The long legal grind against reputed members of the Hilltop Crips began Wednesday when 22 suspected members of the street gang were arraigned on charges ranging from car theft to attempted first-degree murder.
One by one, not guilty pleas were entered on their behalf in Pierce County Superior Court. The bail: $1 million a piece.
Because of the large number of defendants, the arraignments were held earlier in the day than usual and in two courtrooms, under tight security.
Corrections officials and police officers handled a few outbursts as they kept watch on the men, their supporters in the galleries and others in the hallways outside the courtrooms.
Prosecutors have charged 32 suspected members of Tacoma’s first street gang with criminal conspiracy and 50 other charges.
Sixteen of the defendants already were in custody on other charges or were serving time in prison for previous convictions. Police, federal agents, state corrections officers and other local officers arrested 12 of the men during sweeps Tuesday.
Wednesday, another of the men turned himself in, leaving investigators still looking for three others – all of whom have been charged and warrants issued for their arrests.
Authorities started focusing on the Hilltop Crips in mid-2008 after spotting crime trends that involved suspected members. Over the next 18 months, investigators gathered evidence and eventually launched this week’s crackdown.
Outside court Wednesday, supporters expressed concern about the charges.
Chastity Bryant, girlfriend of defendant Steven Lovelace, questioned why the police would have allowed the men to remain free during the investigation if they were committing crimes.
“That don’t sound right,” she said, tears in her eyes. “They have no evidence.”
Velma Stewart attended the arraignments as well. She said the arrests were harassment for the deaths of four Lakewood police officers shot to death Nov. 29 at a Parkland coffee shop.
She said law enforcement officials don’t want black men to be productive citizens.
“I think Tacoma is a very racist little town,” she said. “(It’s an) attack on young black men, and they want them in prison.”
At a news conference Wednesday, law enforcement leaders hailed the collaboration among local police agencies, the state Department of Corrections, the FBI’s South Sound Gang Task Force and the prosecutor’s office in striking a blow against the Crips.
Tacoma Police Chief Don Ramsdell called the group one of the most notorious and long-standing gangs in the city.
“We will not tolerate gang violence and other gang-related activity in our city,” Ramsdell said.
The officials warned other gangs that this could be a new approach in dealing with violence in the region.
“Stop, or we’re going to put your tail in jail,” FBI assistant special agent in charge Steve Dean told gang members who might read or hear about the sweep through the news media.
Investigators said the 32 members charged this week have been the most active in the gang, one of nearly 50 in Tacoma and dating back to the late 1980s.
In the past 18 months, the gang became more troublesome throughout the city and often targeted people who showed outward signs of wealth, investigators said.
Each of the defendants, ages 17 to 38, is charged with one count of conspiracy, a new tactic in gang prosecution.
Most of them also face other charges connected to specific incidents. Many of the counts also have an aggravating factor: that the crime was committed to obtain or maintain membership in a gang.
If convicted, the men could face longer sentences because of the gang enhancement.
Wednesday morning, 12 of the accused gang members appeared for their arraignments in Courtroom 260 before Judge Vicki Hogan.
Deputy prosecutor Phil Sorensen represented the state. Public defender Karen Schumacher appeared on behalf of the defendants, who were led into court one at a time to hear the charges read against them.
In the gallery, supporters of the defendants – mostly young women – sometimes clucked their tongues at the charges, snorted in disbelieve at the bail amounts and, in some case, wept as their loved one was led out of court in shackles.
For the most part, the defendants who appeared before Hogan said little, other than giving their names, dates of birth and addresses.
Larry Brown was an exception.
Brown, 33, is charged with criminal conspiracy, first-degree burglary, drive-by shooting, second-degree assault and riot.
Sorensen pointed out that, if convicted, Brown faces life in prison under the state’s “three strikes you’re out” law. He has previous convictions for first-degree manslaughter and first-degree robbery.
Hogan asked him if he’d heard the charges against him.
“I heard the trumped-up charges read by the state,” Brown replied. “The Ku Klux Klan can conspire every day to kill a black person and not face conspiracy charges.”
That remark from Brown, who is black, drew applause from many black people in the gallery.
He went on to say that he’s a student at Clover Park Technical College and that because of his arrest, “I’m missing out on my program.”
Hogan set his bail at $1 million nonetheless.
In Courtroom 270, court commissioner Patrick Oishi presided over the arraignments of the other 10 defendants. Deputy prosecutor Greg Greer represented the state. Lisa Contris appeared for the Department of Assigned Counsel and spoke for the defendants.
Most of the arraignments followed the same pattern. A corrections officer talked to each man before bringing him into the courtroom. Supporters and, at times, detectives involved in the case looked on from the gallery.
After Greer read the charges against each man, Oishis asked each whether he was employed or had a source of income. All were determined to be indigent and ordered to be represented by assigned counsel.
“I do find probable cause for each of the counts in this case,” Oishi said 10 times.
During his arraignment, Darryl Henderson Jr. got mad at Contris and abruptly stood up. Three corrections officers quickly escorted him out of the courtroom before his arraignment was finished.
Many women in the gallery broke out in tears when Manuel Hernandez, 22, was led for his arraignment.
He was convicted as a juvenile of first-degree murder in connection with a 2000 beating death of Erik Toews and three counts of robbery. Hernandez was 12 at the time and was one of eight convicted of killing Toews.
Hernandez, who was sentenced to juvenile detention until his 21st birthday, now faces 10 charges.
Contris reserved argument on bail for nine of the defendants. For Eugene L. Henderson, she said his bail should be $20,000 because he didn’t have an extensive criminal history. He’s also charged with only the conspiracy count.
Oishi sided with Greer, setting Henderson’s bail at $1 million.
