Brooklyn biker gang members arraigned after East Flatbush shootout that sent three to hospital
Brooklyn, NY — Five men alleged to be members of the Street Knights Motorcycle Club were arraigned Thursday on a 52-count indictment that accuses them of opening fire during a chaotic street confrontation in East Flatbush, firing 44 rounds, wounding three people and prompting a multi‑agency recovery of eight firearms.
Prosecutors say the April 19 confrontation began when rival motorcycles drove past a Street Knights anniversary event near Utica Avenue and Foster Avenue and a dispute quickly escalated into gunfire. The indictment charges the defendants with attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment, criminal possession of a weapon and related offenses. Investigators recovered 36 shell casings in four different calibers at the scene.
The defendants named in the indictment are Ricardo Johnson, 51, of Sicklerville, New Jersey; Akeem McDonald, 37, of Huntington Station; Saanshuray Bobbitt, 43, of Jamaica, Queens; Raheem Watson, 41, of Cypress Hills; and Melsone Gasby, 47, of Deer Park. Four were arraigned before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Herbert Moses; Johnson’s arraignment is pending extradition from New Jersey. Bobbitt, McDonald and Watson were ordered held without bail. Gasby’s bail was set at $200,000 cash or $400,000 bond. The defendants were ordered to return to court on December 17.
According to the indictment, Watson allegedly fired 14 rounds toward unknown individuals near Utica Avenue and Avenue D, striking property and scattering bystanders. Johnson and McDonald are accused of firing at a fleeing 35-year-old rival, with Johnson allegedly hitting the man in the leg and McDonald’s rounds striking a nearby vehicle. Bobbitt is accused of firing at a separate 29-year-old rival who later sought medical treatment. In total three people were hospitalized: one suffered a shattered tibia and remains unable to walk without assistance, another spent a week in hospital and suffered permanent nerve damage, and a third was treated and released.
Search warrants executed at the homes of McDonald, Bobbitt, Watson and Gasby yielded eight firearms, including an assault rifle, authorities said. The Brooklyn District Attorney credited the NYPD’s 67th Precinct Detective Squad, Gun Violence Suppression Division, video and technical units, the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force and multiple municipal investigative teams for their roles in the case.
The indictment will be prosecuted by the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Blue Zone Trial Bureau. The office said it will pursue accountability for the victims and community disrupted by the shooting.
Key Points
- Five alleged Street Knights members arraigned on a 52-count indictment after an April 19 East Flatbush shootout that sent three people to hospitals
- Investigators recovered eight firearms and 36 shell casings; defendants face charges including attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon
- Three defendants held without bail, one held on high bond, and the case is being prosecuted by the DA’s Blue Zone Trial Bureau
