More Than 100 Members of Two Rival Groups Are Arrested at Dawn in Biggest Takedown in NYC’s History
Khaleda Rahman, Daily Mail, April 27, 2016
More than 100 members of two rival New York street gangs were arrested in what is thought to be the biggest takedown in the city’s history, according to authorities.
Charges are expected against more than 100 members and associates of the two gangs that terrorized a neighborhood in The Bronx with murder, robbery and drug trafficking following Wednesday’s pre-dawn raids.
Hundreds of federal agents and police officers–some using helicopters and armored trucks–swooped in on locations in and around the Eastchester Gardens housing complex in Williamsbridge during the early morning hours, arresting dozens.
Authorities had warrants for 120 people–with more than 60 expected to face criminal charges for violent crimes, including at least seven murders, sources told the New York Daily News.
Prosecutors said that more than 100 people were named in federal indictments.
Among those charged was a drug dealer already serving state prison time for killing a 92-year-old woman with a stray bullet, authorities said.
Sadie Mitchell had been watching television in her home in 2009 when the bullet went through her living room window and hit her in the hip before puncturing her lung.
Two days later, police arrested Jamal Blair, 18, who lived nearby.
Investigators said Blair had admitted during questioning that he fired a pistol during a fight between rival groups in the neighborhood.
An indictment accused Blair of being a member of a gang that also shot and killed two other victims, ages 15 and 18, during the ongoing turf war.
Members of 2Fly YGz (Young Gunnerz) and Big Money Bosses have reportedly terrorized the area for years.
The two gangs are also accused of murdering several teenagers, including Keshon Potterfield, 18, in 2014; Donville Simpson, 17, in 2013 and Alexander Walters, also 17, in 2012.
Authorities are expected to announce more details about the charges against the alleged members and associates of the two gangs later on Wednesday.
More than 1,000 law enforcement officers aided in the operation, according to CBS New York.
These included members of the NYPD, more than 300 officers from Homeland Security Investigations and representatives from the Drug Enforcement Agency and U.S. Marshals.
