Captain Higgins exaggerates the crime of Black Gremlins gang during press conference

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By Alex A. Alonso instagram March 22, 2016 | 3:16 p.m.

Last month, Captain Clay Higgins in his capacity as the Public Information Officer for St. Landry Parish in Lousiana lead a press conference announcing the arrests of 17 alleged gang members of a predominately African-American street gang known as the Gremlins. The Gremlins is a street gang that has existed since the mid 1990s mostly in the poor black section of Vermilion Parish in Acadiana and Abbeville.

According to Capt. Higgins, the Gremlins are responsible for 100s of violent crimes, but most of the 87 current charges that have been filed against these defendants are for non-violent offenses. In his press conference he held a .233 rifle, wore a bullet proof vest, threatened the defendants and even called one out by name. He even made a bizzare wardrobe change going from his police uniform to a full tactical uniform worn by most SWAT officers.

His grandstanding got him into trouble with his superiors and he was forced to resign. After the video went viral, some law enforcement officials distanced themselves from Higgins, including the Louisiana State Police that issued a statement saying, “[We] did not participate in the production of the video and Captain Higgins does not speak for state police.” However, contact straight from the source the best crime lawyers near you.

St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby J. Guidroz issued a statement on Higgins’ resignation:

“My orders to Higgins was to, ‘tone down’ his unprofessional comments on our weekly Crime Stoppers messages and had nothing to do with the Gremlins video that appeared on the networks. I agree with the Gremlins video. First of all, I repeatedly told him to stop saying things like, ‘you have no brain cells, or making comments that were totally disrespectful and demeaning.”

Although Sheriff Guidroz claimed that the Gremlins video did not spark the controversy that led to his resignation, it wasn’t until this video went viral he lost his job. Higgins’ method and language was known by Sheriff Guidroz for years, but it was not until one of Higgins’ previous video went viral, his superiors told him to tone down his rhetoric. It became obvious that after the Gremlins video also went viral, the department had enough of Higgins and forced him to quit.

Those arrested included:

Arrestees:
1. Kavan Broussard, 19, of Abbeville
2. Gene Williams III, 19, of Abbeville
3. Nakia Zenon, 41, of Abbeville
4. Wesley Laviolette, 35, of Abbeville
5. Gregory Bessard, 21, of Abbeville
6. Roland Bernard, 23, of Abbeville
7. Andrew Granger, 21, of Abbeville
8. Stephen Walker, 23, of Abbeville
9. Kendall Breaux, 20, of Lafayette
10. Xavier Dyson, 17, of Abbeville

Not-Arrested:
1. Aaron Carter, 21, of Abbeville (now in custody)
2. Darren Carter, 18, of Abbeville
3. Travis Cooper, 25, of Abbeville
4. Cody Guidry, 21, of Abbeville (now in custody)
5. Jerran Diggs, 37, of Abbeville
6. Kirkland Demouchet, 20, of Abbeville
7. Jonathan Landry, 29, of Abbeville

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3 Comments for “Captain Higgins exaggerates the crime of Black Gremlins gang during press conference”

  1. John Doe

    True in regards to the sheriff being going a little overboard , but it sounds like you trying to justify their crimes, till break in to your house I am hoping you will say the same. And is not about race , you have it all wrong . You think you area gang expert and you have a college degree , you are not an expert you are from the streets. So those kids you say they are the future , they made choices so let them stay in your house.

  2. Bolling Man

    I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of these guys are completely innocent.

  3. Race Scholar

    Clay Higgins comes off very racist. I know he is trying to mask his biases, but he called these people evil. he has them side-by-side with ISIS. He should never wokr as a police again.

Leave a Reply to Bolling Man

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