HOUMA, La.– The Terrebone Parish Sheriff’s Office made several big arrests—cracking down on gang members on their streets.
The streets in Terrebone Parish are a little safer these days thanks to the Sheriff’s Office and their Gang Investigation Unit, who conducted “Operation Silent Night.” They made multiple arrests of members in the “Bag Chasin’ Babies” gang also known as the “Schriever Gorillas.”
Sheriff Tim Soignet says the gang has been involved in several incidents over the last few months involving drugs and violence, including a shooting back in July that resulted in the death of a man in the Sonic parking lot on West Main Street and Martin Luther King in Houma.
“It happened in the middle of the day. You have innocent people trying to eat with their families,” the Sheriff said.
Then a few weeks ago the Sheriff said there was another shooting that the gang was involved in on West Main Street and St. Charles in Houma.
“If you get involved in a gang it is not going to end well for you in Terrebone Parish. The people of Terrebone Parish, the law-abiding citizens deserve the peace,” he said.
True to his word, it didn’t end well for eight of the gang members who are now behind bars facing several different charges including attempted second degree murder, racketeering, and criminal street activity.
“We pretty much cut the snake off the head on this one. We are going to bring these guys to justice,” he said.
Videos and pictures of the “Bag Chasin’ Babies” on social media showed them glorifying drugs and guns, which helped law enforcement make the arrests.
“Through investigation we were able to debunk that it is not props,” he said.
The Gang Investigation Team is now looking to catch four more wanted gang members.
“They have a low regard for human life, but our officers have a high regard for human life,” Sheriff Soignet said.
The Sheriff wants young people in the community to take notice of these arrests.
“Don’t get involved. There’s more to life, and there’s nothing glamorous about gang activity,” he said.
All of the gang members that were arrested are currently being held at the Terrebone Parish Criminal Justice Complex—with no bond.