Addison gang prohibited from entering certain areas, meeting in public

A circuit court judge issued a permanent injunction against an Addison gang Tuesday that prohibits members of the gang from going to certain areas of the village and from having any public contact with each other, among other restrictions, according to a news release.

Members of the Latin Counts street gang, both named and unnamed, are prohibited from entering an area bounded to the west by West Lincoln Court and West Lincoln Avenue, bounded to the south by Green Meadow Drive, bounded to the east by North Addison Road and bounded to the north by Byron Avenue.

They are also prohibited from possessing weapons outside the home; using, possessing or delivering any illegal or controlled substances; directing or participating in any assaults or batteries; and “throwing” gang signs. If any of the acts are committed by any member of the gang the state’s attorney’s office may seek a sanction of criminal contempt.

Victor Loeza, Omar Corral, Jorge Gomez, David Ortiz, Carlos Mendoza, Gerardo Hernandez, Jose Colon and Kevin Bratt were named in the injunction.

According to the lawsuit, they and other unnamed members of the gang engaged in numerous criminal activities from 2000 to 2010, including aggravated battery, unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, aggravated intimidation, obstructing justice, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and forgery.

The injunction also seeks to have the defendants pay $80,000 to offset the cost the village has incurred in combating the gang.

“Today is a good day for the people of Illinois and the residents of Addison,” said DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert B. Berlin in a statement. “This injunction is a powerful tool that will help us put an end to gang activity in the area and make our streets safer for our children.”