U.S. Attorney Announces Hoover Crips Gang Crackdown In Tulsa

The U.S. Attorney's Office held a news conference Tuesday afternoon in Tulsa to announce a major crackdown on violent crimes.The announcement concerned members of the Hoover Crips gang who have been indicted.

U.S. Attorney Danny C. Williams said they are releasing the results of a three-year investigation into the most violent gang in Tulsa. About 52 defendants and 238 criminal cases are listed, he said. Most of the people named in the investigation have been arrested though additional arrests will be made, according to Williams.

Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris, Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan, FBI Special Agent In Charge James Finch and others joined Williams to announce the results of the crackdown on violent crime and drug trafficking called Operation Battlefield.

Charges include murder, drug trafficking, theft and even dog fighting, Finch said. Some of the allegations revolve around the murder of Anthony Campbell in 2013. Campbell, an ex-convict, had testified against members of the Crips in pharmacy robberies, and he was shot dead while taking out his trash.

4/4/2013 Related Story: Police Investigate Murder Of Gang Member, Federal Witness In Bank Robberies

Chief of Police Chuck Jordan said some of the worst criminals are now off Tulsa's streets.

The arrests will make a difference not only in Tulsa but in a long trail of criminal activity going all the way to Mexican drug cartels, Williams said. The investigation shows that gang members bought cocaine from the Zetas Cartel and Sinaloa Cartel in Dallas, according to authorities.

"This is a very wide net we have spread in this case," he said. The ringleader of the case, identified as Donald Walters, is believed to have brought about 70 percent of crack cocaine trafficking into Tulsa, Williams said.

"We are going to decapitate the Hoover Crips with this indictment," Williams said at the conclusion of the news conference.

They posted a link to the U.S. Attorney's website detailing a 230-page indictment just unsealed Tuesday.