OFF THE WIRE
BY: Tamara King
winnipegsun.com
Gang war in Winnipeg
A home on Stranmillis Avenue was shot at and caught fire about 4 a.m. on Wednesday, June 29, 2011. It was the second straight day a southeast Winnipeg home was shot up — the result of an “active war” between rival Winnipeg gangs, sources say, and there are fears the violence will continue to escalate. (TAMARA KING/Winnipeg Sun)
Police have pledged a crackdown on criminals and a “zero tolerance” policy in an effort to quell Winnipeg’s budding biker war.
A recent string of shootings is the result of a battle between the Rock Machine and the Hells Angels-affiliated Redlined Support Crew, sources say.
These organizations are in a battle for control of the drug trade and other criminal behaviour, the city’s top cop said Thursday.
“What you have is two groups that don’t like each other and believe that they should have supremacy in these areas,” Winnipeg Police Service Chief Keith McCaskill told the Winnipeg Sun.
The situation has obviously escalated, McCaskill said, and the WPS organized crime unit, street crimes unit and other officers are now keeping close watch on those involved.
“We’re trying to be in front of situations and we’re trying to disrupt whatever they’re doing,” he said.
What that means on the streets is a “zero tolerance” policy when it comes to bikers and their associates breaking the law or breaching court orders, a source said, basically using any means possible to put them behind bars.
Mayor Sam Katz credits the past successes of police clamping down on bikers in contributing to the current conflict. A trio of long-term undercover projects — Projects Defence, Drill and Divide — resulted in charges against more than 60 people between 2006 and 2009. Many Hells Angels members and associates are serving lengthy prison sentences or are in custody awaiting the resolution of charges.
“Someone’s come along to fill that void,” Katz said.
The recent spate of violence attributed to the rising gang tensions includes the shooting of a 14-year-old boy described by police as an innocent bystander. Bullets were sprayed into a pair of homes in the Lord Roberts area early Monday. Small children were present in both homes that were riddled with more than a dozen bullets.
Last week a Stranmillis Avenue home with ties to a high-ranking member of the Rock Machine was shot up and firebombed. A second property with links to the Rock Machine was also shot up.
Days earlier, on June 27, a flare gun was shot into the home of a Redlined associate in a possible bid to burn the place down.
A recent string of shootings is the result of a battle between the Rock Machine and the Hells Angels-affiliated Redlined Support Crew, sources say.
These organizations are in a battle for control of the drug trade and other criminal behaviour, the city’s top cop said Thursday.
“What you have is two groups that don’t like each other and believe that they should have supremacy in these areas,” Winnipeg Police Service Chief Keith McCaskill told the Winnipeg Sun.
The situation has obviously escalated, McCaskill said, and the WPS organized crime unit, street crimes unit and other officers are now keeping close watch on those involved.
“We’re trying to be in front of situations and we’re trying to disrupt whatever they’re doing,” he said.
What that means on the streets is a “zero tolerance” policy when it comes to bikers and their associates breaking the law or breaching court orders, a source said, basically using any means possible to put them behind bars.
Mayor Sam Katz credits the past successes of police clamping down on bikers in contributing to the current conflict. A trio of long-term undercover projects — Projects Defence, Drill and Divide — resulted in charges against more than 60 people between 2006 and 2009. Many Hells Angels members and associates are serving lengthy prison sentences or are in custody awaiting the resolution of charges.
“Someone’s come along to fill that void,” Katz said.
The recent spate of violence attributed to the rising gang tensions includes the shooting of a 14-year-old boy described by police as an innocent bystander. Bullets were sprayed into a pair of homes in the Lord Roberts area early Monday. Small children were present in both homes that were riddled with more than a dozen bullets.
Last week a Stranmillis Avenue home with ties to a high-ranking member of the Rock Machine was shot up and firebombed. A second property with links to the Rock Machine was also shot up.
Days earlier, on June 27, a flare gun was shot into the home of a Redlined associate in a possible bid to burn the place down.
Police have pledged a crackdown on criminals and a “zero tolerance” policy in an effort to quell Winnipeg’s budding biker war.
A recent string of shootings is the result of a battle between the Rock Machine and the Hells Angels-affiliated Redlined Support Crew, sources say.
These organizations are in a battle for control of the drug trade and other criminal behaviour, the city’s top cop said Thursday.
“What you have is two groups that don’t like each other and believe that they should have supremacy in these areas,” Winnipeg Police Service Chief Keith McCaskill told the Winnipeg Sun.
The situation has obviously escalated, McCaskill said, and the WPS organized crime unit, street crimes unit and other officers are now keeping close watch on those involved.
“We’re trying to be in front of situations and we’re trying to disrupt whatever they’re doing,” he said.
What that means on the streets is a “zero tolerance” policy when it comes to bikers and their associates breaking the law or breaching court orders, a source said, basically using any means possible to put them behind bars.
Mayor Sam Katz credits the past successes of police clamping down on bikers in contributing to the current conflict. A trio of long-term undercover projects — Projects Defence, Drill and Divide — resulted in charges against more than 60 people between 2006 and 2009. Many Hells Angels members and associates are serving lengthy prison sentences or are in custody awaiting the resolution of charges.
“Someone’s come along to fill that void,” Katz said.
The recent spate of violence attributed to the rising gang tensions includes the shooting of a 14-year-old boy described by police as an innocent bystander. Bullets were sprayed into a pair of homes in the Lord Roberts area early Monday. Small children were present in both homes that were riddled with more than a dozen bullets.
Last week a Stranmillis Avenue home with ties to a high-ranking member of the Rock Machine was shot up and firebombed. A second property with links to the Rock Machine was also shot up.
Days earlier, on June 27, a flare gun was shot into the home of a Redlined associate in a possible bid to burn the place down.
Gangs go to war in Winnipeg on Dipity.
Police have pledged a crackdown on criminals and a “zero tolerance” policy in an effort to quell Winnipeg’s budding biker war.A recent string of shootings is the result of a battle between the Rock Machine and the Hells Angels-affiliated Redlined Support Crew, sources say.
These organizations are in a battle for control of the drug trade and other criminal behaviour, the city’s top cop said Thursday.
“What you have is two groups that don’t like each other and believe that they should have supremacy in these areas,” Winnipeg Police Service Chief Keith McCaskill told the Winnipeg Sun.
The situation has obviously escalated, McCaskill said, and the WPS organized crime unit, street crimes unit and other officers are now keeping close watch on those involved.
“We’re trying to be in front of situations and we’re trying to disrupt whatever they’re doing,” he said.
What that means on the streets is a “zero tolerance” policy when it comes to bikers and their associates breaking the law or breaching court orders, a source said, basically using any means possible to put them behind bars.
Mayor Sam Katz credits the past successes of police clamping down on bikers in contributing to the current conflict. A trio of long-term undercover projects — Projects Defence, Drill and Divide — resulted in charges against more than 60 people between 2006 and 2009. Many Hells Angels members and associates are serving lengthy prison sentences or are in custody awaiting the resolution of charges.
“Someone’s come along to fill that void,” Katz said.
The recent spate of violence attributed to the rising gang tensions includes the shooting of a 14-year-old boy described by police as an innocent bystander. Bullets were sprayed into a pair of homes in the Lord Roberts area early Monday. Small children were present in both homes that were riddled with more than a dozen bullets.
Last week a Stranmillis Avenue home with ties to a high-ranking member of the Rock Machine was shot up and firebombed. A second property with links to the Rock Machine was also shot up.
Days earlier, on June 27, a flare gun was shot into the home of a Redlined associate in a possible bid to burn the place down.
