The Asian Boyz, also known as ABZ, AB-26, or ABZ Crips,
are a
street gang
A gang is a social group, group or secret society, society of associates, friends, or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over Wiktionary:territory#Noun, territory in a ...
based in
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
.
They were founded in the late 1980s to protect
Cambodian
refugees
A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...
from other American gangs. The gang has about 2,000 member to 5,000 active members in Long Beach, who are Southeast Asian, predominantly
Cambodian.
Many Asian Boyz are also members of the U.S. military, some of whom use their position to traffic drugs.
According to the
FBI's 2009 National Gang Threat Assessment, the Asian Boyz are active in 28 different cities in 14 different states across the U.S.
[
]
History
The first Asian Boyz gang was formed in Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
in the late 1980s, drawing members from immigrant communities from Southeast Asia. The founders of Long Beach Asian Boyz were originally Cambodian refugees who the East Side Longos were harassing during the 1980s. Controversy lies mostly around the official origin of the gang, as it was a unification of multiple gangs or founding gangsters rather than the formation of one. Their identity also attracts notable controversy, being that the Cambodian sets are notoriously influential and decorated as their faction of Crips that is, among other things, racially or ethnically distinct.
During the mid-1980s in Long Beach, a group of Cambodian refugees formed the Tiny Rascal Gang
The Tiny Rascal Gang, (abbreviated TRG) is a primarily Cambodian-American gang based in Long Beach, California. During the 1990s, the Mexican Mafia "green light" hit lists began including the TRG, and Sureños were soon at war with them. The M ...
to defend themselves from the East Side Longos. In the late 1980s, internal dispute happened within the Tiny Rascal Gang, and members left to form the Long Beach Asian Boyz. The Long Beach Asian Boyz subset would be the first of many.
One of the Asian gang that integrated with Long Beach Asian Boyz during the early 1990s was the Asian Boys Insanity (ABI). Asian Boys Insanity was an independent gang that operated in Chinatown Los Angeles and parts of San Gabriel Valley
The San Gabriel Valley (), sometimes referred to by its initials as SGV, is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, with the city of Los Angeles directly bordering it to the west and occupying the vast majority of the southeastern ...
in the late-1980s. Asian Boy's Insanity was predominately Chinese and Vietnamese. The victim of the infamous pool hall shooting in El Monte in 1993 was Lea Mek, who was a member of the Asian Boys Insanity. After Asian Boys Insanity merged with Long Beach Asian Boyz, Asian Boys Insanity formed Monterey Park Asian Boyz sometime the early-1990s. Then later in the mid-1990s, both Asian Boys Insanity and Monterey Park Asian Boyz (MP ABZ) became what is now known as West Side Asian Boyz (WS ABZ).
Another Asian gang that integrated with Long Beach Asian Boyz was called Van Nuys Asian Boys or Asian Boy Style (ABS), which hailed from Van Nuys
Van Nuys ( ) is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley.
History
In 1 ...
. The Asian Boy Style gang was formed in the late 1980s by Sothi "Playa One" Menh, the Mercado brothers, and others. Asian Boy Style established itself in the Valerio Garden apartments and had members spread out in other parts of Los Angeles County. By the mid-1990s, Van Nuys Asian Boy Style merged with Van Nuys Asian Boyz (a branch of Long Beach Asian Boyz) and became one gang.
A notable difference emerged within the Asian Boyz organization, with the S and Z sides sparring. The S side was composed predominantly of ethnic Vietnamese, whereas, the Z side was composed predominantly of Cambodians. Most notably, that ethnic difference created a rift from within the organization that remains.
Notable crimes
In 1990–1991, Pierre Mercado was responsible for four murders, in an attempt to intimidate other gangs. He fled to the Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
and remained there for 11 years until he was extradited
In an extradition, one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, into the custody of the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforcement procedure between the two jurisdic ...
to the United States in 2012. In 2013, Mercado was sentenced to 218 years to life in prison.
In August 1997, the leader of the Asian Boyz Van Nuys set, Sothi Menh, was arrested in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and extradited
In an extradition, one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, into the custody of the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforcement procedure between the two jurisdic ...
to the United States after fleeing the country in the preceding January. He was wanted for committing five gang-related murders in the San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County, California. Situated to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it comprises a large portion of Los Angeles, the Municipal corpo ...
in 1995. In September 1998, Asian Boyz members were charged with three murders and five attempted murders.
In 1996, 17-year-old Sophal Phon, herded the parents of three children into their bathroom and shot them in the head in south-central Kentucky
Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
. They were found dead hours later along with their 12-year-old daughter, who was also shot in the head yet survived. Phon was a member of Asian Boyz and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
On August 12, 2006, a fight broke out between Asian Bloods and ABZ gang members at a house in Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, United States. Alongside Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, it is one of two traditional county seat, seats of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in ...
, where a birthday party was being held. Asian Boyz members left the party and allegedly started throwing bottles and other objects. Billeoum Phan, aged 14, began firing at the Asian Boyz members. One of the shots hit Asian Boyz member Samnang Oth, killing him. Phan was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to incarceration until the age of 21, with an additional requirement to serve a 5-year probation after his release.
