote in an incident report. The Outlaws consisted of three men on motorcycles and a fourth man in a gold Lincoln. A woman wearing a property of Outlaw vest also was with them, deputies wrote.
Each of the Outlaws pulled guns out of their pants while the Hell’s Angel held a knife, the Hell’s Angel said. The Outlaws told the man to leave their territory or they would kill him, the Hell’s Angel said. The Outlaws then took the man’s shirts and left, deputies wrote.

Gang violence between the infamous Hells Angels and the Outlaws have led to the cancellation of the Welsh Motor Cycle Show.The Royal Welsh Showground Committee pulled the plug on the event – scheduled to have been held over the Bank Holiday weekend – following advice from Dyfed Powys Police.But show organisers are livid, and are looking at legal action to recover losses of over £80,000.
Steve Bennett, director of the Welsh Motor Cycle Show, told the County Times: "I believe they (the police) have frightened the committee with horrific tales of violence in the past. There was more violence in Manchester last night than there has been between the supposed gangs last year

Gaétan Comeau, 60, part of the gang's Montreal chapter, was once described by police as having possible links to the 1995 car bombing that killed 11-year-old Daniel Desrochers, an innocent victim of the biker gang war.
In 2003, he was arrested along with 10 others in Project Apache, a police investigation into a drug trafficking network that operated out of the city's Rosemont and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve districts.
On Dec. 17, 2003, Comeau pleaded guilty to charges related to his leading role in the network and was sentenced to a prison term of five years and two months. Last summer, after reaching the two-thirds mark of his sentence, he qualified for statutory release.In January, he was arrested for violating his release and was returned to prison after Montreal police alleged he was linked to a series of violent incidents in which independent tow-truck drivers in Montreal received threats, vandalism and assaults.The investigation reportedly centred on a tow-truck company based on 12th Ave. in Rosemont. According to provincial business records, the garage in Rosemont is owned by one of Comeau's relatives, who was also convicted and sentenced for taking part in the same drug trafficking network.
The written summary of the National Parole Board's decision to revoke his parole indicates Comeau was unwilling to tolerate competition."According to information from the police, you were related to events of violence and intimidation linked to a fight over territory to towing vehicles on the Montreal Island," it said. "The police also saw you in the company of individuals with criminal records. The parole board considers this information to be reliable and convincing."Comeau renounced his right to a parole hearing and did not respond to the allegations. The evidence that he had associated with criminals during his release was enough to revoke his release.
The two parole commissioners who made the decision also barred Comeau from setting foot on the island of Montreal if he is released again before his sentence ends in February.Despite the evidence presented to the parole board, neither Comeau nor the relative who owns the towing company has been charged with any crimes related to the investigation.A Montreal police spokesperson was unable to say whether any arrests have been made in the investigation.

A member of the Hells Angels motorcycle club is dead after he was found in a California Highway Patrol parking lot in Corte Madera suffering from a gunshot wound.The man riding at the head of a procession of Hells Angels motorcycle riders Saturday night on Highway 101 in Marin County died after being shot and detectives Sunday were asking witnesses to help.
At about 8:15 p.m. Saturday, the victim was riding in a white Chevy truck, leading the procession, when he was shot. The truck was in the northbound lanes between Tiburon Boulevard and Paradise Drive, sheriff’s officials reported.


Sgt. Keith Boyd of the Marin County sheriff's office says the victim was riding in a Chevrolet truck at the head of a motorcycle procession along Highway 101 Saturday night when he was shot. Boyd said sheriff's deputies found the man after getting a 911 call placed at a pay phone outside the CHP office. The victim was pronounced dead at Marin General Hospital. His name has not been released.
Authorities said the shooter may have opened fire from a red sport utility vehicle with damaged windows associate of the Hells Angels was slain Saturday by a drive-by gunman on northbound Highway 101 near Tiburon, authorities said.
Marin County sheriff's investigators, who issued an urgent call for witnesses following the shooting at about 8 p.m., said the victim was a passenger in a white Chevrolet pickup truck that was leading a procession of Hells Angels on motorcycles when the gunfire erupted.Police were seeking a red vehicle, possibly an SUV, that engaged in what was described as an altercation with the pickup truck, which was driven by a Hells Angel club member.The driver of the pickup truck took the victim to the nearby Corte Madera office of the California Highway Patrol, where authorities were summoned.
The victim, a 27- or 28-year-old man, was pronounced dead at Marin General Hospital. His identity was not released.
Marin County Sheriff's Sgt. Keith Boyd said the pickup apparently was leading a group of a half dozen or more Hells Angels on the freeway when there was "some sort of interaction" with the red vehicle in which the two cars changed lanes.
"They began a verbal-type altercation" and shots were fired. Boyd did not know how many shots were fired, and declined to say where the victim was wounded.
The pickup driver then drove the victim to the CHP office, apparently followed by members of the motorcycle club.
Authorities were uncertain about the relationship of the victim to the motorcycle club, but Boyd described him as an "associate."

