Police Report Violent Encounters With 'Juggalos'

MODESTO (CBS13) – The FBI classified fans of a rap group with a fondness for clown makeup as a gang in a recent report, but local law enforcement officers say they have seen their violence first hand and already consider some of them to be criminal street gangs.

The Modesto Police Department said most of the fans of The Insane Clown Posse are law-abiding citizens, but some "juggalos" have jumped into destructive activity and have already been connected to gruesome attacks.

Two years ago, two men who have been validated as Juggalo gang members attacked a father as his children watched.

"They surrounded him, and they continued to beat him even after he was down on the ground," said Lt. Craig Gundlach.

Authorities once considered the gang to be associated with white supremacists, but gang experts say the group crosses racial lines among those who see themselves as social outcasts. The FBI described the group as a "loosely-organized hybrid gang" who are beginning to tackle more serious crimes like "felony assaults, thefts, robberies and drug sales."

Stanislaus County gang officers now have a count of 25 validated Juggalo gang members in their jurisdiction.