Dozen Alleged Gang Members Arrested In String Of Bushwick Shootings
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A string of shootings terrorized a Brooklyn neighborhood, with innocent bystanders often getting caught in the gunfire.
But on Thursday, police arrested a dozen alleged gang members.
As CBS2's Erin Logan reported, many of the crimes were caught on camera.
One video shows a man in black opening fire down Myrtle Avenue and Harman Street in Bushwick on March 1, sending children and adults racing down the street in fear.
Police said the alleged gunman is a member of the street gang True Bosses Only, or TBO. The members range in age from just 17 to 26.
"Innocent bystanders have been wounded and other bystanders have narrowly escaped injury," acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.
The 12 men arrested face charges from murder to attempted murder in connection with 10 separate shootings since 2015.
"These defendants showed a complete and utter disregard for human life," Gonzalez said.
The district attorney said the intended targets in the March surveillance video were members of the Elm Street Piru gang. Other rival gangs in Bushwick include 900 gang and Loot Gang.
In September 2013, a TBO gang member, known as Bless, was shot dead on the corner of Madison Street and Evergreen Avenue. Since then, police said the gang has been on a mission to retaliate.
Another video shows a gunman in red firing multiple shots in front of a market on Knickerbocker Avenue in July 2015. He missed his target, but a bullet went right through the window of a parked car, narrowly missing a man.
Then in October 2015, police said a TBO member fired three shots, hitting an MTA bas. Video shows what looks like a puff of smoke and a bullet just missing a passenger. She was cut on the forehead by the broken glass.
A Public Housing Crime Suppression Unit has been formed to help combat the senseless crimes so others can feel safe on their streets.
Nine of the 12 alleged gang members were being held on bail Thursday night, and three had not yet been arraigned.