Cannabis, ecstasy and amphetamines were found in raids in both districts a search in Palmwoods saw more than 1.5kg of amphetamines and more than 1kg of cannabis seized.Three motorcycle gangs have been hit in raids that have seen cash, cannabis, ecstasy and more than 1.5kg of amphetamines bagged by police.
Thirty-six detectives were part of the joint Fraser and Sunshine Coast operation, Golf Cyclone. Eight people have been charged with 14 offences on the Fraser Coast following 20 raids, which included a bikie club house at Urangan. On the Sunshine Coast, six people were charged with 17 offences. Police said it was an ongoing operation to target places related to the Black Uhlans, Gypsy Jokers and Bandidos outlaw motorcycle gangs. "This is a proactive action to ensure our intelligence holdings are maintained to the highest level," police detective Senior Sergeant Leith Lindsay said yesterday. "We make no apologies for it. Paramount is the safety of all people in our designated areas. Police will continue to be proactive."
People charged from the raids will appear in Maryborough, Maroochydore or Noosa courts in early

Timothy Evans and Mike Daniels both guilty of murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the shooting of Adrian Patton.Evans testified he unloaded his clip into Patton, because he had to at the order of his Skyline Bloods boss, Daniels...known as Mike Mike.Daniels was angry at Patton for shooting up his sister's house.During the trial, testimony showed beat ins or worse happened for initiation into the Skyline Bloods. Evans says they had 35 members and met weekly where Mike Mike decided if punishment for any member was in order.Time after time psychologists say young men join gangs for love and acceptance.Evans told the jury he was upset Daniels told police he didn't know why Evans shot Patton. " I loved Michael, I was loyal to him. I would have did anything for him. Anybody can speak on that. He can speak on that. But when he sat there and told them folks he didn't know why I kilt him, it hurted me."We learned this afternoon the Hamilton County Jail has each man on separate floors for safety.They are scheduled for sentencing at the the end of July.

Organised motorcycle gang crime is a growing problem in Sweden with at least fifty gangs operating across the country with the number of reported cases of extortion doubling in the last ten years. Rejecting widespread calls for a Swedish FBI to tackle the problem, the government’s Justice Ministry has instead backed plans to set up 9 police action groups around the country, to fight organised crime

Armed York Regional Police tactical officers stood watch as special constables asked each person to identify themselves and empty their pockets before they were granted access to the courtroom.Francesco (Cisco) Lenti, 60, of Vaughan, media and police officers filed into courtroom 403 in Newmarket just after 9:30 a.m. Monday.
After Mr. Lenti, who appeared wearing a black shirt and black pants, was led to the prisoner’s dock, Crown attorney Peter Westgate informed Justice Michael Brown that Mr. Lenti’s lawyer, Louie Genova, had fallen ill.His next sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 26.On April 14, Mr. Lenti pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the shooting death of David John (Dread) Buchanan, 32, the sergeant at arms for the Hells Angels West Toronto chapter. He also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in the December 2006 incident, during which Hells Angels member Dana Carnegie and then-Hells Angels prospect Carlo Verrelli were wounded at Club Pro, in the Jane Street and Hwy. 7 area.According to the agreed statement of facts, at about 10:30 p.m., Dec. 1, 2006, Mr. Lenti arrived to Club Pro, where he was employed as a “cooler”, meaning he was responsible for keeping drugs out of the building and acting as a peacekeeper.About two hours later, Mr. Buchanan, Mr. Carnegie, Mr. Verrelli and Scott Desroche, who was also a Hells Angels member, walked into Club Pro.
Mr. Buchanan was celebrating his birthday the night he was killed, according to a posting on a Hells Angels website in the hours after his death.At about 12:53 a.m., Mr. Lenti went to the bar area to order a coffee and water. While at the bar, he noticed the four men and recognized them as Hells Angels, court heard.
After an argument broke out about Mr. Lenti being associated with the Bandidos and the fact he was trying to establish the club in Ontario, the disagreement moved to the lobby, where Mr. Lenti was punched in the eye by Mr. Buchanan, court heard.
Pulling out a nine-millimetre handgun he began carrying after learning of a plot to kill him, Mr. Lenti shot Mr. Buchanan, Mr. Carnegie and Mr. Verrelli. Mr. Desroche escaped into a utility closet when Mr. Lenti pulled the gun, court heard.
Mr. Buchanan and Mr. Verrelli collapsed to the floor after being shot, while Mr. Carnegie fled.Mr. Buchanan was trying to raise himself off the floor while his right hand was extended toward Mr. Lenti.Mr. Lenti shot Mr. Buchanan through his left cheek, ending his life, court heard.While on his way to the club’s door, Mr. Lenti again shot Mr. Verrelli, who was on the floor in the fetal position.
Mr. Lenti left the club, taking the gun. The weapon has never been recovered.
Court heard the entire incident in the lobby lasted 40 seconds. The Hells Angels were not seen carrying guns during the incident, court heard.Both Mr. Verrelli and Mr. Carnegie were treated in hospital.After leaving the closet, Mr. Desroche left the club briefly, but returned and turned Mr. Buchanan over, saying he was attempting CPR.Mr. Lenti surrendered the same day.

