BAKERSFIELD - Ten defendants were indicted by a federal grand jury today following a multi-agency operation in Bakersfield on Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. After a 10-month investigation that began in March 2017, more than 35 members and associates of the West Side Crips (WSC), a local criminal street gang, were arrested this week on federal and state charges including burglary, illegal gun possession, drug sales, and murder. State and federal law enforcement teams also executed more than 30 residential search warrants.
The alleged crimes presented in the federal and state cases include weapons violations, unlawful possession of a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, money laundering, methamphetamine sales, crack cocaine sales, opiate sales, attempted murder and murder. The affidavit supporting the criminal complaint also details WSC members’ plan to shoot into a crowd of approximately 200 people, including rival gang members, at a local park in early October 2017. Their plan was thwarted by law enforcement as a result of this investigation.