14 alleged members of 59 Brims and Bloodhound Brims gangs arrested, NYPD and Brooklyn DA announce
NEW YORK -- For the second time in just two weeks, there has been gun and gang takedown in New York City.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez on Wednesday announced that more than a dozen gang members were taken off the streets for violent crimes, including murder.
Last week, police and the Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced a separate takedown that resulted in members of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua arrested and 34 firearms were seized.
59 Brims and Bloodhound Brims targeted in Brooklyn
Surveillance videos show brazen gunmen opening fire on Brooklyn streets, in a crowded apartment building lobby, and the Coney Island boardwalk over the past few years.
"These takedowns are significant 'cause they target the shooters and those directly responsible to the violence," Gonzalez said.
The Brooklyn district attorney and the police commissioner said they are now off the streets, following a two-year investigation called Operation Baywatch.
The takedown includes a 129-count indictment in which police say 14 alleged members of the 59 Brims and Bloodhound Brims street gangs terrorized residents in Coney Island and Sheepshead Bay.
Officials said a rival gang member was also killed and 18 illegal firearms were seized.
"If you pull a trigger in New York City, the NYPD will find you. We will arrest you and you will face justice," Tisch said.
Criminal group database key to the bust, NYPD says
Gonzalez said the gang members indicted are connected to 19 shooting incidents in Brooklyn that left nine people injured, including several that were innocent bystanders.
"These guns are obviously coming from down South. Recently we've seen a little bit of an influx of guns coming from the Midwest," NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.
Gonzalez added, "We are starting 2025 on the heels of the safest year in the history of Brooklyn, in terms of gun violence."
The NYPD said the city's criminal group database was key in connecting the crimes and criminals. However, the City Council wants to abolish the database, saying it is racially discriminatory.