Operation "Third Watch" targeted the criminal street gang Third Shift.Close to 30 sheriffs deputies surrounded a house in Bradenton Thursday night, the latest crackdown on gang activity in Manatee County. 3 members of the 3rd Shift gang were arrested as part of Operation 3rd Watch that began in July of last year. Stuebe says they've confiscated guns, drugs and $52,000 since that time, and now all but 2 members are behind bars. "This is the culmination, really, what we did last night with the search warrant execution. But there are still a few out there that we're probably going to get a little later as the investigation continues."Those 2, Theophille Telfort and Anthony Brown. Brown has been charged with murder in the past, but the charges were dropped. "This is not a typical gang, like the mafia, with a hierarchy and a tier. This group is a little more self serving, less formal, and who is not in jail at the time and is usually the most violent, runs the show for the most part."After those 2 are brought in, Operation 3rd Watch will be complete. But Steube saying busts like these will continue until the gangs are off the streets. "I'm going to stand before you and I'm going to tell you that although this is the 3rd gang in Manatee County that I believe we've put down, we're not finished. We're going to continue our RICO investigations and our collaborative efforts with all of these agencies who have been so helpful to us."
The operation has resulted in the arrest of eleven subjects:
Jamal Edwards, 19,Terry Green, 20
Brian Johnson, 19,Keith Parhm, 22
James King, 21,Ryan Simmons, 24
Annuel Meranvil, 21,Lucien Alexis, 20
Emmanuel Meranvil, 22,Tija Morgan, 22
Jerome Williams, 36
The following suspects are still at large:
Theophille Telfort, 21
Anthony Brown, 18
Five other subjects affiliated with the Third Shift Gang were already in custody and have been indicted on Federal narcotics and weapons charges:
Kary Alexis, 24
Jimmy Lee, 26
Dominic Orr, 19
Davidson Petit, 26
Clifford Saint-Lewis, 23

Christopher Wayne Hudson has pleaded guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder over the peak-hour shootings in Melbourne's CBD last June.
Solicitor Brendan Keilar was shot dead and a backpacker was seriously injured when they intervened in an argument between Hudson and a woman in the city during the morning peak hour.Mr Keilar, a father of three, was shot as he rushed to help Kara Douglas, who Hudson was dragging from a taxi in William Street. Hudson also shot Dutch backpacker Paul de Waard, who also went to help the woman.
Hudson, from Melbourne, has been remanded in custody to appear in the Supreme Court in June. The former Hells Angels bikie also pleaded guilty to assaulting another woman, Autumn Daly-Holt, outside a King Street nightclub before the shootings.
Last week he pleaded guilty to using an unregistered firearm after firing a gun from his car while giving a late-night lift to AFL star Alan Didak.

