NYPD's Operation Crew Cut Leads To 10 More Arrests Of Suspected Gang Members
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Ten members of a violent Bronx street gang have been indicted on a number of shooting incidents as part of the NYPD's Operation Crew Cut, authorities announced Monday.
As WCBS 880's Irene Cornell reported, the Morrisania section of the Bronx has for years been under siege by rival drug gangs battling over turf.
This was the fourth round of arrests and indictments as part of Operation Crew Cut aimed at cracking down on gang violence, according to a statement from Bridget Brennan, the city's Special Narcotics Prosecutor.
There were 43 gang-related shootings in and around the 44th Precinct in 18 months, Cornell reported. Shots were fired on busy streets, in apartment buildings and, once, in a crowded restaurant, according to police.
Including the final phase of Operation Crew Cut, a total of 50 members or leaders of four violent gangs have been charged with murder, assault, narcotics possession and on gun-related crimes, according to authorities.
Shootings dropped by a third from 2011 to 2013 in the 44th Precinct because of the crackdown, police said.
Investigators used Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to keep tabs on the gang rivalries and gather evidence against the suspects.
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