Fulton County

‘One of our top offenders:’ Police chief, DA slam Young Thug, YSL gang as violent criminals

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Fulton County’s District Attorney did not mince words when she talked about a sweeping gang indictment levied against Atlanta rapper Young Thug and 28 alleged members of his Young Slime Life gang Monday.

Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffrey Williams, was taken into custody at a Buckhead home Monday on a long list of racketeering charges dating back to 2012.

[RELATED: Rapper Young Thug, 28 suspected YSL members indicted on gang charges]

On Tuesday, Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis said Williams was one of three in custody and that authorities were working to arrest more than two dozen more people affiliated with the YSL gang in the coming weeks.

In a blistering news conference, Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant called Young Thug “one our top offenders.”

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Prosecutors say Young Thug helped found the Young Slime Life (YSL) gang in the area of Cleveland Avenue in 2012. The rapper has promoted the gang in his music. The District Attorney’s office used Young Thug’s own lyrics and Instagram posts to build its case.

Willis said YSL operated as a criminal street gang that committed crimes involving violence, theft and drugs for nearly two decades.

Willis said her number one focus is targeting gangs.

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“They are committing, conservatively, 75-to-80 percent of all of the violent crimes in our community. So they have to be rooted out of our community,” Willis said. “It does not matter what your notoriety is, what your fame is, if you come to Fulton County, Georgia and you commit crimes, you are going to become a target and a focus of this District Attorney’s office.”

Willis said the primary focus of the indictment are leaders of the gang, not juvenile members who are often sent out on the streets to commit crimes.

Willis said her office hopes to bring justice to people who were victimized by the gang.

“There are obviously many people that are looking at life under this indictment,” Willis said. “These are serious times, and these are serious allegations. And it is my opinion that violence in our community deserves maximum penalties.”

Rapper Young Thug arrested on gang charges The 30-year-old, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, was arrested early Monday afternoon at his home in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood. (NCD)

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