Police allege that the Hells Angels have been involved with agencies that supply exotic dancers to strip clubs. A former Cecil bouncer, Michael Plante, had been a Hells Angels enforcer and later infiltrated the East End chapter as a paid police agent. Plante is now in witness protection."It was a crazy scene . . . fists, chairs, bottles were flying inside the bar," said Const. Tim Fanning of the Vancouver police department.A 30-year-old Richmond man was shot dead and a second man injured after a "wild west" fight broke out at Cecil strip club in downtown Vancouver Wednesday.According to police, the fight broke out around 10:30 p.m., and involved between 20 and 30 men.
The Cecil is slated for redevelopment with a 22-storey residential tower proposed for the site.Minutes later, a single shot fired inside the bar sent panicked patrons and staff running out into the parking lot at the rear of the building at 1336 Granville.Outside, gunfire again erupted with bullets striking at least two men, killing one.Police -- who'd received several 911 calls -- arrived on scene at 10:40 p.m. to find the body of a man lying near the dumpsters near the back door.
A second man, a 32-year-old Surrey resident, was shot in the leg. He was taken to hospital for treatment and released early Thursday.Police were not releasing the name of either shooting victim Thursday. Fanning said both are known gang associates, but declined to identify the gang.
He said it remains unclear what started the fight."We don't know if someone looked at someone the wrong way or a beer was knocked over, but, suffice to say, it had very tragic consequences," he said.Suspects in the shooting have yet to be identified.Investigators have, so far, interviewed dozens of witnesses and seized hotel security videos.Four vehicles were also towed from the club parking lot, including the dead man's car and three vehicles police believe may provide valuable clues in the shooting, such as DNA or fingerprints.The club remained shut Thursday, surrounded by yellow police tape and uniformed police officers.A man answering the phone at the bar said no one was available to comment on the incident. He said it was uncertain when the business would re-open.Fanning said VPD's gang suppression task force regularly patrols the Cecil, among other clubs along Granville Street club strip.
The Cecil is not a member of the Vancouver Barwatch program. Barwatch chair John Teti said Cecil owners had, in the past, expressed an interest in joining the society, but were turned down.
"We weren't ready to have a strip bar as a member," Teti said.
To qualify for the program, bars must be approved by the Vancouver Police, have metal detectors and identification scanners and have agreed to allow the police to enter the bar and remove patrons without permission.

The UN gang is a multi-ethnic crime group that has its roots in the Fraser Valley, but has grown throughout Metro Vancouver over the last few years. Members have also been showing up more frequently in the Okanagan and Interior.
40-year-old gunned down in a targeted hit late Thursday on a quiet Abbotsford street was a member of the United Nations or UN gang, The Vancouver Sun has learned.
The man, whose identity is being withheld by investigators, was gunned down on the front steps of the house he had shared with his wife and daughters for several months.But police have confirmed that he was heavily involved in organized crime.
The man is known to police and he is suspected of having links to organized crime," said Abbotsford Police Const. Casey Vinet. "All indications are that the victim was targeted."Several Lower Mainland murders and shootings have been linked to rivalries between the UN and other crime groups such as the Independent Soldiers.
Neighbours of the home at 1432 Kipling St. say the man and his family have been residing there for only a few months and kept to themselves in the close-knit community-oriented area.The man was apparently arriving home at 10:40 p.m. May 8, when he was shot on his front steps.Vinet said some witnesses described seeing a grey or silver SUV in the area at the time of the shooting, but investigators do not know if it was connected to the murder.The case is being handled by the joint police Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, Vinet said, with the involvement of Abbotsford police.The house has been owned since 2005 by Oscar Cojulun, who is now listed as living in Edmonton, suggesting the victim was a tenant.
Cojulun did not return phone calls Friday.Supt. John Robin, head of the Integrated Gang Task Force, confirmed the latest victim has considerable criminal links.
But he said it does not appear the Abbotsford shooting is connected to another gangster slaying, which occurred exactly 24 hours earlier after a fight at the Cecil strip club in downtown Vancouver."The two incidents do not appear to be related," said Robin.The identity of the 30-year-old Vancouver victim will not be released until next week, Vancouver police Const. Tim Fanning said Friday.Fanning said the Richmond man is also well-known to police though not linked to a specific gang, but with many criminal associates.He said VPD homicide investigators are poring over video surveillance from the vicinity of the shooting to attempt to identify suspects.
The Vancouver shooting took place in the hotel parking lot, at 1336 Granville St., minutes after a fight broke out inside the strip club. A second man was shot in the leg, but survived.The Cecil's liquor licence was temporarily suspended after the shooting.
The total number of homicides across the Lower Mainland in 2008 is close to 40, with 27 in IHIT's jurisdiction, 10 in Vancouver and one in Delta. Many of the slayings have been gang-related or linked to organized crime, making witnesses reluctant to come forward.

