Forwarded emails supposedly issued by police warn of 'National Gang Week' activities including the use of abandoned baby car seats to trick women into stopping their vehicles and exposing themselves to attack.
Description: Email rumor
Circulating since: Dec. 2009
Status: False (see details below)
Example #1:
Email contributed by Karen K., Jan. 8, 2010:
Subject: Important Crime Alert-- Read this!
From: Moffatt, Wayne
Subject: Important Alert
To: SAO OfficeNational Gang Week is starting soon. This is their new target method: While driving on any roads, if you see a baby car seat sitting on the Side of the road, DO NOT STOP!!! This could be a Gang's trap. They target people especially women, to stop their vehicle to help a baby. They make this baby look as if it has blood on itself or on it's clothes. When you exit from your vehicle in attempt to help, the gangs jump out. They have beaten women to near death, and then rape them. Their goal is to torture the victims to death in anyway possible. If you do happen to see a car seat, DO NOT STOP, CALL POLICE IMMEDIATELY!!!. Please forward this message to everyone you know.
Det. G. J. Lee ID 1352
Montgomery County Police Department
Investigative Services Bureau
Centralized Auto Theft Section
2350 Research Blvd.
Rockville , MD 20850Wayne Moffatt
Investigator - Circuit Ct. Div
Frederick County State's Attorney's Office
301-600-1521
Example #2:
Email contributed by Jean B., Dec. 28, 2009:
Subject: FW: Please read this IMPORTANT INFO
This is not a hoax people, just thought you might want to be aware of it... just received it .... Happy safe New Year!!!
Jamie Snodgrass
Criminalist- Latent Print Section
Missouri State Highway Patrol
1510 East Elm Street
Jefferson City, Mo. 65102I JUST RECEIVED A TEXT FROM A FRIEND THAT WAS SENT OUT FROM MO DEPT OF CORRECTION CENTRAL DISPATCH. IT STATED THAT NATIONAL GANG WEEK IS STARTING AND THIS IS THEIR NEW TARGET METHOD. WHILE DRIVING DOWN ANY ROADS, IF YOU SEE A BABY CAR SEAT SITTING ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, DO NOT STOP!!! THESE ARE GANGS TARGETING PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY WOMEN, TO STOP THEIR VEHICLE TO HELP A BABY. THEY MAKE THIS BABY LOOK AS IF IT HAS BLOOD ON ITSELF OR ON ITS CLOTHES, WHEN YOU GET OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE IN ATTEMPT TO HELP, THE GANGS JUMP OUT FROM CORNFIELDS OR TALL BUSHES. THEY HAVE BEATEN WOMEN TO NEAR DEATH, AND THEN CONTINUE TO RAPE THEM WITH BASEBALL BATS AND OTHER TORTURE METHODS. THIS IS NOT JUST A FORWARD OF INFORMATION, IT IS WITHIN OUR AREA. IF YOU DO HAPPEN TO SEE A CAR SEAT ON THE ROAD, DO NOT STOP CALL THE POLICE IMMEDIATELY!!! PLEASE SEND THIS TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW.
Example #3:
Email contributed by Teddi T., Dec. 9, 2009:
Importance: High
Just received this one. Please be aware and be careful....
National Gang Week is starting: This is their New target Method While driving on any roads, If you see a baby car seat sitting on the side of the road DO NOT STOP!!!! These are gangs targeting people, especially women, to stop their vehicle to help a baby. They make this baby look as if it has blood on itself or on its clothes, when you get out of your vehicle in attempt to help, the gangs jump out from cornfields or tall bushes. They have beaten women to near death, and then continue to rape them with baseball bats and other torture methods. This is not just a forward of information, it is within our area. If you do happen to see a car seat DO NOT STOP CALL THE POLICE IMMEDIATELY!! Please send this onto everyone you know.
Rita R.Reed
TN.Dept.Of Correction Central Dispatch
Example #4:
Email contributed by Dori B., Dec. 9, 2009:
Fwd: Fw: Baby Car Seats
----- Original Message -----
Subject: FW: Driver beware
National Gang Week is starting: This is their new target method while driving on any roads, If you see a baby car seat sitting on the side of the road DO NOT STOP!!!! These are gangs targeting people, especially women, to stop their vehicle to help a baby. They make this baby look as if it has blood on itself or on its clothes, when you get out of your vehicle in attempt to help, the gangs jump out from cornfields or tall bushes. They have beaten women to near death, and then continue to rape them with baseball bats and other torture methods. This is not just a forward of information, it is within our area. If you do happen to see a car seat DO NOT STOP CALL THE POLICE IMMEDIATELY!! Please send this onto everyone you know.
Benjamin F. Bean
State Of Tennessee
Department Of Correction
Central Dispatch
5th Floor Rachel Jackson Bldg.
320 Sixth Avenue North
Nashville,Tennessee 37242-0465
Analysis: False. The earliest version of this alert I received was dated Dec. 9, 2009 and bore the signature line of a dispatcher at the Tennessee Department of Correction. According to a statement from the same department, the email's claims are unsubstantiated and "cannot be supported by current Department of Correction intelligence."
