Though at least one version of the email "appears to have been forwarded by a department employee," the state advisory continues, "it is not an official TDOC statement." Another variant was signed "Rita R. Reed, TN Dept. of Correction Central Dispatch."
Later versions purport to come from other law enforcement sources, including the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Montgomery County Police Department in Maryland, the Frederick County Attorney's Office in Maryland, and the Sampson County Sheriff's Department in North Carolina.
A variant circulating since 2009 claims another strategy now being used by "gangs and robbers" to stop victims' vehicles is pelting their windshields with raw eggs.
No actual incidents resembling those described above are mentioned in current or archived news stories available in online searches, nor have any governmental or non-governmental gang task forces issued alerts conveying similar information. Experts in gang behavior say that while violent attacks on ordinary citizens do occur, they're the exception, not the rule.
False rumors of gang attacks are common
The "National Gang Week" rumor echoes similar false warnings that have circulated in the past:
• Warning: Gang Initiation Week
• Rumor: Gang Initiations Targeting Women
• Wal-Mart Gang Initiation Rumors
• Car-Bumping Gang Initiation Rite
• 'Don't Flash Your Headlights' Gang Initation Warning
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Sources and further reading:
Email Advisory
Tennessee Department of Correction, 10 December 2009Tennessee Department of Corrections Warns Against False Emails
TriCities.com, 10 December 2009Fake Email Preys on Good Samaritans
KCRG-TV News, 28 December 2009Email About Alleged Gang-Related Threat Is Said to Be Fake
Fayetteville Observer, 22 January 2010
Last updated 07/21/11
