A Detroit street gang called the Band Crew has been busted by federal agents and local police, a takedown of an organization that terrorized entire Motor City neighborhoods and even bragged about its crimes on social media.
Eight suspects were arrested and charged with playing major roles in a criminal enterprise that including shootings, attempted murder and robberies, authorities told
WXYZ-TV.
All were slapped with a RICO conspiracy charge while some faced various other charges.
Members of the gang would post YouTube videos and use other forms of social media in connection with their crimes. The
Detroit Free Press said the group used Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Federal prosecutors said the Band Crew's alleged social media activities helped them create a case against the group and they detailed in a 28-page indictment on Tuesday the workings of the gang.
The Band Crew came together in November 2011 and started supporting themselves with a string of gas station robberies, home invasions, shootings, assaults and attempted murders, according to the indictment.
The indictment said constant intimidation tactics kept witnesses and victims from seeking help from Detroit police and other authorities for years.
The gang marked homes as their territory with graffiti around the Seven Mile Road area of Detroit, going as far west as Southfield Freeway and east to Greenfield, said the
Detroit News, quoting court documents.
The racketeering case against the Band Crew is the latest against street gangs in Detroit. It follows indictments of Vice Lords gang members in August and the street gang Related Through Money last spring.
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