Four members of a violent Northeast Washington crew were convicted for a rash of violence, including the death of one man during afternoon rush hour.
Prosecutors said the men belonged to the Todd Place Crew and were among the first defendants to be convicted under a criminal street gang law passed by the D.C. Council in 2006.
Three of the defendants — Joseph “Boogie” Jenkins, James “Pee Wee” Bates and Darnell “Peanut” Anderson — also were convicted of first-degree murder while armed, assault with a deadly weapon, firearms and other charges. The fourth defendant, Edward Warren, was convicted of obstruction of justice and weapons offenses.
Jenkins, 29, Bates, 28, and Anderson, 24, all face up to life in prison. Warren faces up to 25 years.
“These verdicts close the chapter on the Todd Place Crew’s role,” U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. said.
In the spring and early summer of 2008, the gang was in the midst of a turf war with the T Street Crew around North Capitol Street and Rhode Island Avenue in Northeast Washington.
In a four-month span, prosecutors said, the Todd Place Crew was responsible for a series of shootings that led to one death and the wounding of 12 other people — including innocent bystanders.
After the April 14 slaying of Todd Place Crew leader William Foster, the gang set out the next day in separate vehicles to exact revenge, prosecutors said. One group came upon rival Gary O. English and gunned the 34-year-old down as he was walking home from work as a Comcast technician, prosecutors said.
The street war continued.
Three days later, two people were shot on the 1200 block of Brentwood Road NE. On May 10, a T Street Crew member was shot nine times on the 1700 block of North Capitol Street; the gunmen fired more than 26 times in all.
On May 26, two more T Street Crew members were shot on a porch on the 200 block of Randolph Place NE.
Finally, on July 25, six people, including two T Street members, were shot outside a home on the 1700 block of Lincoln Road NE.
The four T Street Crew were convicted under a 2006 law that makes it unlawful for gang members to “knowingly and willfully participate in any felony or violent misdemeanor” for the benefit of the gang.
