Some 4,000 gang members continue to wreak havoc in Southwestern Oklahoma

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  • Gang Activity
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LAWTON – Tactical marksmen were stationed on rooftops of the Ottawa County courthouse and surrounding buildings and on the ground during the trial of a man accused of killing an MS13 gang member.


Homero Rozales Ceballos was convicted of manslaughter in November in the death of Jose Gonzales III, 30. Both men were from Commerce. There are approximately 1.4 million gang members comprising more than 33,000 gangs in the United States – including Commerce, Okla. – according to the FBI’s website. Home of baseball legend Mickey Mantle, Commerce has a population of 2,473 and is located in the far northeastern corner of the state – just a stone’s throw away from the Kansas and Missouri borders. Not exactly a gang mecca – but gangs are present in rural Oklahoma as well as Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Lawton.


The Oklahoma Gang Investigators Association has taken the lead in gang training around the state and in taking the charge to eliminate gangs. The group has broken down the state into three areas and studied gang activity in those sections. The Southwest Region of the state is comprised not only of Lawton but also surrounding towns and areas of Altus, Duncan, Chickasha, Elk City and Ardmore. There are an estimated 4,000 gang members in the region. The seven gangs are Crips, Bloods / Piru, Folk Nation, Peoples Nation, Sureno’s, Outlaw Motorcycle Bikers, and White Supremacist.


In the Southwest Region, gangs are not traditionally territorial or turf-based and will use social media to communicate and do business. Southwest Region gang members are all about easy profit, guns and drugs. Gang members are committing crimes from homicide to petty larceny. The 107 Hoover Crips are the largest Crips gang in the Southwest Region of the state and are known for drugs, guns, and numerous homicide incidents, and are enemies with the NHC 90 Crips and the Rollin’ 60’s Crips.


The Top Outlaw Motorcycle Bikers are increasing in numbers in this area. The two largest in the area are the Outlaws and the Bandidos. In other parts of the state, the Oklahoma City area has more than 100 different gang sets with an estimated population of 8,000. Drive-by shootings have tripled since 2000. The majority of the shootings are triggered either from a dispute over a female or a drug deal gone bad. Additionally, assault rifle shootings have drastically increased in recent years.
The other three largest gangs in the region are the 107 Hoovers, Westside Rolling 60’s and the Rolling 90’s; each of these three has more than 300 members. Of these three the 107 Hoovers are the most active and violent. They are engaged in heavy drug dealing and numerous shootings and assaults. Due to their aggressiveness, they have been retaliated upon in recent months, with the result being several of them were murdered in about a one-month time span.


The largest gang in the northeastern area of the state is the Hoover Crips. Most of their disputes are with the Neighborhood Crips and involve homicides, shootings, and fights at schools. Tulsa Crips and Blood gangs are not traditionally turf-based. The sets will move through Tulsa to further their criminal enterprise. The Crips gangs are moving into a hybrid style where the younger generation is trying not to align with Hoover or Neighborhood but just using the Crips. There has been an increase of Blood gang members being seen on the streets of Tulsa.


In the past few years Tulsa has experienced a huge increase in Hispanic gangs. Most of the gangs’ members are connected to the Surenos and recently there have been more Nortenos tagging. The Latin King population is also quickly growing and appears to be aligning with the Juaritos.