Prosecutor: Tips from residents prompt Youngstown gang indictments

YOUNGSTOWN

An assistant Mahoning County prosecutor handling the case against 12 suspected members of a West Side gang said tips and complaints from residents in the Evanston Avenue area led to the investigation.

“Probably the biggest aid we have in cases like this is public involvement,” said Martin Desmond, the assistant prosecutor, referencing the investigation that led to the secret indictments last week against 12 suspected members of the E Block Gang, whose base of operations is Evanston Avenue on the lower West Side.

Law-enforcement agencies began rounding up the suspects Tuesday, and a superseding indictment against them was issued Thursday. Nine of the 12 suspects were arraigned Thursday in common pleas court, though all are in custody.

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