Founded
Late 2000s
Angell Town, Brixton, South London, England
Brixton Road up to Stockwell Park, parts of Myatts Field, Angell Town Estate, Loughborough Junction[1]
ABM (All Bout Money), DSN (Don't Say Nuttin), GMG, PYG (Peckham Young Guns), TN1 (Trust No-One)
History[edit]
Early history[edit]
Brixton has had a multi-generational problem with gangs, with each generation taking on their own identity and name.[4] Angell Town Estate, where GAS was formed, has long had problems with gang violence and poverty, previously being home to the gang PDC.[4][8][14][15] In a 2012 Lambeth government report, Angell Town Estate was characterized as "severely deprived in income, employment, heath and crime".[16]
By the early 2000s, PDC, which was the dominant gang in the area at the time, began to fragment due to many of its leaders being imprisoned. Various different groups emerged from this fragmentation, such as the Muslim Boys and Y28s (not to be confused with Y28s that preceded PDC).[8][17] A member of the PDC Brats (a subset of PDC for the younger members) called Barfah Joof was involved in founding the new Y28s. The Y28s began to form friendships with neighbouring gangs in the area, such as Tiny OC based in Myatts Field, and Murder Zone based in Somerleyton Estate. Y28s and Tiny OC had formed a rivalry with Peckham-based gangs, and at one point gang members were caught unarmed by Peckham gang members, leading to one of their members being stabbed. This convinced members of Y28s and Tiny OC that they needed to unite together as one, leading to GAS Gang being created.[18][8][4] Barfah would later leave the gang after being guided by his probation officer.[8] By 2007, the gang began to gain notability in the estate, although it may have formed earlier.[19]
GAS Gang initially associated with the colours green (inherited from OC) and purple (inherited from Y28s),[19][20] although colour associations would fade out by the 2010s.[1] GAS also inherited OC's rivalries with Peckham-based PYG.[19]
In 2009, a set of CCTV videos were released showing large groups of GAS Gang and PYG members riding into each other's territories.[19] GAS also gained its first attention in the media in 2009, when a 13-year-old boy was stabbed outside a Camberwell fast-food shop in an altercation believed to be a part of the GAS Gang and PYG rivalry.[21][19]
2010s[edit]
GAS Gang's prolific activity led to parts of Brixton becoming a no-go area. By 2012, they were considered one of the most dangerous gangs in South London, with at least 3 murders being committed by alleged gang members since 2010.[5] The local council and police in 2012 believed the gang was responsible for three quarters of violent incidents involving young people in Brixton, with up to eight suspect members of the gang going to jail for attempted murder or murder.[4][7]
In 2010 Sylvester Akapalara was shot dead by a group of youths in a tower block called Heron House, on Pelican Estate in Peckham, South London. It was initially reported that the youths who committed the murder were members of GAS Gang, but this was later found to be incorrect. They were in-fact members of Peckham-based gang GMG. The youths involved in the murder were themselves from Peckham, and had been seen in ANTI GMG videos.[22][23] 19-year old David Nyamupfukudza (also known as Tiny Nutty[23]) was sentenced to a minimum of 26 years in jail for the murder.[24] 20-year old Sodiq Adeojo (also known as Jungle[23]) was sentenced to 30 years for his involvement in the murder.[22]
A younger member of TN1 (Trust No-One), a rival gang, was stabbed outside of Brixton police station by a GAS Gang member. Two days later, older TN1 members entered a chicken shop in GAS Gang territory. In response, around 25 GAS Gang members quickly surrounded the chicken shop, prompting police to intervene before anything could happen. Members from PYG in Peckham also committed similar incursions into GAS Gang territory, prompting GAS members to do the same in return. One such incident in 2010 involved a PYG member pulling up to a group of GAS Gang members and randomly unloading several rounds into the crowd.[12][13]
In 2011, five prominent members of GAS, Ricardo Giddings (aka Maggy), Helder Demorais (aka Mad H), Jamal Moore (aka JJ, Younger Sneaky, or J-Kid), Shaquille Haughton (Shaq or SH) and Kyle Kinghorn (aka Clickz), were sentenced to a total of 76 years in prison for the murder of rival gang member, fifteen-year-old Zac Olumegbon (also known as Lil Zac) the year prior.[25][19] This was the start of GAS Gang's conflict with Stockwell-based gang, ABM (All Bout Money). Zac was alleged to be a member of TN1 (Trust No-One), which had an allegiance with ABM.[26]
In November 2011, Azezur 'Ronnie' Khan was shot dead by an unidentified gunman while attending a funeral for a friend, a member of GAS Gang, that had died in a car crash. Police were warned of the possibility of violence at the funeral, but failed to send any officers. The burial for Azezur's friend was being held in Southwark, territory containing rival gangs to GAS. The police were widely criticised for their inaction in ensuring no violence occurred.[27][28][29][30]
In 2012, 5-year old Thusha Kamaleswaran was paralyzed after an attack by alleged members of GAS Gang. Three alleged members of GAS Gang, Nathaniel Grant, Kazeem Kolawole and Anthony McCalla (also known as Mad Antz[26]), were jailed for life as a result. McCalla however denied he was in GAS Gang, and instead stated he was a member of Tiny OC.[31] The trio were actually attempting to shoot a rival gang member who had run into a store where Thusha, an innocent bystander, was located. They shot indiscriminately into the store and inadvertently hit Thusha in her chest, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down.[4][11][32]
Two months after the shooting of Thusa, Temidayo Ogunneye was robbed by members of GAS Gang in Myatts Field. When he later returned to retrieve his phone, he was stabbed by a member of GAS. 16-year old Nathan McLeod was sentenced to a minimum of 14 years for the murder.[26][33]
In March 2012, a group of drug dealers associated with GAS were arrested. One of the dealers was known to sell crack while holding his baby.[34][19][35]
On 8 April 2014, over 700 police officers were involved in raids on the homes of gang members across London and the UK. Nine raids were conducted in and around Angell Town Estate, with GAS Gang being specifically targeted. It was reported GAS had expanded their drug dealing operations across the UK with contacts in Edinburgh, Essex, Bedfordshire, Reading and Bracknell. The gang was also linked to money laundering, gun crime, stabbings, and attacks on neighbouring rivals.[36] In previous raids, 88 'foot soldiers' involved in peddling drugs for the gang had been arrested. Detective Chief Inspector Tim Champion stated:[37][13]