311_Boyz

311 Boyz

The 311 Boyz were a teen gang^[1] ^[2] ^[3] in Las Vegas, Nevada who committed or were suspected of a number of violent acts beginning in the summer of 2003. Estimated at 40 members^[2] in 2003, the gang consisted mostly of young males who attended Centennial High School and lived in affluent neighborhoods in northwest Las Vegas. Many members were considered to be "underground". The current status and membership of the gang is unknown, but gang signs and threats are still occasionally reported to Las Vegas police.^[4]

1 Background
2 Origin of name
3 References
4 External links

Background

The gang gained notoriety following an incident in July 2003. After a confrontation at a party, 3 teens (Stephen Tanner Hansen, Joseph Grill, Craig Lefevre) in a pickup truck attempted to flee a group of the 311 Boyz, who gave chase on foot and in other cars. The pickup was rammed from behind at least once, and as it attempted to exit the housing subdivision, a gauntlet of teens threw bottles and rocks at the speeding vehicle. A softball-sized rock went through a window striking Hansen, one of the passengers, in the arm and head. Hansen survived despite gruesome injuries: his arm was broken; his face was shattered, requiring metal plates to stablize the bones; and his vision was permanently impaired in one eye.^[5] As he would later testify, he might have been killed if he hadn't raised his arm and partially deflected the rock.^[6]

9 teens involved in the attack on the pickup would be charged with various criminal offenses, including attempted murder; the charges against 1 defendant were dropped before any trials. Of the remaining 8, 5 pleaded guilty to lesser felony charges, and accepted plea agreements where the prosecution would not seek additional jail time, but on 6 August 2004, District Judge Michael Cherry ignored the prosecution's recommendations and sentenced 4 of the defendants to a year in detention; the fifth defendant received probation.^[7] Two defendants would plead guilty to lesser charges and receive probation; the final defendant was acquitted at trial.

Police reports indicated that they suspected Steven Gazlay, one of the 4 who received jail time, of being the ringleader of the group.^[8] Soon after the charges were filed in the Hansen case, Gazlay was charged with a separate assault at a party in May 2003, where he assaulted another teen with a crowbar. A jury found him guilty in that case in December 2003.^[9] Gazlay was also accused of burning a teen with a red-hot knife and ramming a condominium gate, but as part of Gazlay's plea agreement, those charges were dismissed, and the crowbar assault verdict was set aside.^[10]

The ensuing police investigation would discover links between the gang and at least 9 assaults in the area, as well as video tapes of brutal fighting between teenagers, taken by another teen and intended for sale.^[11]^[12]

Origin of name

The name "311 Boyz" may be a reference to the rock band 311, who have been popular among American youth since their founding in the early 1990's; the band, in turn, takes their name from a police code for indecent exposure.^[11]

It could also be a coded reference to the Ku Klux Klan: K is the 11th letter in the alphabet, and there are 3 in "KKK"^[11]. The rock band has directly stated that they are against racist and violent behavior.

Some have speculated that the gang self-identified as a white supremacist group, but this is not clear, and specific evidence of racial motivation for the crimes was lacking.

References

External links

"Las Vegas Review Journal: 311 Boyz Archive". Las Vegas Review Journal (2003-10-02). Retrieved on 2007-01-25.

"'311 Boyz' Shock Las Vegas". CBS News/Associated Press (2003-10-02). Retrieved on 2006-09-25.

"Violent Amateur Videos On Rise". CBS News/CBS Broadcasting (2003-11-19). Retrieved on 2006-09-25. (note: story has incorrect date of 2002-11-19; should be 2003-11-19)

Contents

Background

Origin of name

References

External links