 A mural referring to the war between the Bounty Hunter Watts Bloods and theGrape Street Watts Crips. | |
| Founding location | Watts, Los Angeles, California, United States |
|---|---|
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Territory | Nickerson Gardens |
| Ethnicity | African American |
| Membership(est.) | 2,000[1] |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, robbery,extortion, murder, burglary, identity theft, car theft, kidnapping |
| Rivals | Grape Street Watts Crips, West Side Piru,[2] 118 East Coast Crips[3][4] |
TheBounty Hunter Watts Bloods,[5][6] also known as theBounty Hunter Bloods, is a "set" of theBloods gang alliance situated in theNickerson Gardens public housing projects inWatts, Los Angeles. Though rivals of many crips sets they tend to get along with the PJ Watts Crips in Imperial courts, a neighboring public housing project down the street, the two sets allied to go against their rivals the Grape street crips as well as enemies from sets such as gangster crips.
The gang was originally established in 1969 but became well established by 1972. Whilst today it is a set of theBloods, it was originally known as the Green Jackets. Gary Barker and Bobby Jack are believed to be the set's founders.[7]
The gang is perhaps most known for its longstanding rivalry with theGrape Street Watts Crips which has been described by gang experts as "the most violent and long lasting feud between two gangs that are in the Watts area".[8] In 1992, theWatts truce was declared which saw a rapid decline in violence between the two street gangs. However, by 2005, the truce had reportedly imploded with the homicide rate increasing to at least seven.[9]
In 1993,Regis Deon Thomas, a member of the Bounty Hunter Watts Bloods, shot and killed twoCompton Police Department officers during a traffic stop. They were the first Compton police officers to be killed in the line of duty in the department's 65-year history.[10]
In 1997, members of the 118 East Coast Crips shot a school bus in the hopes of killing members of the Bounty Hunter Bloods, killing 17-year-old bystander Corie Williams instead.[3][4]
In 2003, shots were fired at Los Angeles Police Department patrol officers in two incidents in theNickerson Gardens projects. In 2000, the FBI convicted 30 Bounty Hunter Watts Bloods members on federal drug violations for the distribution and conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine.[11] An injunction was imposed on the gang in 2004 which limited the movements of members.[12]
In 2013,O.F.T.B. rapper and Bounty Hunter Watts Bloods affiliate, Kevin “Flipside” White, was shot dead by alleged members of the Grape Street Watts Crips.[13]
The gang is situated withinNickerson Gardens, the largest government housing complex west of theMississippi River.[14] The complex forms the majority of its territory which is the largest of any African-American street gang in Watts.[5] The gang has over 2,000 documented members and is subdivided into numerous subsets and cliques, including the Lot Boys, Block Boys, Bell Haven, Ace Line, Duece Line, Tray Line, Four Line and Five Line.[1][5] Like all Bloods gangs, the Bounty Hunter Watts Bloods affiliate themselves with the color red. Its members tattoo themselves with the letters "B" and "H" which refer to "Bounty Hunters" and also use the letters in hand signs.[1]
Its members have been known to attendCentennial High School inCompton.[15]
In addition to its feud with the Grape Street Watts Crips, the gang is also known to feud with West Side Piru, which is based in nearby Compton,[2] and 118 East Coast Crips.[3][4]
There are other street gangs across the United States which claim the same name, such as the 59 Bounty Hunter Bloods inHouston, Texas[16] and the Bounty Hunter Bloods inDetroit, Michigan.[17]
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