Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez Announces Gangs Crackdown That Results In 17 Arrests Stemming From 14 Shootings
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A takedown of members of three Brooklyn gangs has resulted in the arrests of more than a dozen young men and teens.
Authorities say they're responsible for multiple shootings and several murders, CBS2's Natalie Duddridge reported Tuesday.
Video shows two men with dark hoodies walking into an Albany Avenue apartment lobby and up the stairs, where police say a Sweet 16 birthday party was underway. Another man at the door pulls out a gun and starts shooting.
The incident happened in November 2020. Police say the intended target was a man in the elevator, who was believed to be a member of a rival gang. In total, nine people were shot. A 20-year-old woman from Virginia did not survive.
"It's devastating and it's truly destructive," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.
It was just one of 14 shootings Gonzalez outlined Tuesday that he believe the 17 alleged gang members are behind. The members are part of three violent street gangs that formed an alliance called "YPF."
"One of the most disturbing aspects is the age. Some were as young as 14 or 15 years old," Gonzalez said.
In another incident, in October of 2020, two of the alleged gang members were involved in a fatal shooting at a New Lots bodega.
"It appears success is measured in their gang by the amount of violence that they engage in," Gonzalez said.
Snapchat video shows the accused glorifying guns. On one video, a defendant shoves a gun in a dog's mouth.
"It shows how this gang and gun culture has obsessed these young men," Gonzalez said.
Mayor Eric Adams said prevention and intervention are crucial to stopping the violence.
"Do an analysis of where the shootings are taking place -- Black, brown and poor. I will bet you that they may have been brought up in a criminal environment, and lived in poverty," Adams said.
Authorities said a displayed graph shows gun violence spiked in 2020, but dropped in May 2021 once courts reopened and gang takedowns resumed.
Brooklyn's DA hopes these latest arrests send a message to criminals -- if you fire a gun, you're going to pay the price.
Five of the accused are facing life sentences, charged with murder. The DA also said the gang is recruiting kids as young as 11 years old.
