More than 20 Kiccdoe gang members accused of violent crimes in Texas were arrested last week, according to Arlington police and the FBI.
Law enforcement executed search warrants in multiple cities, including Arlington, Dallas, Fort Worth, Grand Prairie, Mansfield and Forney, FBI Dallas Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jeremy Wright said at a news briefing, according to FOX 4. Police also confiscated weapons, drugs and money.
Officials took 21 known members of the Kiccdoe gang into custody and charged them with RICO, or Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization, conspiracy.
Some suspects also face drug and weapons charges, among other offenses, while others are charged with murder and sexual assault.
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More than 20 Kiccdoe gang members accused of violent crimes in Texas were arrested. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP )
“Charges including murder, drug trafficking, assault, burglary, even aggravated sexual assault of a child,” FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X. “This was a multi-agency effort of over 450 local and federal law enforcement personnel to investigate, go in and clean up the violence in Arlington.”
If convicted on the federal charges, many of the suspects face prison sentences of 20 years to life in prison.
The arrested suspects are 22-year-old Blake Scott, 21-year-old Bradly McArthur, 18-year-old Cortez Atkinson, 18-year-old Datraven Warren, 19-year-old DeMarco Westmoreland, 20-year-old Dillen Opare, 19-year-old Raphael Opare, 21-year-old Isaiah Wiley, 19-year-old Jakyla Totten, 20-year-old Jamarion Manogin, 22-year-old Jaylen Franklin, 18-year-old Joseph Hill, 22-year-old Kyron Oates, 18-year-old Michael Mensah, 21-year-old Lamarion Austin, 20-year-old Marcus Shaw, 21-year-old Sadedrick Wilson, 19-year-old Vernell Woods, 21-year-old Sir James Mack Williams, 22-year-old Chauncey Ross and 20-year-old Keyshawn Burton.
“Do not let the ages distract from the havoc that they’ve inflicted upon our community,” Wright said. “These gang members allegedly use violence and intimidation to protect our territory and profits. They instilled fear in their victims and took revenge on their rivals.”
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Some of the suspects were slapped with murder and sexual assault charges. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
“Kiccdoe members are allegedly responsible for drive-by shootings, numerous attempted murders and even homicides,” he continued. “In addition, they’ve allegedly engaged in organized crime, drug trafficking, weapons possession, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, armed robbery, resisting arrest, assaulting a public servant and aggravated sexual assault of a child.”
Arlington Police Chief Al Jones said the gang is responsible for much of the violent crime in the city and that he asked the local FBI field office for help last year, according to FOX 4.
“Our violent crime unit and our gang specialists have investigated numerous cases involving this group and have been closely monitoring their activity since January of 2022,” he said. “We have documented 180 criminal incidents involving Kiccdoe members. This includes aggravated assaults, robberies, burglaries, shootings, and drug offenses. That’s just within the city of Arlington.”
In the current digital era, parenting presents a whole new set of difficulties.
It’s more difficult than ever to keep up with what kids are actually saying online since they are addicted to their screens and social media is changing so quickly.
Police are now cautioning parents to watch out for an emoji that may appear innocent but could actually be an indication of something lot more sinister.
Kids now primarily connect through social media and texting applications, but many are unaware of the risks involved. Unfortunately, in today’s environment, every youngster who uses the internet should have a safe experience and easy access to information for online safety.
Children are more at risk than ever before from extreme ideologies and internet predators.
Authorities have now discovered that several emojis are being used by young people as codewords. The horse emoji
Although most parents might think their child is referring to horses, the horse emoji is actually a reference to the potent sedative ketamine. Teenagers and young adults are abusing ketamine, commonly referred to as
The alert coincides with a nationwide crackdown by law authorities on covert drug allusions in text messages and online chats. Police are cautioning parents to monitor their children’s online activities and comprehend the hidden connotations of popular emojis.
The horse emoji isn’t the only one with a deeper meaning. A list of emojis commonly used to allude to narcotics has also been made public by police, and it includes:
Additionally, the list goes beyond drug allusions. The manosphere and incel movements have their own emoji-based coding system, as the well-liked Netflix series Adolescence recently revealed.
The emergence of misogynistic online influencers who prey on young males has been highlighted by the popular Netflix miniseries Adolescence.
The show centers on a 13-year-old child who, after being exposed to manosphere content, becomes radicalized and commits a fatal act of violence.
Emojis are employed in the program as covert incel cultural emblems, such as:
An alarming number of young boys are being drawn to the manosphere, a collection of toxic online forums that promote extreme sexism and anti-feminist views, according to experts. Parents must remain informed because social media platforms have facilitated the spread of harmful messages.
Dr. Robert Lawson, a sociolinguistics specialist from Birmingham City University in the UK, describes how the movement has embraced the pill emoji (
) in an article for The Conversation.
Characters in the movie are able to discover “the truth” and escape the Matrix’s delusions by swallowing the red pill.
”The cyberpunk blockbuster The Matrix is the source of a key symbol in the manosphere – the red pill,” he said.
According to Dr. Lawson, males who identify as “red-pilled” in the manosphere think they have realized the “real” nature of women’s behavior and dating preferences.
Children’s communication styles change along with digital culture. Emojis may appear innocuous, but parents should be aware that they might have hidden meanings. Parents can accomplish the following:
Although the internet can be a very useful tool, there are risks involved.