The mission of a local police department is to get a dangerous gang of the streets.
The gang is known as YNIC, Police in Palm Springs say they need help getting these guys. One victim says he's still shaken after he was robbed at gunpoint.
Rakiem Reid, 27, is open about the encounter that changed his life. “That's what really scared me, being robbed is one thing but being shot at while being robbed is just terrible,” he said.
On February 9, Rakiem says he was held up by two men, 19-year-old Dejuan White and 20-year-old Anthony Powell at an apartment complex in Palm Springs. Rakiem, a tech and traveling salesman, met the two men online and arranged to sell them theater equipment.
“His partner comes around the van and that's when he pulls out the gun,” said Rakiem. “He's like get on the ground. He points it at my face. I'm like you're going to shoot me over a box. You could take whatever you want. It was just so bad.”
“They're a violent gang,” said Detective Jan Hansen, with the Palm Springs Police Department. “They're a menace to the community. They have no remorse for their actions.”
Hansen and his team say among their priorities is to crack down on the gang they believe the two guys belong to, YNIC.
“YNIC is all over, all over Palm Beach County,” said Taylor Hudson, a detective with the Palm Springs Police Department.
Surveillance images showcase what sets the gang members apart: a camouflage bandana, a gang tattoo and typically a red shirt.
“They go out in the streets and just take what they want when they want,” explained Hansen. “Similar to other gangs but not as sophisticated as some other gangs out there but they are very dangerous.”
“Certain areas i won't even go to anymore,” said Rakiem. “Because that was the scariest thing of my life. It was terrible. It was really, really bad.”
Both Powell and White remain behind bars.
Palm Springs Detectives need the public's help in finding and getting these gang members off the streets. If you have any information, or may have been one of their victims, call Crime Stoppers or Detective Hansen at (561) 304-4822.