Operation Targets Gang Violence

More than 160 Arrested During Multi-Agency Gang-Violence Reduction Law Enforcement Operation

WASHINGTON – Carroll Allbery, Acting United States Marshal for the Northern District of Oklahoma, joined by Chief Chuck Jordan of the Tulsa Police Department, today announced the culmination of a strategic gang enforcement operation that removed 163 violent gang members and gang member associates from the streets of the Tulsa metropolitan area.

Dubbed Operation Triple Beam, the goal of the operation was to combat the crime and violence associated with gang activity in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, area. The two-week operation represents the commitment of law enforcement to reduce violent crime through multi-agency gang enforcement operations.

More than 40 law enforcement officers from the U.S. Marshals Service, the Tulsa Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and other federal, state, and local agencies combined resources that served as a force-multiplier to bring the most violent gang members to justice and remove deadly guns and drugs from the streets of Tulsa.

“This operation is a great example of multiple law enforcement agencies working together to reduce violent crime,” said Acting Marshal Allbery. “As a result of this initiative, many known violent-gang members were taken off the street, and the proactive nature of this mission was paramount in stopping gang activity before it occurred. The amount of guns, drugs, and other contraband that was seized highlights the operation’s compounded success. The citizens of Tulsa are truly safer as the result of this operation thanks to the officers, deputies, and agents involved.”

This operation employed a systematic and sustained approach to reduce violent gang crime. It illustrates the U.S. Marshals Service’s overarching gang enforcement strategy, which aims to join anti-gang resources from federal, state, and local partners, utilizing each agency’s expertise to remove violent gangs and gang members.

“Anyone who reads the newspaper or watches television news can tell you that there has been a significant absence of gang-related shootings and violence in the past two weeks,” said Police Chief Jordan. “This reduction can be directly attributed to the aggressive efforts of the agents, officers, and deputies involved in Operation Triple Beam. This has been an outstanding example of how coordinated efforts between federal and local law enforcement can have a positive effect on our community. We look forward to participating in similar operations in the future.”

Operation Triple Beam yielded substantial results. Authorities seized 46 firearms, $15,000 in U.S. currency, 167.5 grams of crack cocaine, and 2077.51 grams of marijuana.

The operation also resulted in the following significant arrests:

• Christopher “Quartertop” Price, a Hoover Crip gang member, who was wanted for shooting with intent to kill and on federal charges of marijuana trafficking. He also is a person of interest in several unsolved homicides and shootings over the last several years.

• Miguel “Spider” Lopez, who was wanted for delivery of a controlled drug. Lopez is considered the leader of the South Land Wicked gang, a splinter group of the Sureños gang.

• Marquis Craven, who was wanted for possession of a firearm by a felon. A member of the 4Duece gang, Craven had been released from federal prison just months earlier and is still on federal probation.

• Marquis “Pig” Smith, a 55 Hoover Crip gang member, who was wanted on two counts of shooting with intent to kill. During the arrest, Smith attempted to flee from officers by running into a home. Officers not only arrested Smith, but were able to serve a search warrant on the house, which resulted in the recovery of five handguns, eight long guns, more than two pounds of marijuana, scales, $200 in counterfeit currency, and $99 in U.S. currency.

• Operation Triple Beam officers gathered information in the unsolved homicide of Hoover Crip gang member, Shawn “4Years” Hatcher. With this information, Tulsa Police Homicide detectives were able to issue first degree murder warrants for Colin Profit and Kadrian Daniel, both of whom are affiliated with the Hoover Crips gang main rival, the 47 Green Team. Within 72 hours of the warrants being issued, Operation Triple Beam officers arrested both Profit and Daniels, who was found to be in possession of a loaded .357 caliber revolver at the time of his arrest.

• Operation Triple Beam officers investigated a shooting between Juarito and Sureño gang members who were fighting while driving on a congested highway in Tulsa. Investigators located a .380 handgun on the side of the road that was used in the shooting. Eric Hernandez, Juan Hernandez, Xavier Coronado, and Jose Rivera, all of whom are Juarito gang member associates, were arrested for the shooting.

• “This operation is an example of the best the Marshals Service has to offer when it comes to fostering cooperation among our law enforcement partners in the fight against violent crime,” said T. Michael Earp, USMS Assistant Director for Investigative Operations. “Operation Triple Beam will serve as a nationwide model for similar initiatives designed to tackle gang-related violence and take back our communities. I commend all of the participants for a job well done.”

Participating agencies included the ATF, the U.S. Secret Service, the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, the Broken Arrow Police Department, the Rogers County Sheriff’s Office, the Claremore Police Department, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. In addition, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma and the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office provided critical assistance to the operation.