Aurora man first charged in suit against Latin Kings

An Aurora man is the first to be charged in connection with a 2012 suit against a street gang and 35 of its members, authorities said.

Gabriel Berrios, of the 1200 block of Sundown Drive, Aurora, was arrested at 5 a.m. July 4 and charged with unlawful contact with a street gang member after police responded to a disturbance on the 400 block of North River Street, according to a news release from the Aurora Police Department.

Police say they witnessed Berrios interacting with another documented street gang member, which violates the injunction.

The Kane County state's attorney's office filed the suit last year against members of the Latin Kings street gang. The suit “holds that street gangs who operate to terrorize communities with repeated acts of violence may be held accountable for monetary damages and enjoined from further gang activity. It seeks to prohibit the gang members from congregating in public and addresses such behavior as the possession and use of weapons, marijuana and illicit narcotics, graffiti, violent behavior and other activities generally associated with street gangs,” the release said.

“It is important to send the message that gang activity will not be tolerated either by the Aurora Police or the community at large,” Chief of Police Greg Thomas said in a statement. “It is equally important that gang members heed this message. The injunction is another tool that we will utilize in combination with other crime fighting strategies to keep our streets and our citizens safe.”