In December 2006, three members of the gang were charged with beating a 15-year-old boy named Chino Vu to death in Utica, New York
Utica () is the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most populous city in New York, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 census. It is located on the Mohawk River in the Mohawk Valley at the foot of the Adiro ...
. Richie Nguyen, aged 16, was sentenced to 5 to 15 years of prison for manslaughter
Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...
. Samnang Chou was sentenced to 10 years of prison for second-degree assault.
In March 2008, four men followed 24-year-old Vutha Au from Santa Rosa and stopped at a gas station near Jenner, California, where they fatally shot him in public. The shooter was Quentin Russell, who was 24 years old at the time. Alongside him, Sarith Prak, David Prak, and Preston Khaoone were charged in connection with the murder. All four defendants were convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole on July 27, 2012.
In March 2011, founder Marvin Mercado was sentenced to life imprisonment for his mid 1990s murder of eight people.
The Reccless Tigers originated in Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. With a population of 1,150,309 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most p ...
and expanded statewide in 2011. They sold thousands of pounds of marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy and prescription drugs throughout Northern Virginia. The group is affiliated with the West Side Asian Boyz gang and high-ranking members have recently been arrested for murder.
In December 2018, a high-ranking member named Derek Pires was arrested in Fall River, Massachusetts following a shooting that left no injuries.
Gang activity involving the ABZ gang and a rival Sureno gang has occurred in Monterey Park, California, in 2019, although it resulted in no life threatening injuries or death. This set has more Chinese American and Vietnamese members.
Membership
According to the FBI's 2009 National Gang Threat Assessment, membership is estimated at 5,000-10,000 members. Originally, most members were Cambodian, with a small portion of other Southeast Asian members. In the 1980s, the Asian Boyz expanded across the United States. Many factions remained in California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, where they are still concentrated. Other factions spread throughout the Midwest
The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...
and into New England
New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
. Factions have their own regional differences, which may include distinctions in culture, identity, structure and ethnic exclusivity.
On the West Coast, the Asian Boyz gang colors are blue
Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB color model, RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB color model, RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between Violet (color), violet and cyan on the optical spe ...
and navy
A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...
. These colors are similar to the Crips
The Crips are a primarily African-American alliance of street gangs that are based in the coastal regions of Southern California. Founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1969, mainly by Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams, the Crips ...
who the Asian Boyz learned from and were heavily influenced by. While their speech and mannerisms are similar to those of Crips, they are known to dress in the fashion of West Coast trends, dated to the 1980s and 1990s. Younger members are known to dress along with current fashion trends.
In the Midwest
The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...
and on the East Coast, along with blue and navy, the gang also wears forest green, black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
, and white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
. Their style of dress leans more towards hip-hop casual. In the Midwest, members are known to be of Hmong, Burmese, Karen and Karenni descent while on the East Coast, from Virginia to Georgia, there are a lot more members of Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean
**Korean dialects
**See also: North–South differences in t ...
and Chinese descent. In Utica, there are many members of Karen descent. Many Cambodians, Vietnamese Americans
Vietnamese Americans () are Americans of Vietnamese people, Vietnamese ancestry. They constitute a major part of all overseas Vietnamese. As of 2023, over 2.3 million people of Vietnamese descent live in the United States, making them the fourth ...
, and Laotians in Massachusetts. Asian Boyz gang tattoos include a dragon head with crystal globes, a symbol of high rank and original Status. Also common are Sak Yant tattoos that are intended to offer power, protection, fortune, charisma and other benefits for the bearer.
They are also known to have members in Indianapolis
Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
and Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 United S ...
, Indiana, as well as Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
, Omaha
Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
, New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, and Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
. Additionally, the gang is known to have members within the U.S. Armed Forces.
Rivalries
Many members of the Asian Boyz have been in a long conflict with the Wah Ching gang. One of the first shootouts between the two gangs occurred in December 1993 in an El Monte pool hall. An Asian Boyz gang member, Lea Mek, was killed by Wah Ching gang member Chieu Luong Yang.
Another shootout between the two gangs that occurred the same year was in San Marino
San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino, is a landlocked country in Southern Europe, completely surrounded by Italy. Located on the northeastern slopes of the Apennine Mountains, it is the larger of two European microstates, microsta ...
that caused the deaths of two youths at a San Marino High School graduation party in June. After an investigation by the authorities, police claimed that when the Asian Boyz gang members arrived at the party, they noticed that Wah Ching gang members were there, prompting them to leave and return with weapons. At least nine gang members were arrested, and police seized five weapons from homes searched in conjunction with the arrests. The shootouts between the two gangs were called "Summer Madness" by the Asian Boyz gang.
References
{{Organized crime groups in Los Angeles
Organizations established in the 1990s
1990s establishments in California
Organizations based in Long Beach, California
Asian-American gangs
Street gangs
Crips subgroups
Gangs in Los Angeles
Gangs in Massachusetts
Gangs in New York (state)
Gangs in New Mexico
Cambodian-American culture
Asian-American culture in Los Angeles
Filipino-American culture in California