Tiny Rascal Gang
Founded1981[1]
Founding locationEastside, Long Beach, California, United States[1]
Years active1981–present
TerritoryUnited States (especially California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Washington state) and Canada.[2]
EthnicityPredominantly Cambodian
Membership (est.)2000+ active members (1999 estimate);[3] 5000-10,0000 members and associates (2009 estimate)[4]
ActivitiesDrug trafficking, assault, arms trafficking, murder, mass shooting, robbery, theft[5]
Allies14K[6]
Wah Ching[7]
Wo Hop To[6]
RivalsAsian Boyz[8]
Bloods[9]
Crips[10]
Latin Kings[11]
Sureños[12][13]

Tiny Raskal Gang (abbreviated as TRG) or simply Raskals is a mainly ethnically Cambodian gang based in Long Beach, California. During the 1990s, Mexican Mafia "green light" or hit lists began featuring the TRG gang at the top. Soon all Southern Hispanic or Sureño gangs were at war with the Tiny Rascal Gang. The Mexican Mafia ordered West Side Longo to put aside its rivalry with East Side and support their former rivals against TRG and the black gang.[14]

The gang was founded by Cambodian juvenile youth groups in 1981. TRG gang members can be found as young as 12 years old.[15][16] The gang quickly grew with TRG splitting one half now their enemies calling themselves ABZ. TRG is the first Cambodian gang in Eastside Long Beach.[17] Tiny Raskal Gang was estimated to have over 2000 members in 1999 and to have 5000-10,000 "members and associates" in 2009[4][3] in the United States.

History

The United States began admitting its first Cambodian refugees in 1979, and until 1991, nearly 158,000 Cambodians were admitted; most of whom were resettled in the states of California, Massachusetts, Virginia, and New York. As with many refugee groups, lack of knowledge concerning the culture and society of the host nation and their limited command of the English language resulted in a socio-cultural barrier. Upon suffering from various issues individually or on a smaller scale, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, their socio-economic disadvantage and environmental setbacks contributed to their adversity in North America. Cambodian-American communities were largely underprivileged and deeply affected by poverty, among other things.

Action setting in the mid-1980s, a fight occurred between a Latino student and a Cambodian student in Long Beach, an event which led to the formation of the Tiny Rascals.[18] As a means of protection, other Cambodian youths began to form street gangs which later laid the foundation of TRG. While conforming to their various cultural influences and Western society, many Cambodian youths began to understand their positions in society, most of whom had instead recognized their disadvantage, resulting in their gang epidemic in the 1990s. Original gang hand-signs, graffiti, fashion, and other practices were originated and constantly changing in the 1980s and 90s. Shortly after their collectivization, TRG began committing several crimes, including extortion, murder, kidnapping, robbery, burglary, home invasion, drugs and weapons trafficking.[19] Some of the Tiny Rascal members were originally members of the Asian Boyz, a rival gang. They transferred gangs due to friction between other fellow Tiny Rascal members.

Feuding in the early 90s, members of the Tiny Rascals Gang had a violent rivalry with the Long Beach-based East Side Longos MUIE who were predominantly Hispanic.[20] Similarly, while TRG and the Asian Boyz have bitter rivalries, peace and truces have been practiced between the two groups.

Membership

Activity of gang members such as Cambodians of other ethnic and cultural groups are known to have been recruited.[20] based primarily on the West Coast, the Southwest and New England.[5] In the 1990s, females were allowed to represent the gang and an all-female branch was formed as "LRG (Lady Rascal Gang)".

As with many other gangs, potential members must first be initiated in a "jump in" where they would have to fight other members or endure a beating for a specific amount of time.[19] Newer recruits are allegedly required to commit a notable crime as a means to earn respect, whether it be murder, home invasion, drive-by shootings on rival gangs or enemies, or robbery. Respect and credibility within the gang revolved around a number of crimes individuals would commit either on behalf of or in favor of the gang. Their gang colors are grey and black. In contrast to their rivals, the Asian Boyz.

Further, there is also a presence of TRG members/sets within the US army. As of 2011, none were found to be in the US air force, navy, or marines.[21] There are also some TRG sets found within various prisons in the USA including South Carolina.[22] It is important to note that because of the low percentage of Asian Americans in some prisons, all Asian gang members clique up to represent an Asian set regardless of their hood's historical rivalries with each other.

