Authorities announce results of gang crackdown

The goal of the operation was to combat the crime and violence associated with gang activity in the Tulsa area. This is the third operation of its kind that has been deployed in Tulsa within the past two years. Operation Triple Beam lasted from August through October.

More than 40 law enforcement officers from the U.S. Marshals Service, the Tulsa Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), 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.

“Operation Triple Beam is another example of outstanding law enforcement partnerships that are in place every day in the Northern District of Oklahoma,” said U.S. Marshal Clayton Johnson. “By working together, as proven again in this operation, we can remove dangerous criminals from our streets and make our communities safer for all of our citizens. These operations send a defined message that the U.S. Marshals Service and our state and local partners, combined, will not tolerate violent crimes and the crimes associated with gang members.”

"The citizens of Tulsa and northeast Oklahoma can be assured that their federal and municipal law enforcement agencies are and will always work in concert to target and remediate gang-related violence aggressively," said Chief Jordan.

Authorities also seized 29 firearms, $20,000 in U.S. currency, and $22,300 worth of crack, cocaine, marijuana and PCP. Authorities investigated 35 gun cases during the operation and located and interviewed more than 260 documented gang members.

During the operation, robbery with firearms was down 31 percent and firearm assaults were down 23 percent, according to Tulsa Police CompStat data. According to a press release from the U.S. Marshals, the operation also resulted in the following significant arrests and investigations:

·        Sept. 11, members of Operation Triple Beam III arrested four homicide suspects wanted on three separate and unrelated homicides. Sought were Dwaine Ryder, a 107 Hoover Crip, who was suspected of killing a man over a dispute in the Parkview Terrace apartments in Tulsa, and Ronnie Jones (57 Hoover Crip) and Everett Wilson (Commanche Park Gangster associate), who were suspected of conducting a home invasion in the area of 1100 East 63^rd Street in Tulsa where two people were shot inside the apartment and a third was shot and killed walking along the apartment complex. The last suspect, Jermaine Jackson, was wanted after confronting two men in the parking lot of a busy Quick Trip gas station in south Tulsa. The two victims attempted to leave in their vehicle, at which time Jackson was suspected of firing multiple rounds into their vehicle, killing both men. Members of Operation Triple Beam III arrested all four suspects in less than 24 hours.  

·        Homer Exom, of the 61^st St Hoover Crips, was arrested during a traffic stop on charges of possession of a firearm and possession of marijuana, after a loaded pistol and marijuana were recovered from inside the vehicle. 

·        Johnny Brown, a Red Mob Gangster, was arrested as members of Operation Triple Beam III were attempting to conduct a search warrant. Brown was in the possession of a stolen .45 caliber handgun, three grams of powder cocaine, and drug paraphernalia. Brown was charged with possession of a firearm and possession of a controlled drug, all After Former Convictions of a Felony (AFCF).  

·        Marquis Clark, a 49^th St Crip, was arrested for robbery with a firearm and was also listed as one of Tulsa’s Most Wanted. Upon his arrest, officers located a loaded 9mm Beretta that he was carrying.