Russell Sinkis, 37, of 45 Oxford St., Auburn, was also ordered to be on supervision for three years after release from prison for his conviction for being a felon in possession of ammunition. The charge stems from Mr. Sinkis shooting a gun — with which he was not charged because, unlike the ammunition, it could not be proven to have crossed state lines — at the Boston Gun Range in Worcester on Oct. 26, 2006.
Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV said there were conflicting pressures on his decision to sentence Mr. Sinkis to 4 years and 9 months. The judge credited the argument of defense lawyer James J. Gribouski that illegal possession of ammunition by a felon is less serious when it is at a gun range rather than on the street or in his home, and less serious than possession of a gun. While the crime is not relatively serious, the judge said the nature of the defendant is another matter. Judge Saylor noted that restraining orders have been taken out against Mr. Sinkis by three different women. Judge Saylor said Mr. Sinkis beat a man while the man’s children were in the next room and that one of Mr. Sinkis’ victims was a 78-year-old woman.
He had been a motorcycle gang member and his most recent employment was as a disk jockey at a strip club, Judge Saylor noted. While Mr. Sinkis said that he has severed ties with his friends and his past, Judge Saylor said that was not entirely voluntary, since he has been in jail and “his fellow members of the Hells Angels kicked him out of the club.” Judge Saylor said that Mr. Sinkis’ parents, who were in court yesterday, are supportive, but that is insufficient to reduce his sentence.
Judge Saylor said he did not take into account two charges of statutory rape, which are still pending against him in Dudley District Court. A hearing is scheduled Monday in that court on charges that he had sex in 2004 and 2005 with a 14-year-old girl, a family friend that he had hired to be a babysitter when he lived in Webster.
The judge rejected Mr. Gribouski’s request to sentence his client to a non-guideline sentence of 13 months, but he sentenced him at the low end of the federal advisory sentencing guidelines. The judge also denied a request from Mr. Sinkis, who has worked as a tattoo artist and body piercer, to be taken to a tattoo artist to cover his tattoos. The safety of Mr. Sinkis, who is in custody, “is in danger if his tattoos are not either removed or covered,” Mr. Gribouski said.

Grandview police are investigating a report of shots fired during a fight between opposing gang members Thursday night.Police received a report that a fight was about to happen at 7:50 p.m. Thursday in an alley in the 300 block of Avenue D.An estimated six to eight members of the Bell Garden Locos and North Side Villans scattered when police arrived, said Assistant Chief Mark Ware. Police later found some of the people involved. No one was hurt in the fight, Ware said.

23 suspected mobsters were expected to be arraigned in Federal Court in Newark Thursday. Ten were arrested and another 13 were told to surrender, and FBI spokesman said.Among those charged are Andrew Merola of Toms River who prosecutors said allegedly ran the New Jersey crew of the Gambino crime family. Also arrested was Ralph Cicalese of Roseland who helped run gambling operations. Investigators said the gambling enterprise included a multi-million dollar Internet gambling site.
They crew is also accused of ripping off major retailers like Home Depot, Best Buy and Circuit City by using bogus bar code labels to get high priced electronics and other merchandise at greatly reduced prices. The FBI said two of the reputed mobsters got jobs inside Lowes to help pull off the scam.
This is the second major FBI raid targeting the Gambino crime family this year. In February, WNBC.com first reported more than 60 reputed mobsters were arrested in Brooklyn and charged on counts ranging from racketeering to murder.
In this New Jersey case, investigators said many of the suspects will face extortion, racketeering, conspiracy and gambling counts. Investigators have not yet named those arrested. An FBI spokesman said a press conference is expected later this morning to explain the charges.Investigators said the suspects also ripped off New Jersey construction firms in part by demanding payoffs and kickbacks as well as no-show jobs. The FBI said the suspects also threatened and shook down food vending trucks outside construction sites demanding kickbacks and payoffs in order to sell coffee and food to construction workers. The Prudential parking garage construction site in Newark was one site that was allegedly targeted.Several reputed associates of the Genovese and Luchese crime families were also charged Among the 23 suspects: Charles "Buddy Musk" Muccigrosso of Newark, John Tizio of West Orange, Michael Urgol of Clifton, John Manzella of West Orange, Carmine Maimone of Brooklyn.
The FBI investigation continued for two-years, uncovering crimes that dated back to 2002. The probe relied on court ordered wiretaps and surveillances.
The Gambino crime family is perhaps best known for its one-time boss, the late John Gotti. Investigators have said the criminal group maintains influence in various industries including trucking and construction.

