Suspected 'Seven Mile Bloods' Gang Member, 2 Other Men Indicted For Involvement In Active Detroit 'Gang War'
DETROIT (WWJ) - A suspected gang member and two other men have been charged for their involvement in what the government says is an "active gang war" in Detroit.
Billy Arnold, a 29-year-old alleged member of the Seven Mile Bloods (SMB) street gang who goes by the nicknames "B-Man," "Berinzo" and "Killa," was charged Thursday with attempted murder in aid of racketeering, assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Two other Detroit men, 26-year-old Steven Arthur Jr., a.k.a. "Steve-O," and 35-year-old Eugene Fisher, a.k.a. "Fist," were also charged with being felons in possession of a firearm in connection with the case.
According to the superseding indictment, the gang operates on the east side of Detroit between Seven and Eight Mile roads and between Gratiot Avenue and Kelly Road in the 48205 zip code. SMB members have claimed this area as their territory and refer to it as the "Red Zone" or "4-8-2-0-Die" in some of their rap lyrics.
Click here to read the indictment (.pdf format)
The indictment alleges that SBM engaged in an "active gang war" against an alliance of other gangs operating on Detroit's east side -- including the Hustle Boys, Six Mile Chedda Ave., Gutta Boys, Maxout 200, BossHogs and Hustle Hard. Officials say the gang war stems from a murder that occurred in July 2014. During the past 18 months, these rivals posted "hit lists" on social media and violently attacked each other in retaliation.
An investigation into a shooting that occurred on May 1, 2015 in the feud between these gangs led to the indictment.
This shooting war has caused homicide and non-fatal shooting statistics on Detroit's east side to be considerably higher than the rest of the city, according to U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade.
"The Detroit One partnership is focusing on violent street gangs, and [this] indictment is just the first step in dismantling the group that calls themselves the Seven Mile Bloods and its rivals," McQuade said in a statement. "When we became aware of the retaliation that was occurring between these gangs last year, the Detroit Police and other partners poured resources into stopping the gun violence in this neighborhood. These efforts resulted in a dramatic decrease in homicides and non-fatal shootings in the 9th precinct during in the last several months."
Under the Detroit One Initiative, investigators were able to bring together separate probes into various members of this organization and its activities into one encompassing investigation.
This indictment is the latest in a string of charges from the United States Attorney's Office and Wayne County Prosecutor's Office during the last two years involving violent street gangs in the city of Detroit, including:
-- Nine members of the Bounty Hunter Bloods street gang for federal racketeering conspiracy and other violent acts in furtherance of racketeering
-- Thirteen members of the Latin Counts street gang for federal racketeering conspiracy and other violent acts in furtherance of racketeering
-- Fourteen members of the Phantom Outlaw Motorcycle Club/Vice Lords street gang for federal racketeering conspiracy and other violent acts in furtherance of racketeering
-- Four members of the Vice Lords in state court for armed robbery and a Vice Lord leader charged under the federal street gang statute for his role in that armed robbery
-- Three members of the Band Crew street gang charged under the Michigan gang felony statute for violent acts in furtherance of their gang activities and eight members of the Band Crew for federal racketeering conspiracy and other violent acts in furtherance of racketeering
-- Ten members of the Related Through Money street gang for federal racketeering conspiracy and other violent acts in furtherance of racketeering
-- Eight members of the Traveling Vice Lords for federal racketeering conspiracy and other violent acts in furtherance of racketeering.
These charges are just some of the tangible results of this joint effort. Most significantly, Detroit has seen a reduction in homicides every year since the Detroit One collaboration began in 2013, and a 24 percent total reduction since 2012.