Activities

Although the Tiny Rascals are involved in a wide range of criminal activities which include extortion, robbery, burglary, auto theft, gang protection, and murder, which are some of the more publicized criminal activities. While young gang members are mostly involved in street crimes, some have progressed towards serious organized criminal activities larger in scale. The older sets maintain a working relationship with similar sets of a fellow Southeast Asian gang called Asian Boyz. They have formed alliances with Chinese organizations such as the 14K, Wah Ching and Wo Hop To in California, and the New York City-based Ghost Shadows. Although in some cities such as Long Beach the claim EBK as there is not a gang that sees them as allies.[6][23]

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, several Rascals violently retaliated to the ongoing harassment of East Side Longos within California, especially Long Beach, and in the Seattle, Washington area. This sparked a deadly war of which resulted in over a hundred casualties suffered among both gangs.

Such cities such as Anchorage, Alaska and Portland, Oregon have had some recorded but less extravagant TRG presence, involved with gun and drug distribution.[24][25][26] In smaller towns, in North Carolina, particularly Forest Oaks and Pleasant Garden, sets exist which include many non-Cambodian and non-Asian members. Car thefts and reports of gunfire originated from the gang.[27][28]

California

In 1980 A car load of TRG gang members pulled up to a car full of East Side Longo gangsters at Anaheim Street and Cherry Avenue in Eastside Long Beach.First the occupants of both cars traded insults and hand signs, and then TRG fired into the Longo car killing a 16-year-old Oswaldo Carbajal.[29]

In 1994, seven members of TRG raped, robbed and strangled a mother in her Tustin home. She survived by playing dead. Her 3-year-old son was home at the time.[30]

In 1994 TRG members broke into a house killing a family aged 10 to 44 injuring a 3 year old boy Dennis had been shot in the hand. Henry was shot in the head and neck. One shot was fired with the gun's muzzle placed directly against his skull. He was also shot in the chest at close range while lying on the floor. Four superficial cuts on the back of his neck had been inflicted by a sharp object, like a knifepoint. Trinh was shot once in the thigh and twice in the head, at very close range. Two of her teeth were detached by the force of the bullets. The oldest child, Doan, was shot in the leg, chest, and head. Another bullet pierced a hand that she had held up to protect her face. Daniel was shot in the lower leg and chest. David was shot twice in the chest and once in the back of the head.[31]

In 1994 TRG members murdered a couple hosting a card game in their home Defendants struggled with Quyen, shooting her in the leg, then  shot Hung and his father, Nghiep Thich Le, several times. The parties stipulated that 47-year-old Hung died of a gunshot to the chest, and 73-year-old Nghiep was killed by a shot to the head.[32]

in 1994 Spokane police responded around 7:30 the next morning to find the bodies of 27-year-old Johnny Hagan, Jr., and 23-year-old Thi Hong Nga Pham. Pham's hands were tied with phone cord, and speaker wire was wrapped around her neck. She was shot in the head, face, and chest. The face and the chest shots came from close range. Pham's jaw was broken in two places; she had also been cut several times in the face and neck. A wedding ring and engagement ring were found inside her mouth. Hagan had also been bound with phone cord and speaker wire. He was shot in the ear, at the base of the skull, and through the back of the head. Two shots  were fired from only an inch or two away. Hagan had bruising and a cut across the front of his neck. Officers found a bloody knife on a counter and several shell casings from a .45-caliber automatic near the bodies. Giao Ly's palm print was found on a kitchen cupboard, and defendant's fingerprint was lifted from inside the apartment door.[33]

On August 6, 1995, defendant and other TRG members decided to drive around San Bernardino looking for members of the Oriental Boys, a rival street gang. Defendant gave Evans a gun and followed two men in a red Toyota. The driver, later identified as Bunlort Bun, let the passenger out and sped away. Defendant gave chase while Pan and Evans took turns shooting at the car until it swerved to a stop. Defendant pulled up next to the car. Seeing Bun slumped over, he told Pan and Evans to make sure he was dead. They said they were out of bullets, so defendant handed Pan another ammunition clip. Pan shot Bun three times.[34]

On August 8, 1995, two days after Bun's shooting and the day before the Elm Street murders, defendant was driving in Pomona.The truck's driver left the scene. The passenger, Miguel Avina Vargas, died of  massive internal bleeding from a bullet to the heart. Ten cartridge casings were recovered from the area. All had been fired from one of the guns used in the Elm Street, Sacramento, and Bun shootings.[34]

in 2005 Prach and Hong drove past a young man, Nath Sok, on a bicycle. Sok was a documented ASW gang member. Prach and Hong made U-turns and came back to stop near Sok. Prach said something casually to Sok, who responded more boisterously. Several men from the van and car got out. A witness saw several of these men fire guns numerous times at Sok until Sok looked like a "pile of rags." According to testimony they then calmly got back in their vehicles and cruised slowly away. At about 12:30 a.m., Stockton police officers responded to a report of a shooting on Astor Drive. When they arrived, they found Sok lying dead on the lawn next to the bicycle. He had been shot in the neck, head, and groin. Six .40-caliber shell casings were found; five in the middle of the street and one on the sidewalk next  to the bike. Bullet holes were found in an adjacent house and carport, as well as in a bedroom wall inside the house.[34]

