Hunt Continues For Reputed Gang Members
By News Channel 3 and KESQ.com News Servicesnewsline3@kesq.com
PALM SPRINGS -Police continued searching today for six reputed Palm Springs gang members and associates who have eluded capture for drug and weapons violations.
Zachary Clayton, 38; Dominick Winzer, 25;, Dimitri Allen, 32; Tommy Roberts, 47; and Martel Wash, 26, all of Palm Springs and Jahrod Shelton, 30, of Cathedral City were targeted in a early morning raid Thursday that sought to arrest members and associates of the Gateway Posse Crips.
The raid netted 11 arrests, but the six men were able to escape from more than 125 law enforcement officers who served arrest warrants at 35 locations in Palm Springs, Banning, Rancho Mirage and Cathedral City, said Palm Springs police Chief David Dominguez.
The chief asked for the men to turn themselves in Thursday.
“You’re wanted. You can run, but you can’t hide,” he said.
The raid was the product of an eight-month investigation that seized large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine, along with 37 illegal firearms through undercover purchases and warrants, according to police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
Palm Springs police joined with ATF in April as part of an effort to dismantle the Gateway Posse organization. The gang, which started in the mid-1980s, claims its turf in the north end of Palm Springs near Indian Canyon and Gateway Drive, police said.
The gang’s members have been known to engage in drug trafficking, robbery and violent assaults, according to police.
Dominguez said the city has been considering an injunction against the gang, but he did not offer a timeline on when one might be put in place.
