A group of “urban terrorists” face charges after a series of assaults and firebombings in Norristown, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman.
Charges of attempted murder and arson have been filed against 27-year-old August Anthony Simmons of Norristown, the DA announced in a press conference held on Wednesday.
Simmons came to Norristown from Brooklyn last summer with the purpose of starting a local branch of the Bloods gang, Ferman announced. Authorities say that Simmons and the “Gangsta Killer Bloods” went on a crime spree between November, 2010 and March, 2011, as they established their power in Montgomery County.
In early December, a firebombing on Stanbridge Street spread caused damage to ten homes, according to the Inquirer.
Investigators say that Simmons, who went by the street name "New York", was in constant communication with members of the Bloods gang in Brooklyn.
"The last thing that we're going to allow is to let thugs take over our community, and our grand jury has ensured that will not happen," Ferman said on Wednesday.
The seven others arrested ranged in age from 19 to 29, and all were residents of Montgomery County. Two juveniles were also arrested.
