NEW YORK, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Police investigating
three murders arrested 43 feuding New York gang members on
Thursday based on evidence collected from monitoring what
the gang members were saying about the cases on Twitter and
Facebook, authorities said.
The 25 accused members of the Wave Gang and 18 accused
members of rival Hoodstarz have been terrorizing streets in
Brooklyn with shootouts that led to the killing of three people
and wounding of several others, New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said.
The gang members, ages 15 to 21, bragged about the shootings
on the social media sites Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, he
said.
"By linking their postings and boastings to active cases and
other crimes, these officers were able to build their case,"
Kelly said.
Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes said authorities
will next be going after gangs in other Brooklyn neighborhoods.
"We know who you are. We know how you operate," he said.
"Make no mistake about it. We're coming after you next."
Hynes said the feud that started in August between Wave Gang
and Hoodstarz resulted in the death of an innocent bystander,
and the wounded included a 9-year-old boy and his father.
Wave Gang members often robbed 13- and 14-year-olds by
threatening to steal their bikes and electronics to intimidate
them into joining their gangs, Hynes said.
The 43 gang members were indicted on Thursday on
charges
including murder, assault, reckless endangerment, robbery and
weapon possession, with potential sentences ranging from a year
to life in prison.
(Reporting by Aman Ali)
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