In 2005 Chhithdra Or, an LTC gang member, saw a van, later identified as Prach's van, slowly drive down the street. Or saw the van's slider door open, revealing TRG gang member Reachhetra Pheng holding a gun. Or saw sparks from the slider door of the van and Savoeun Yin, a documented member of the ABZ gang, whom Or had been talking to on the street a few minutes earlier, was shot. Yin was shot in his hand, resulting in a crushed finger that had to be amputated, and in the scrotum, an injury that required him to learn to walk again. The van drove off.[35]

In 2007, one of the [[Sacramento]] sets killed a police officer. Detective Nguyen had been shot three times—in the neck, abdomen, and lower back by a 16-year-old member.[36]

In 2010 Six people, including four of the gang’s members, were rounded up in a multi-county raid Tuesday night in connection with the late-night killing of 16-year-old Juan Carlos Rodriguez.Rodriguez, shot in the back, died early Sunday morning after being shot during a shower of bullets that rained down outside a house party. His killer, according to Tustin police, is a member of TRG.[37]

In March 2011 Defendant Tom Phung was 17 years old when he and fellow (TRG) members, riding in about five cars, chased a fleeing vehicle containing eight rival gang members. A TRG member shot and killed one rival and seriously wounded a second.[38]

In 2019 12 TRG members did a mass shooting Three of the people shot were killed: 25-year-old Maurice Poe Jr., 35-year-old Melvin Williams II, and 28-year-old Ricardo Torres. Nine were wounded, including Jasmine Johnson, who was hit by a bullet that shattered her T-3 vertebrae leaving her paralyzed from the chest down, according to LBPD Sgt. Chris Valdez.[39]

Massachusetts

Altogether Tiny Rascal Gang also has a presence among the Cambodian-American communities of Lowell, Massachusetts. According to local police, about a hundred TRG members have lived within the Lowell and Lynn areas historically, and are still extant within the region. The gang was connected to over five homicides and several assaults throughout Lowell and Lynn within 1998 and 2021.[40]

Maryland and Virginia

In February 1998, a fatal drive-by shooting occurred near George C. Marshall High School, in which a 17-year-old boy was killed by a .22 rifle. The gunman, an 18-year-old TRG member, was sentenced to life imprisonment in August 1998. Two others TRG members, including a driver, were found guilty of felony assault for their roles in the attack, and received sentences of 20 years and 17 years. A third teenager was sentenced to 4 years in the Juvenile Detention Center for his role in the shooting.[41][42]

Michigan

Many TRG gang members can be found in Holland and are currently having a dispute with Latin Kingswhich led to an attempted murder of a Filipino TRG member in 2016.[43]

Pennsylvania

Police consider the Tiny Rascal Gang to be one of the largest Asian gangs in Philadelphia.[44] In South Philadelphia TRG rivals with Red Scorpions, with shooting flaring up every few years. The two main sets of Philadelphia TRG include Sixth Street and Fifteenth Street.[45]

