More than 90 young adults, teens arrested for 3-year-long violent crime spree in Milwaukee

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Dozens of young people in Milwaukee are in custody after a string of violent crimes since 2020.

The Milwaukee Police Department and Milwaukee County district attorney announced the crackdown Monday afternoon.

Sixty-one adults and 30 juveniles were arrested and prosecuted for a 3-year-long crime spree that resulted in more than 100 shootings - 25 that were deadly.

"This is a significant number of people that are being charged with really serious crimes and are getting significant accountability as a result of them," said District Attorney John Chisholm.

Chisholm said the crimes stemmed from the murder of 17-year-old Lorenzo Williams in November 2020. Young adults and teenagers formed groups, targeting each other.

"These are simple cliques that engage in violent and deadly crime over petty disagreements, including social media banter," said Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman.

Norman said the groups differed from gangs because they lacked structure and allegiance, often fueling fights through social media.

"There are no goals and no regard for others," Norman said.

Charges throughout the investigation include homicide and attempted homicide, various weapons charges, and stolen cars, among others.

"It is my belief that the focused effort has disrupted the dynamic and led to accountability for those who have engaged in these serious, violent acts," Chisholm said.

Chisholm hopes this crackdown sends a message that could put Milwaukee on a better track after record-breaking shooting numbers.

"We have to get back to a place where we're not losing the future of the community to gun violence," Chisholm said.

The DA also noted a steep increase in the conversion of semi-automatic handguns to fully automatic machine guns -- a trend seen in many of these arrests.

He said his office has dealt with 70 cases related to machine guns since 2020.

Chief Norman asked parents and guardians to watch out for their kids' involvement in any particular groups and to contact the Office of Violence Prevention for resources.