MGM GRAND CASE: Beating Suspects Tied To Gang
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Police have tied some of the young men accused of beating an MGM Grand worker to one of the largest criminal gangs in the Las Vegas Valley, according to a police report.
A heavily redacted arrest report for 18-year-old Demarcus Smith, one of seven suspects arrested in the case so far, also includes portions of a police interview with Smith and another suspect in which a detective suggests the MGM attack and other assaults carried out by a group of 10 to 15 black youths might have been racially motivated.
“It should also be noted that all of the victims in every event were all white,” Las Vegas police Detective Travis Ivie wrote in the report.
“When asked, (name redacted) and Demarcus could give me no reason, none whatsoever on why they attacked and brutally attacked these persons. They were asked if this had any gang involvement. They said they didn’t know. I asked if it was just for fun. They stated no. They could give me no legitimate reason other than that I could figure that this is a hate crime.”
The police department did not authorize Ivie to discuss his report with the media. All information about the case is being routed through the department’s designated spokesman, Sgt. Chris Jones. When asked about Ivie’s “hate crime” statement, Jones said detectives have not concluded the incident was a racial hate crime but are still investigating that possibility.
“To make it a race crime, you have to have more than just one race attacking another,” Jones said. “Were there racial slurs said? Was there racist graffiti left behind? You need other indicators that the crime was based on race.”
The arrest report also discloses that when detectives searched Smith’s home and the homes of other suspects in the MGM-related cases last week, the officers found “gang paraphernalia” and pictures of Smith, his 17-year-old brother and some of the other suspects “throwing gang signs.”
“They also have gang ties to the gang ‘Donna Street,’” the report states, “due to the fact that (name redacted) is a documented ‘Donna Street’ member, that these individuals are seen wearing certain colors, they hang out at certain addresses and have been involved in several crimes and search warrants but never booked.”
According to police, “Donna Street” is a shortening of Donna Street Crips, one of the Las Vegas Valley’s most populous and violent gangs.
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See video of the assault here.
(Posted on April 26, 2006)