COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Nine people suspected of being members of a gang are off the streets of metro Atlanta, including the person accused of leading the gang.
The crimes they are accused of include armed robbery, aggravated assault, gun and drugs charges in five Georgia counties. Those counties include Fayette, Fulton, Paulding and Cobb.
Authorities said the gang members are part of the “1831 Piru" gang, which is affiliated with the Bloods.
The is the leader of the “1831” Gang, a subset of the Bloods. Cops raided his home early this morning in a synchronized takedown of 11 people. We’ll take you to one of the homes & you’ll hear from the father of one of the suspected gangsters, Live at 6:45. https://t.co/P0lp6lXcQN pic.twitter.com/HgyZGpGR8w
— Chris Jose (@ChrisJoseWSB) March 8, 2019
Channel 2's Chris Jose broke the news of the arrests on Twitter Friday morning after getting a tip from Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Mark Winne.
Jose was in Marietta, where officers conducted an early morning raid on some of their homes Friday
The gang raids happened early Friday morning. https://t.co/nziVDS5zlv
— Chris Jose (@ChrisJoseWSB) March 8, 2019
Police swarmed a home on Hedges Street in Marietta around 5 a.m. They didn't find the man they were looking for, Michael Soto. He was later arrested at work.
Jose spoke with Antonio Soto, Michael Soto's father, who described the moment authorities showed up at his door.
"I took him to work. I came back, and they were here," Antonio Soto said. "They said they'll pick him up there. As soon as they pick him up they'll leave. They stayed for an hour until they picked him up (at work.)"
Antonio Soto said he was shocked when Jose asked if he knew his son was a gang member.
"Not that I know of," Soto said. "If I knew, I'd tell you the truth."
Police also raided a half dozen other Cobb County locations, including a mobile home on Atlanta Road.
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Authorities talked about the arrests at a news conference at 2 p.m. Friday.
Cobb County District Attorney John Melvin said the takedown was a statewide effort that involved local, state and federal agencies.
Melvin said Ethride Mosely, the gang's leader, was one of the nine men arrested. Officers found him in Baldwin County. He's now being held at the Cobb County jail. Melvin said the arrests also included several other original members of the gang and their "soldiers."
"Importantly in this indictment is the triple OG, Ethridge Mosely, the leader of 1831," Melvin said at the news conference.
Two men are still on the run and considered violent and dangerous.
Melvin said the gang has an undeniable history of causing havoc across Georgia. He described it as a "crisis of violence."
"The crimes that they have committed are the most violent of all crimes committed," Melvin said. "And they're doing it solely to raise the dues required by the gangs or raise money for the gang."
Melvin said the Piru gang originated in California and moved into Georgia in the 1990s.
Melvin said the arrests of the gang members Friday went off without incident.
Police have not issued a BOLO for the two gang members who are still on the run, but Jose learned that the gang unit is actively tracking leads and arrests could be coming soon.
Cox Media Group
