Queens, NY – A year-long investigation into a violent Queens gang culminated Thursday with the indictment of 32 alleged members of the “Bad-Co Ballout” crew, accused of committing a string of shootings and three homicides across Southeast Queens since 2021.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced the sweeping charges alongside NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch, calling it the largest gang takedown in the history of the Queens DA’s office.
The 97-count indictment includes charges of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, and weapons possession. Six defendants face first-degree conspiracy counts, carrying potential life sentences.
Investigators allege that the group — affiliated with the 55 Neighborhood Crips and the Self-Made Mak Ballas — carried out at least 13 shootings, many in broad daylight near parks, schools, and residential blocks in Queens Village, an area the gang referred to as “Shadyville.”
DA Katz said the defendants “terrorized rivals and harmed innocent bystanders” in their push for territorial control. “We will not relent in our work to dismantle gangs in this borough,” she said, noting that 17 firearms were recovered during the probe.
Gang leaders and violent acts detailed in indictment
Prosecutors identified Jahvon “Shady” Attapoku as the group’s leader, accusing him of storing and distributing firearms from his Queens Village home and authorizing members to shoot rivals.
The indictment details a violent timeline of incidents tied to the gang’s alleged feud with rival groups, including the Top Opp Mak Ballas, 5th Clocc, and Blitz Gang 4. Among the shootings charged:
- November 2021: Sean “Broad Day” Chang allegedly opened fire on a rival near 205th Street and Linden Boulevard in St. Albans.
- March 2022: A shooting near Cardozo High School left a 16-year-old wounded.
- June 2022: A 15-year-old girl was shot in the leg after 23 rounds were fired into her home in St. Albans.
- November 2022: An 18-year-old student, Mark Greene, was fatally shot outside his high school in Kew Gardens Hills.
- September 2024: A 66-year-old driver, William Alcindor, was killed after being struck by stray gunfire in St. Albans.
Authorities say investigation makes Queens ‘significantly safer’
Commissioner Tisch said the gang members “turned neighborhoods into their own deadly playgrounds and then bragged about it on social media.” She credited precision policing and coordination with prosecutors for helping “stop this violence” and make the borough safer.
Eighteen defendants were arraigned before Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder and five more before Justice Bruna DiBiase. Six are currently held on other charges and will face arraignment later; three remain at large.
Ongoing effort to dismantle violent street crews
The takedown is part of a broader effort by city and state law enforcement to dismantle street gangs driving shootings in New York’s outer boroughs. Katz said the coordinated investigation highlights the value of long-term intelligence work and digital surveillance in curbing gun violence.
Authorities said more arrests are possible as the investigation continues, with detectives pursuing remaining fugitives connected to the case.
Key Points
- Thirty-two alleged members of the “Bad-Co Ballout” gang were indicted in Queens’ largest-ever gang takedown.
- The indictment links the group to 13 shootings and three homicides since 2021.
- Seventeen firearms were seized; six defendants face life sentences if convicted.