Four alleged associates of the gang members also were charged Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice says the suspects were arrested Monday. The charges range from attempted murder to assault, robbery, gun, and drug sales.
While many members of the gang have been arrested for various offenses, law enforcement efforts accelerated when authorities say gang member Michael Benitez shot a Hempstead Police Department officer in December 2011. Rice says most of the alleged gang members lived in the central Nassau community of Roosevelt.
Prosecutors say the alleged members of the Crips gang, which started in California, operated as a group called "The Rollin 60s."
"These arrests are a crushing blow to a notorious gang that has flooded the streets with guns, drugs, and violence for more than a decade," Rice said. "It's a shame to see so many young lives wasted, but our communities will be safer with these dangerous and violent criminals locked behind bars for a very long time."
Authorities said The Rollin 60s have been operating in Roosevelt since approximately 2001.
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