DETROIT – Federal officials arrested 14 suspected members of the Playboy Gangster Crips in connection with several crimes throughout northwest Detroit.
They went by names like "Danger," "Hitman" and "Trouble," and now the gang members are behind bars.
This week, federal officials said they busted the gang, which neighbors said terrorized the northwest Detroit neighborhood for years.
Neighbors living on Trinity Street cheered when they heard the news.
"Lord have mercy," one resident said. "I am so happy they did that. Make it safe for my grandbaby."
The 14 suspected members were charged with murder, attempted robbery, carjacking, selling guns and pushing drugs.
Each alleged member had a unique gang name, such as "Shady Blue" and "Havoc."
The ATF said the crew used a gas station on 7 Mile Road and Braile Street as their home base.
A team of local, state and federal law enforcement officials took the gang down, but it was the ATF that started the investigation after a girl named Aniaya Montgomery was shot and killed Easter morning in 2016, according to federal officials.
"Our agents came in to say, 'What is going on here? What is causing all of this violence that kids are being killed?'" ATF Public Information Officer Ronnie Dahl said.
Agents said they found the suspected gang members operating openly in abandoned houses and conducting business on Facebook. The case took time, as federal officials aimed for longer sentences.
"When we can take down the entire group, the area is safer," Dahl said.