Operation Caged Dove: Suspected gang members in custody in middle Georgia bust

UPSON COUNTY, Ga. — Dozens of suspected gang members are now or soon will be behind bars as a result of an operation to take down a street gang in middle Georgia.

Channel 2′s Steve Gehlbach went to Upson County where Gov. Brian Kemp, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement departments announced the charges.

“These are very organized groups of people we’re going after,” Kemp said. Since taking officer, Kemp has made cracking down on gangs a priority and said this latest bust is proof it’s working.

Operation Caged Dove named 46 suspected members of the “Rollin 20s," part of the Bloods street gang. Nearly 100 counts include everything from racketeering to violating the state’s gang act.

Four suspects were arrested in the murder of a Spalding County man in July during a drug deal.

The governor said all the agencies working together makes a difference, but they’re not finished.

“We will continue to work hard today to keep our citizens safe and follow these individuals making our citizens less safe everyday…we will follow you wherever we need to," Kemp said.

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The GBI said their task force went to Los Angeles and arrested the gang’s suspected ring leader Tuesday night. Ronald “Madd Ronald” Chatman, 53 ,is a known gang member there.

Gehlbach asked the GBI director how Chatman could be directing activity from the streets of Los Angeles all the way to middle Georgia.

“We’re seeing individuals from other states, giving orders in gangs to expand the gang activity in a particular area, to do particular crimes in those areas,” Vic Reynolds said.

When they find that in a case like this, the gang task force is now able to work across the county, even state lines to connect the dots.

“We’re not going to tolerate criminal street gang activity. No matter where you’re at -- not simply a metropolitan Atlanta issue, it’s all over the state of Georgia," Reynolds said.

The GBI said it is still looking for 21 of the 46 suspected members but promise to bring them all to justice.

Cox Media Group