Hispanic gang violence on the rise in Maryland

Notice Amnesty For Illegal Gang Members

Montgomery County is experiencing an increase in violence among notorious Hispanic street gangs, including MS-13 and the Latin Kings, the county’s chief of police said Thursday.

Chief J. Thomas Manger said there was no apparent reason why gangs were targeting other gangs, apart from their mutual hatred of each other.

“The only reason they need is to be in a different gang,” Manger said after a Montgomery County Council Public Safety Committee meeting.

Manger said a recent stabbing in Aspen Hill highlighted the “totally random” nature of gang violence in the county.

Police have charged two teens in connection with the March 11 stabbing of a 20-year-old Silver Spring man, who Manger said was in extremely grave condition.

“[The teens] were walking by, gang signs were exchanged, and it ended up being a stabbing,” Manger said. “It was a chance encounter.”

Brad Botwin, founder of the anti-illegal immigration group Help Save Maryland, said it was no surprise to learn that gang-related violence was increasing in the county.

“What a shock, I’m falling out of my chair,” Botwin said.

An alleged MS-13 gang member and illegal immigrant is accused of shooting up a Montgomery County bus in November, killing a 14-year-old honor student. The incident drew outrage from anti-illegal immigration groups and contributed, in part, to a new county policy that directs police to forward the names of people charged with violent crimes to federal immigration authorities.News Source (http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/41538967.html)

Hispanic Gangs, 3/17/2005, Updated 02/04/2009
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