Photo by AlbinoFlea

D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier and U.S. Attorney for D.C. Ron Machen announced today that eight men and one woman were indicted on charges stemming from their alleged involvement in a gang that committed robberies and assaults in parts of Chinatown, U Street and Adams Morgan throughout 2012:

According to the indictment, the defendants are members of a crew called “Show Out” that committed crimes in the Chinatown, U Street and Adams Morgan areas. The indictment alleges that, since at least Jan. 1, 2012, the crew’s members canvassed the areas looking for targets of opportunity and teamed up to assault their victims, rob them of items of value, or both. The crew also is accused of engaging in “flash mob” style robberies at drug stores, convenience stores, and gas stations, in which multiple members flooded in to the business at the same time, overwhelming and intimidating the staff, and stealing items.

Those indicted ranged in age from 18 to 20, all are D.C. residents. The gang was led by Bernard Trowell, who went by “McLovin.”

The group was also charged with violations of D.C.’s hate crimes law for two incidents that happened on June 5, 2012. In the first, the gang targeted a Hispanic man, yelling racial epithets as they beat him him. Only five minutes later, the group beat and robbed a homeless man nearby. The charges stemming from those incidents qualified for bias enhancements under the city’s hate crimes laws.