Atlanta Police Target 30 Deep Gang

ATLANTA (MyFOX ATLANTA) - The Atlanta Police Department's Gang Unit provided new insight Tuesday into inner workings of the 30 Deep gang who police say is responsible for the recent high-end blue jean thefts and other theft-based crimes.

Atlanta police are continuing to build a case against 30 Deep murder suspect Jonathan Redding as they search for his alleged accomplices in the murder of Standard Bar bartender John Henderson.

"This just has their name 30 Deep, sometimes they just have an emblem to represent themselves," said Sergeant Gary Harper of the Atlanta Police Department Gang Unit.

Sergeant Harper said 30 Deep is defined as a hybrid group, unlike more organized and more high-profile gangs like the Bloods and the Crips.

"It's not as organized as that but there are definitely structures within the gang. It's definitely not a TV type gang which makes it more difficult for the gang squad to crack," said Harper.

Harper said the group's strong loyalty to its members also makes it difficult to infiltrate.

"A lot of the gangs we have in Atlanta they are more willing to talk to us when we do interviews on the street. 30 Deep members keep more to themselves, they really don't give out a lot of information," said Sergeant Harper.

Police say 30 Deep is based in Atlanta's Mechanicsville community. The gang reportedly popped up on their radar about three years ago, and recruits members as young as in middle school.

"They know that the juvenile laws are a little more lax than they are when they are adults so they get them to do so they get them to do more serious crimes between the ages of 14 and 16, they won't get into as much trouble," said Harper.

As the violence of their crimes escalates, Harper said so does the effort to break the gang.

"[We're] trying to get it broken down as quick as possible. We do have some things we're working on right now with the gang so there should be some more arrests some time in the future," said Harper.