Rumor: Gang Members Rear-Ending Cars and Shooting Drivers

(Updated) As of March 31 there have been zero -- I repeat, zero -- reported instances anywhere in the U.S. of carloads of MS-13 gang members rear-ending other vehicles and shooting the drivers as part of an "initiation rite." This is the case despite rampant rumors circulating via email and text message in New York, Texas, Florida, California and other parts of the country, and the issuance of police warnings in some locales claiming "credible evidence" that the rumors could be true.

Some authorities are cautioning drivers not to pull over if rear-ended, noting the possibility of copycat crimes irrespective of whether the rumors are true or false.

The rumors are very similar to other "gang initiation" urban legends circulating for the past 20 years, including bogus warnings to the effect that aspiring gang members drive with their headlights turned off and attack other drivers who respond with a courtesy flash.

One surprising development is that Buffalo, New York Police Commissioner H. McCarthy Gipson has defended his department's decision to take the current rumors seriously by citing an actual incident earlier this month of a driver being shot after flashing his headlights at an oncoming car. "It appears that he could have been the innocent victim of a gang initiation rite,” Gipson told The Buffalo News. “We have factual evidence that led me to make the determination to issue that alert, so we’re not dealing with an urban myth here." Gipson also cited "credible information" from street informants.

I will continue to monitor developments and post updates as new information becomes available.

Read more about it:
• Car-Bumping Gang Initiation Rite - Netlore Archive
• Gangs May Be Using Rear-End Crashes to Initiate Members - KERO-TV News, Bakersfield
• Police Warn Gang May Stage Rear-End Collisions, Assault Motorists - Buffalo News, NY
• MS-13 Considered the Nation's Most Violent Gang - WKBW-TV News, NY
• Were Police Hoaxed into Airing Warning About Gang? - Buffalo News, NY
• Buffalo Police Alert Remains in Effect for Drivers - WIVB-TV News (NY)
• Police Departments Disagree About Gang Alert - WHAM-TV News, Rochester, NY
• Police: No Evidence of Gang Initiation Plan - Fayetteville Observer, NC