Members of a Richmond street gang known as the “Swerve Team” have been charged with the attempted murder of Orinda school board member Carol Brown – accosted with her husband by gang members in a random robbery outside their Orinda home last September.
Brown and her husband were unloading groceries outside their residence when they were confronted by two masked men shortly after 9 p.m. the night of Sept. 26 – the robbers brandishing a gun and pistol-whipping Brown’s husband, shooting Brown when she resisted demands for her purse.
Six men have been charged in connection with the crime, one of a series of violent home-invasion robberies, burglaries and a car jacking carried out in Danville, Fremont and Livermore from March 24 to Sept. 29 of last year.
The six, identified as Tarell Brown, Ronald James Fluker III, Bobby Ray Williams, Tommie Ray Woods, Torion Demonte Young, and Marrico Teyon Williams — have pleaded not guilty to the charges. The men face life in prison due to gang enhancements filed in connection with the crimes.
According to information developed and aired by ABC7 News, one of the six men charged in connection with Brown’s shooting was also a member of a controversial city-funded program aimed at preventing area youths from participating in criminal activity.
The Office of Neighborhood Safety was paying one of the men charged, Marrico Williams, a $1,000-a-month allowance for meeting certain life-map goals. City officials said taxpayer money goes to the program’s overhead and staffing costs, while the allowance is funded by private donations.
It’s sad and pathetic that people like this exist. As far as programs that “turn these men around.” Paying them is ridiculous. They’ll take the money and run.
@Danielle – Apparently at least one of them did…
Withholding comment because I got too angry reading this to write anything without violating your commenting guidelines
Horrible event, and very disturbing to read about again.
But you know I am going to bring up my pet peeve again, that there are too many criminals running around . It seems all the crimes going on now are by people who are wanted on warrants or out on early parole. They need to be back in jail, and frankly I don’t care how uncomfortable they are there. What about the comfort and security of all the good citizens that have to live in fear?
Look, the Democrats control both houses of the state legislature, the entire executive branch, and the mayorship of most of the big cities. It’s also Brown’s wonderful idea to periodically flush the prisons to clean out some of the prisoners to accommodate new ones. If you voted for any of these chumps, you are part of the problem along with them. Not saying that the Republicans are angels by any means but someone has to run the insane asylum.
Bailey,
I hear what you’re saying, but consider Proposition 47, passed by CA voters in 2014 nearly 60-40, which reclassified several theft and drug crimes from felonies to misdemeanors and was applauded as a way to “reduce jail overcrowding.” My point is that the blame for all the weak-on-crime lunacy in California begins with the voters. I wonder how long it will take for a majority of the voters in this state to realize how bad it’s getting and act to turn this ship around. How many times has a major Bay Area freeway been shut down for a shooting in the past year? Doesn’t even make the front page anymore.
These thugs are coming in to Lamorinda and attacking and robbing us. Yet, Sacramento and the media is making Us out as the haters and the problem. No more taxes and I am moving out of state.
@Jack – Dang media. Why don’t those guys go and get a real job?
We need to get tougher on crime, but crime is not a political issue. It’s a moral issue that starts in the home.