The attempted unification of the rival Woo & Choo gangs was halted by a major gun bust.
The New York Police Department has been very adamant and thorough about their disdain for musicians with gang affiliation. We've witnessed the New York authorities , as well as the . Now, this past Wednesday (Feb. 5), the NYPD has arrested a total of 34 WOOO (We On Our Own) Bloods/Crips and CHOO Folks gang members as part of a massive criminal indictment.
The Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez and NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea claim that the gang members arrested were linked to a total of thirteen different shootings in Brooklyn and were charged in a 122-count indictment with attempted murder, conspiracy, assault, criminal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment, and related charges in connection with nine attempted murder shootings and four reckless endangerment shootings.
The NYPD seized a total of sixteen handguns during the arrest. If any of these members are convicted they face a total of 25 years in federal prison after years of surveillance and investigation from undercover detectives infiltrating the higher ranks of both gangs have been collected as evidence against the crime syndicates.
Historically, the WOOO and CHOO Folks have waged a murderous war that has resulted in loss for all parties involved. However, in recent weeks both gangs showed spurts of unification as they began to produce music with each other. While the curation of art might not be a guaranteed peacemaker between the gangs, it's a start. Only time can tell how this major bust will affect both gang organizations in the near future.
With that said, check out the official report from New York's ABC7NY and some footage of the alleged shootings in the video provided below.