Gang activity could be behind a spike in violent crime, according to Shelton police.
In the Mason County town of about 10,000 people, officers have responded to more than a half dozen assaults with bats, pipes and knives in recent months.
“How are you supposed to trust sending your kids to school if (in) the park right next door there's stabbings?” Shelton resident Alex Gearhart said. "I remember growing up, all my friends used to say they were Bloods and Crips. They all joked about it, but it never felt real. I guess it could be now.”
People have been stabbed, beaten with bats and assaulted with metal pipes, sometimes requiring hospitalization.
Shelton police said they've been called out to seven assaults and retaliations since March.
- March 3 – stabbing near Loop Field
- March 17 – stabbing near Loop Field
- June 23 – stabbing near Loop Field
- June 27 – bat assault near Loop Field
- June 30 – car break-in on Endeavor Lane
- June 30 – metal pipe assault in the 2000 block of Adams Street
- June 30 – car set on fire on 13th Street
"It's a little crazy because of how much Shelton has changed. It used to feel like a much safer place,” Gearhart said.
Shelton police Chief Darrin Moody said the men involved in the attacks range in age from 17 to 24. Their names aren’t being released, but they’ve been in trouble with the law before.
Moody said the crimes could be gang-related.
“In one incident, the victims and suspects interchanged three times and, so, the victims don't want to be identified, they don't want to come forward, they want to take their vengeance out on their own, so, for that reason, the community should be worried,” Moody said.
Many people said they are concerned.
“We walk around here and a lot of kids come and play ... soccer and stuff, so it's pretty scary," said resident Lisa Figueroa. "It's a small community, so I feel like that wouldn't be here, so it's crazy to think that gangs are forming."
Police fear the suspected gang problem could get even worse.
"Whether it comes from out of the area or whether our young people in town see this as something they need to latch onto, those are my big concerns,” Moody said.
Officers plan to increase patrols in the areas where the incidents have occurred.
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