Stacey Mulick: 253-597-8268
[email protected]
Adam Lynn: 253-597-8644
[email protected]
blog.thenewstribune.com/crime
One by one, not guilty pleas were entered on their behalf in Pierce County Superior Court. The bail: $1 million a piece.
Because of the large number of defendants, the arraignments were held earlier in the day than usual and in two courtrooms, under tight security.
Corrections officials and police officers handled a few outbursts as they kept watch on the men, their supporters in the galleries and others in the hallways outside the courtrooms.
Prosecutors have charged 32 suspected members of Tacoma’s first street gang with criminal conspiracy and 50 other charges.
Sixteen of the defendants already were in custody on other charges or were serving time in prison for previous convictions. Police, federal agents, state corrections officers and other local officers arrested 12 of the men during sweeps Tuesday.
Wednesday, another of the men turned himself in, leaving investigators still looking for three others – all of whom have been charged and warrants issued for their arrests.
Authorities started focusing on the Hilltop Crips in mid-2008 after spotting crime trends that involved suspected members. Over the next 18 months, investigators gathered evidence and eventually launched this week’s crackdown.
Outside court Wednesday, supporters expressed concern about the charges.
Chastity Bryant, girlfriend of defendant Steven Lovelace, questioned why the police would have allowed the men to remain free during the investigation if they were committing crimes.
“That don’t sound right,” she said, tears in her eyes. “They have no evidence.”
Velma Stewart attended the arraignments as well. She said the arrests were harassment for the deaths of four Lakewood police officers shot to death Nov. 29 at a Parkland coffee shop.
She said law enforcement officials don’t want black men to be productive citizens.
“I think Tacoma is a very racist little town,” she said. “(It’s an) attack on young black men, and they want them in prison.”
At a news conference Wednesday, law enforcement leaders hailed the collaboration among local police agencies, the state Department of Corrections, the FBI’s South Sound Gang Task Force and the prosecutor’s office in striking a blow against the Crips.
Tacoma Police Chief Don Ramsdell called the group one of the most notorious and long-standing gangs in the city.
“We will not tolerate gang violence and other gang-related activity in our city,” Ramsdell said.
The officials warned other gangs that this could be a new approach in dealing with violence in the region.
“Stop, or we’re going to put your tail in jail,” FBI assistant special agent in charge Steve Dean told gang members who might read or hear about the sweep through the news media.
Investigators said the 32 members charged this week have been the most active in the gang, one of nearly 50 in Tacoma and dating back to the late 1980s.
In the past 18 months, the gang became more troublesome throughout the city and often targeted people who showed outward signs of wealth, investigators said.
Each of the defendants, ages 17 to 38, is charged with one count of conspiracy, a new tactic in gang prosecution.
Most of them also face other charges connected to specific incidents. Many of the counts also have an aggravating factor: that the crime was committed to obtain or maintain membership in a gang.
If convicted, the men could face longer sentences because of the gang enhancement.
Wednesday morning, 12 of the accused gang members appeared for their arraignments in Courtroom 260 before Judge Vicki Hogan.
Deputy prosecutor Phil Sorensen represented the state. Public defender Karen Schumacher appeared on behalf of the defendants, who were led into court one at a time to hear the charges read against them.
In the gallery, supporters of the defendants – mostly young women – sometimes clucked their tongues at the charges, snorted in disbelieve at the bail amounts and, in some case, wept as their loved one was led out of court in shackles.
For the most part, the defendants who appeared before Hogan said little, other than giving their names, dates of birth and addresses.
Larry Brown was an exception.
Brown, 33, is charged with criminal conspiracy, first-degree burglary, drive-by shooting, second-degree assault and riot.
Sorensen pointed out that, if convicted, Brown faces life in prison under the state’s “three strikes you’re out” law. He has previous convictions for first-degree manslaughter and first-degree robbery.
Hogan asked him if he’d heard the charges against him.
“I heard the trumped-up charges read by the state,” Brown replied. “The Ku Klux Klan can conspire every day to kill a black person and not face conspiracy charges.”
That remark from Brown, who is black, drew applause from many black people in the gallery.
He went on to say that he’s a student at Clover Park Technical College and that because of his arrest, “I’m missing out on my program.”
Hogan set his bail at $1 million nonetheless.
In Courtroom 270, court commissioner Patrick Oishi presided over the arraignments of the other 10 defendants. Deputy prosecutor Greg Greer represented the state. Lisa Contris appeared for the Department of Assigned Counsel and spoke for the defendants.
Most of the arraignments followed the same pattern. A corrections officer talked to each man before bringing him into the courtroom. Supporters and, at times, detectives involved in the case looked on from the gallery.
After Greer read the charges against each man, Oishis asked each whether he was employed or had a source of income. All were determined to be indigent and ordered to be represented by assigned counsel.
“I do find probable cause for each of the counts in this case,” Oishi said 10 times.
During his arraignment, Darryl Henderson Jr. got mad at Contris and abruptly stood up. Three corrections officers quickly escorted him out of the courtroom before his arraignment was finished.
Many women in the gallery broke out in tears when Manuel Hernandez, 22, was led for his arraignment.
He was convicted as a juvenile of first-degree murder in connection with a 2000 beating death of Erik Toews and three counts of robbery. Hernandez was 12 at the time and was one of eight convicted of killing Toews.
Hernandez, who was sentenced to juvenile detention until his 21st birthday, now faces 10 charges.
Contris reserved argument on bail for nine of the defendants. For Eugene L. Henderson, she said his bail should be $20,000 because he didn’t have an extensive criminal history. He’s also charged with only the conspiracy count.
Oishi sided with Greer, setting Henderson’s bail at $1 million.
Stacey Mulick: 253-597-8268
[email protected]
Adam Lynn: 253-597-8644
[email protected]
blog.thenewstribune.com/crime
