Following a spate of gang-related shootings over the weekend, Chattanooga police and other law enforcers swept through the city Wednesday, hauling gang members to jail.
Chattanooga police Capt. David Woosley said the effort, dubbed "Operation Gangsgiving," targeted known gang members, some with active arrest warrants, others on probation.
"This is specific to violent criminal gangs; everybody else will get their turn later," said Woosley, head of the major crimes division.
Hamilton County Sheriff's office deputies and agents from the FBI and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives assisted in the quickly planned operation.
"This is in direct response to the foolishness of last weekend," Woosley said.
On Tuesday, Chattanooga Police Chief Bobby Dodd sent members of his crime suppression unit to work in teams with other divisions, such as narcotics and fugitive apprehension, to put more pressure on city gangs.
"I'm going to make these gang members just as miserable as I can to live in this city, operate in this city and do crime in this city," Dodd said. "We're not going to sit back and wait on them."
On Friday night, JaMichael Richardson was shot in the head at 4800 Pawnee Trail. Witnesses told police three men approached him outside the home about 8 p.m. and he was shot during a confrontation. Richardson died from the wound at Erlanger hospital.
As detectives investigated the homicide, gunfire erupted at 4800 Tomahawk Trail and 900 Woodvale Ave., both a few blocks from the scene.
Police responded and arrested Darrell Armstrong, 24, and Dominique Brown, 18. Both had .223-caliber assault rifles when taken into custody, police said.
On Sunday, police arrested Devante Stoudemire, 18, in connection with Richardson's death. Stoudemire was charged with criminal homicide.
On Monday afternoon, police responded to a shooting at 1913 Foust St. Witnesses told police that Omerrieal Woods, 20, was wounded in the buttocks after two or three men in an older white vehicle drove by and shot four to five times.
As part of the roundup, Darell "Twin" White, 21, and Kenneth Jackson Brabham, 23, were charged Wednesday with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault, criminal conspiracy theft and over $1,000 in the shooting of Woods, according to Royval.
Suspects and victims involved in the four-day string of shootings wouldn't tell police whether they were connected, but nearly all of those questioned are validated gang members, Woosley said.
"We know that victims and suspects over the weekend were members of opposing gangs," he said.
Chattanooga police policy is not to name specific gangs.
Bringing in other agencies for the sweep meant more manpower and opportunities to share information, officials said.
"This will generate a wealth of knowledge for us," said Ed Galloway, special agent in charge of the FBI's Chattanooga office.
In his experience, in the days and weeks after such sweeps, residents and suspects begin to share much more information, the agent said.
Fighting organized crime has been a hallmark of FBI operations and Galloway said sudden sweeps like the one in Chattanooga often take gang members by surprise.
"It also puts the others on notice that we're here, monitoring their activities," he said.
Woosley said he hoped the operation would give immediate relief to residents troubled by neighborhood violence.
"Everybody's got a right to enjoy a pleasant Thanksgiving without people shooting at each other," he said.
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