Black Power and Mongrel Mob gang members clash at funeral Mid-South Canterbury area controller Inspector Dave Gaskin said both groups took the opportunity "to puff out their chests and feel important".Christchurch Mongrel Mob members boosted the contingent connected to a MacDonald Street house, while further east Black Power and associates were also on the street.Mr Gaskin said the Mongrel Mob included some patched members from Christchurch, who were in Timaru for a funeral.He said that with rival gang members and supporters living in the same area, they were bound to come into contact. He said the confrontation did not lead to any arrests.On Sunday five Black Power members were arrested for unlawful assembly, and one of them was arrested for being in possession of a bat following an incident on Brunswick Street on Saturday night.yesterday they were bailed at large on conditions that included non-association with gang members.

Police detectives for the past month have been rounding up suspected gang members in targeted neighborhoods in an effort to curb organized criminal activity.The effort has netted at least a dozen arrests, several weapons, thousands of dollars in cash and drugs, Dayton Detective Chad Knight said.
The police department in 2006 received a $98,533 Anti-Gang Initiative grant from the U.S. Justice Department, part of a $30 million nationwide pool of money to support new or expanded anti-gang efforts. The grant is helping to cover overtime pay for officers conducting the sweeps, and to train officers to identify gang and organized criminal activity. Funding is expected to last until August, police said.
A Dayton Daily News series published Feb. 17 and 18 found that law enforcement agencies in the Miami Valley have connected assaults, drug trafficking, shootings and homicides to more than a dozen local street gangs.The sweeps of one police district at a time (there are five) involve Knight and other narcotics detectives and patrol units from the targeted district.
A sweep on April 4 yielded four felony and three misdemeanor arrests; 24 traffic citations; the confiscation of 28 grams of powder cocaine, five grams of crack cocaine and six ounces of marijuana; $1,600 cash and a 9 mm handgun, said Lt. Patrick Welsh, narcotics squad supervisor.
Most of the sweeps have focused on the Fifth District, in the northwest portion of Dayton, parts of which are known gang hotbeds. Police have made several arrests along Otterbein Avenue, Knight said. Police have identified several gangs operating in the Fifth District including the Dayton View Hustlers, Bloods, Gangster Disciples, Greenwich Village Crew, and Otterbein Mafia.Names, ages, group affiliations and other information gathered from arrests are entered into Ohio's statewide gang database for use by law enforcement, Welsh said.
The weekend of May 2-4, a sweep targeted neighborhoods in the Second District, which encompasses the east side of the city below East Fifth Street, Welsh said.
"It's not just targeting street gangs, so to say. It's a broader spectrum," he said. "It could be a family where only blood relatives are allowed in as opposed to a group that calls themselves something."Police are also targeting suspected biker gangs and neo-Nazi organizations."It's really an anti-group initiative," Welsh said.
In a related investigatory development, police said they reviewed area homicides since 2005 and have found that a significant portion can be linked to a "group dynamic."Welsh said Dayton, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and the city of Trotwood found that close to 40 percent were "group dynamic" related. Group-related incidents, which police formally refer to as "group-member involved incidents," include homicides where the victim or suspect is a known member of a defined group, Welsh said.

15 shots were fired as rival gangs clashed and bystanders ducked for cover. The shootout involved about a dozen men in three cars, with security footage showing some of the men firing shots as they chased each other down the street. Police are investigating if those involved were linked to the Hells Angels bikie gang and the Middle East Boys street gang. No one was injured in the incident, with police taking three people into custody for questioning. The shootout sparked a debate over the passage of legislation to crack down on outlaw motorcycle gangs, including laws to prevent people associating with gang members. The legislation is before parliament's upper house. Attorney-General Michael Atkinson said yesterday's shootout vindicated the Government's stand and he urged the parliament to pass the new laws as soon as possible. But Australian Democrats MP Sandra Kanck said Mr Atkinson was trying to scare parliament into passing the draconian laws. "The Attorney-General wants parliament to pass laws that could see a church volunteer going to jail for even talking to someone who used to be a bikie," Ms Kanck said. "The Democrats will support all legitimate measures to crack down on crime regardless of who commits it, but we cannot support legislation that finds guilt on the basis of who you are friends with."