The Brief
Police and the FBI arrested 21 members of the Kiccdoe gang this past Thursday in a multi-agency operation across the metroplex.
The individuals, who range from 18 to 23, are charged in a RICO conspiracy. Several are also facing drug and weapons charges.
Officials say they are responsible for numerous violent crimes, including shootings, homicides, and aggravated sexual assault of a child.
ARLINGTON, Texas – Police and the FBI announced the arrest of 21 members of the Kiccdoe gang who are allegedly responsible for violent crimes in Arlington and across the metroplex.
Arlington Gang Arrests
What we know
The arrests happened this past Thursday as part of a multi-year joint operation between the Arlington Police Department and the FBI.
FBI Dallas Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jeremy Wright said law enforcement officers executed search warrants in Arlington, Dallas, Fort Worth, Grand Prairie, Mansfield, and Forney.
They arrested 21 known members of the Kiccdoe gang and charged them with a RICO, or Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization, conspiracy.
Several of the suspects, who range in age from 18 to 23 years old, are also facing drug and weapons charges. They include:
21-year-old Bradly McArthur
18-year-old Cortez Atkinson
18-year-old Datraven Warren
19-year-old DeMarco Westmoreland
19-year-old Raphael Opare
19-year-old Jakyla Totten
20-year-old Jamarion Manogin
22-year-old Jaylen Franklin
18-year-old Michael Mensah
21-year-old Lamarion Austin
21-year-old Sadedrick Wilson
19-yaer-old Vernell Woods
21-year-old Sir James Mack Williams
22-year-old Chauncey Ross
20-year-old Keyshawn Burton
About 450 law enforcement officers were involved in the investigation and arrests.
Police also confiscated weapons, drugs, and money.
What they’re saying
Assistant Special Agent in Charge Wright said that despite their age, the suspects are all violent individuals.
“Do not let the ages distract from the havoc that they’ve inflicted upon our community. These gang members allegedly use violence and intimidation to protect our territory and profits. They instilled fear in their victims and took revenge on their rivals. Kiccdoe members are allegedly responsible for drive-by shootings, numerous attempted murders, and even homicides. In addition, they’ve allegedly engaged in organized crime, drug trafficking, weapons possession, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, armed robbery, resisting arrest, assaulting a public servant, and aggravated sexual assault of a child,” he said.
What’s next
Arlington police and the FBI said their joint operation is far from over.
If convicted on the federal charges, many of the suspects face prison sentences ranging from 20 years to life in prison.
Kiccdoe Gang in Arlington
The backstory
Arlington PD Chief Al Jones said the Kiccdoe gang is responsible for the majority of the violent crime in his city. That’s why he asked the local FBI field office for help in 2024.
“Our violent crime unit and our gang specialists have investigated numerous cases involving this group and have been closely monitoring their activity since January of 2022. We have documented 180 criminal incidents involving Kiccdoe members. This includes aggravated assaults, robberies, burglaries, shootings, and drug offenses. That’s just within the city of Arlington,” he said.
Investigators learned that a deadly shooting at Bowie High School in Arlington last year was retaliation for a previous armed robbery. It was one of the many crimes police attributed to the Kiccdoe gang.
It was also Kiccdoe gang members who were responsible for a shootout in the parking lot of the Arbrook Park Apartments on March 10. A 13-year-old girl asleep in her family’s nearby apartment was hit by a stray bullet.
The chief hopes the arrests send a powerful message.
“Our city is safer with these suspects off the street, and I hope our community can rest a little easier tonight knowing that. I also hope that we have proven to them that we will not tolerate violence in our community, and we’re going to do everything in our power to stop it,” he said.
The Source
The information in this story comes from a news conference held by the Arlington Police Department and the FBI, as well as names and mugshots provided by those agencies.