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Dunkin' Donuts robberies suspect claims tie to Crips gang in L.A.
Father belonged to Crips, says one of 5 men charged
By Sallie James |
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
December 14, 2008
The father of a suspect charged in a string of violent Dunkin' Donuts store robberies in South Florida is a member of the notorious Los Angeles-based Crips gang, a link that paved the way for his son to start his own group here, a Broward Sheriff's Office gang expert said.
Jackson and four other gang members have been charged in a two-county crime spree that left two people dead and four others shot. The suspects are facing charges ranging from murder and attempted murder to armed robbery and aggravated assault with a firearm.
During the robberies, four people were shot Nov. 26 in a Delray Beach Dunkin' Donuts store. A man shot on Thanksgiving in a Tamarac store died later of his injuries. Three suspects also have been charged in a Nov. 14 shooting death in Lauderhill.
Detectives contacted the Los Angeles Police Department and had them check their database for Jackson's father.
Although Jerome Jackson's name didn't emerge as a documented Crips member, investigators are taking the claim seriously because his son knows much about the gang's inner workings and practices, Fitzpatrick said.
His father could have given a false name if taken into custody or there could be other reasons his name didn't surface, Fitzpatrick said.
During a search of Jonathan Jackson's Lauderhill townhouse, detectives found notebooks containing Crips prayers, rules and meeting notes, Fitzpatrick said.
Members were required to pay $20 weekly dues and a log indicated who was paid up, Fitzpatrick said.
The five in custody were the "hard-core" members, Fitzpatrick said.
Interviews with them indicate 15 Broward-based members of their gang remain at large.
Sheriff's Office detectives are working with Sunrise and Lauderhill to identify those other members, Fitzpatrick said.
He said probably two or three other Crips sets, with a dozen or so members, exist elsewhere in Broward. Numbers are about the same for the Bloods, he said, adding that members with real national ties are few and far between.
During interviews, the five suspects spoke openly about their gang affiliation, showing investigators their hand signals, and explaining the color blue is used for everyday identification but switches to gray when they are at "war," Fitzpatrick said.
"Who are they at war with? The 'Slobs,' a derogatory term they use to describe the Bloods," Fitzpatrick said.
One of the suspects, Calvin Weatherspoon, 20, of Lauderhill, told detectives he joined the Crips when he was 17 in Virginia, according to Fitzpatrick.
Weatherspoon said his initiation consisted of fighting three people for six minutes, Fitzpatrick said. Weatherspoon's rank is "YBG," or "young baby gangster," police said.
Accused gunman James Herard, 19, also of Lauderhill, said he joined the Crips at age 13 when he lived in Sunland Park in Fort Lauderdale Fitzpatrick said.
He holds the rank of "gangster" or "G," Fitzpatrick said.
Suspect Tharod Bell, 23, holds the rank of "YBG," and his brother Charles Faustin, 18, is "OBG," or "original baby gangster," Fitzpatrick said. They are both from Fort Lauderdale.
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