Media depiction

Rascal Love and Cambodian Son, have been about Tiny Rascal members. Gangland has also dedicated an episode to Tiny Rascal Gang sets in Fresno.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 TRG (Tiny Rascal Gangsters): Asian Gangs in Long Beach Richard Valdemar, policemag.com (December 22, 2008)
  2. ↑ "2011 National Gang Threat Assessment – Emerging Trends". 2011. Archived from the original on 2016-06-19.
  3. 1 2 "The Tiny Rascal Gang: Big Trouble". Police. Police Magazine. 1999-12-31. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  4. 1 2 "National Gang Threat Assessment - 2009". Federal Bureau of Investigation.
  5. 1 2 The Tiny Rascal Gangsters (Tiny Rascals) justice.gov
  6. 1 2 3 "Organised Crime in California 2009" (PDF). 2020-09-08.
  7. ↑ Los Angeles Gangs and Hate Crimes Archived 2017-07-30 at the Wayback Machine, Police Law Enforcement Magazine February 29, 2008
  8. ↑ Fresno man resentenced to 80 years to life in prison for killing pregnant woman in 2006 Archived 2017-07-30 at the Wayback Machine, Fresno Bee July 21, 2016.
  9. ↑ Prosecutors say man involved in South Seattle gang war shootings Archived 2014-04-09 at the Wayback Machine, KIRO-TV, April 7, 2014.
  10. ↑ Not on our turf California gangs create havoc here, "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel", July 28, 1994.
  11. ↑ Agar, John documents give inside look at Holland Latin Kings, drugs, violence , MLive, February 17, 2013.
  12. ↑ Hay, Jeremy (May 22, 2005). "A HARDER EDGE TO GANG VIOLENCE" (PDF). Press Democrat. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 15, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  13. ↑ Moxley, R. Scott. We Don't Care Gang Killer Begs Judges To Care About His Trial Complaint Archived 2014-04-19 at the Wayback Machine, OC Weekly, July 2013.
  14. ↑ Bookmark +, Richard Valdemar • (21 December 2008). "TRG (Tiny Rascal Gangsters): Asian Gangs in Long Beach". www.policemag.com. Retrieved 2022-10-06.
  15. ↑ Garcia, Fernando Haro (2023-10-10). "Gangsters bragged about mass shooting that left partygoers dead, prosecutors say at trial". Long Beach Post News. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  16. ↑ "The Tiny Rascal Gang: Big Trouble". Police Magazine. 1999-12-31. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  17. ↑ "TRG (Tiny Rascal Gangsters): Asian Gangs in Long Beach". Police Magazine. 2008-12-21. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  18. ↑ Moore, Derek J. Ruthless Asian gangs blaze trail of violence Archived 2014-04-07 at the Wayback Machine, Press Democrat, March 15, 2008.
  19. 1 2 "Organized Crime in California : 2010 Annual Report to Legislature" (PDF). Cag.ca.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2013-03-13. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  20. 1 2 "Police Magazine". Policemag.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  21. ↑ "2011 National Gang Threat Assessment - Emerging Trends; Gangs and the Military". FBI.gov. Archived from the original on 2023-01-04. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  22. ↑ "The Gangs of St. Andrews". 12 September 2012.
  23. ↑ The Tiny Rascal Gang: Big Trouble Al Valdez, policemag.com (January 1, 2000)
  24. ↑ Agencies, United States Congress House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related (April 6, 1999). Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations for 2000: Justification of the budget estimates, Department of Justice. U.S. Government Printing Office. ISBN 9780160585128 – via Google Books.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  25. ↑ "Police chief sayys Portland not home to violent drug gangs". 13 May 2014.
  26. ↑ "Gangs in Anchorage: Police crack down on escalating gun violence". Contact Centre Solutions.
  27. ↑ Eric J. S. Townsend (11 June 2004). "Police arrest alleged gang members". Greensboro News and Record.
  28. ↑ "Police arrest 3 in gang-style city shootings". 24 March 2004.
  29. ↑ "TRG (Tiny Rascal Gangsters): Asian Gangs in Long Beach". Police Magazine. 2008-12-21. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  30. ↑ "Cambodian gang's members arrested in teen's killing". Orange County Register. 2010-01-13. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  31. ↑ "People v. Chhoun, 11 Cal.5th 1 | Casetext Search + Citator". casetext.com. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  32. ↑ "People v. Chhoun, 11 Cal.5th 1 | Casetext Search + Citator". casetext.com. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  33. ↑ "People v. Chhoun, 11 Cal.5th 1 | Casetext Search + Citator". casetext.com. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  34. 1 2 3 "People v. Chhoun, 11 Cal.5th 1 | Casetext Search + Citator". casetext.com. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  35. ↑ "Prach v. Hedgpath, No. CIV S-08-2493 CHS P | Casetext Search + Citator". casetext.com. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  36. ↑ {{cite web}}: Empty citation (help)
  37. ↑ Register, Kimberly Edds | Orange County; Register, Elysse James | Orange County (2010-01-13). "Cambodian gang's members arrested in teen's killing". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  38. ↑ https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ca-court-of-appeal/1853042.html. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  39. ↑ Ruiz, Jason (2021-03-19). "Video that 'disrespected' gang may have sparked Halloween-party mass shooting, DA says". Long Beach Post News. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  40. ↑ Hanna, Maddie. 10 arrested during series of Lowell gang raids Archived 2014-04-07 at the Wayback Machine, Boston.com, July 20, 2008.
  41. ↑ Davis, Patricia (June 18, 1998). "GUILTY PLEA IN HIGH SCHOOL SLAYING". The Washington Post.
  42. ↑ Wee, Eric (September 19, 1998). "VA. TEEN GETS LIFE FOR GANG-RELATED KILLING OUTSIDE HIGH SCHOOL". Washington Post.
  43. ↑ "Witnesses describe scene of February gang-related shooting in Holland Township - News - Holland Sentinel - Holland, MI". Archived from the original on 2021-06-11. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  44. ↑ "Asian drug gangs not new to Philly". 28 August 2014.
  45. ↑ "Hitting close to home". 22 June 2006.
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