Nine people authorities say are members of a street gang have been barred from entering the Downtown Entertainment District, including one section of Broadway, according to a Sept. 11 press release from Metro Nashville Police.
"The nine, eight adults and one juvenile, are alleged to be part of the Krooks gang, whose members have been known to target intoxicated persons, tourists and others under the pretext of selling clothing or other merchandise with the objective of gaining possession or control of the victims’ cell phones," the release said. "Once that occurs, they are alleged to use a mobile payment app to transfer money away from victims’ accounts. If a victim detects/objects to the scheme, Krooks members are reported to have escalated
encounters to intimidation and even assault."
The injunction created an exclusion zone (whose borders include Union Street, Korean Veterans Boulevard, Rosa L. Parks Boulevard, and the Cumberland River) which the nine are barred from entering, as well as restricting members from performing or assisting in the scam.
Three of the nine listed in the injunction have previously been convicted of robbery, the release said. They range in age from 16 to 24.
"Special THANKS to the District Attorney’s Office, Criminal Court Judge Dozier and EDU’s Sergeant Quigley for making our downtown community’s safety and wellbeing a priority," the Nashville Metro Police said in an Instagram post announcing the initiative.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville police ban 9 alleged gang members from Broadway
