Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Teens charged in attacks suspected in other crimes

Authorities say the teenage boys charged with attacking three other teens with rocks could also be responsible for a string of other violent acts that have occurred in northwest Las Vegas this summer.

Metro Police Department's Gang Unit is investigating whether a group of teenagers known as the 311 Boyz are responsible for several other beatings in neighborhoods near Centennial High School.

Capt. Dan Barry, who leads the Gang Unit, said the teens have been known to use skateboards, tire irons and chains to beat their victims. Police believe the gang formed in December.

Most of the teens attend or are recent graduates of Centennial, but other members, and some of the alleged victims, go to other area schools, he said.

"They've been picking their victims at random in the northwest area," Barry said. "They are like a pack of dogs, they're so brutal."

Barry said more arrests could come as officers continue to investigate several other incidents in which other teens were attacked and beaten.

"A lot has been unreported," he said. "We're just scratching the surface."

Nine teens, who are alleged to be members of the gang, were charged last week with 13 felony counts, including attempted murder and battery, in the July 18 attack that left Stephen Tanner Hansen, Craig Arnett Lefevre and Joe Grill injured.

Hansen suffered extensive facial injuries and damage to his left eye in the attack. Authorities believe the three were targeted because they were not members of the gang.

The teens charged are: Ernest Bradley Aguilar, 17; Steven Gazley, 18; Jeff Hart, 17; 16-year-old twins Anthony and Brandon Gallion; Mathew Costello, 17; Christopher Farley, 18; Dominic Harriman, 19, and Scott Morse, 18.

Sgt. Dave Stansbury said the gang is different from most gangs because the teens live in affluent neighborhoods.

The gang's penchant for violence, however, cannot be ignored, he said.

"This is not like any other gang," he said. "This is a loosely knit group of kids who got off on going around beating people up. They are basically wanna-bes."

Police also have a videotape they say depicts members of the gang beating up random victims during the last few months, Stansbury said.

Police are still investigating those crimes. The videotape will likely be used in court when charges are filed, he said.

"(The videotape) was a kind of trophy if you will," he said. "They sit down and watch it for their enjoyment."

The videotape depicts several teens who are charged in the July 18 incident and other teenagers who were not charged but are alleged to be part of the gang, Stansbury said.

In one incident that was not captured on tape, Stansbury said, two teens went to a house and assaulted the teenage boy who answered the door.

The boys later learned that the boy they had assaulted was not the boy they were looking for, he said.

"The kid came to the door, they pulled him out and beat him up," he said. "Turns out they were at the wrong house."

Prosecutors have also charged Gazley with two counts of battery in a separate incident, in which he allegedly struck a teen in the face with a crow bar, prosecutor Christopher Laurent said.

During the attack, "(the suspects) were yelling '311 Boyz,' " Laurent said.

Police say that beating happened May 17 during a gathering near a desert area near the Las Vegas Beltway and Centennial Parkway in the northwest.

According to a police report obtained by the Sun, the area of desert, "the basin," is a popular party spot for juveniles.

Police say Sean Quinn attempted to break up a fight between two other teens when he was "attacked by a large group of males belonging to the 311 Boyz gang."

Quinn suffered a broken jaw, a broken nose and cuts in the incident.

The report refers to Gazley as "a documented member of the 311 Boyz."

According to the report, Gazley "has been stopped by officers in the presence of other 311 Boyz gang members and is on an impounded videotape of 311 Boyz activity."

The incident that led to the teens' arrest occurred when 40 to 80 teens gathered July 18 in a cul de sac in the 9200 block of Canyon Mesa Drive, police said. The area is in the gated community of Canyon Terrace in Summerlin.

It was unclear why all of the teens were in the area.

Police say the boys pummeled Hansen and his friends with rocks and beer bottles when they tried to leave the gathering.

Police suspect there are more victims of random violence who have not yet come forward, Stansbury said.

"We know a lot of victims who haven't filed reports or come to us," he said. "We're trying to reach out to those people."

He said the gang, which police believe was formed in December, is not associated with any colors or specific types of clothing.

Most of the incidents occurred during the summer months while the teens were out of school, he said.

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