'Swerve Team' Gang Members Convicted In Countywide Crime Spree

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — Two members of the North Richmond criminal street gang known as the "Swerve Team" were convicted Wednesday for their roles in a prolific 2016 crime spree, the Contra Costa District Attorney's Office said Friday.

At the conclusion of a Martinez trial that lasted eight months, a Contra Costa County jury found 24-year-old Marrico Williams and 23-year-old Torion Young guilty of multiple charges.

Williams was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, two counts of murder, three attempted murders, three assaults with a firearm, nine robberies, three burglaries, two carjackings, along with various firearm and injury enhancements.

Young was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, two counts of murder, four attempted, one assault with a firearm, one residential burglary, along with various enhancements.

The jury convicted 26-year-old Cardell Waters of conspiracy to possess an illegal firearm — but was unable to reach a verdict on the remaining counts, the DA's Office said.

Over a six-month period in 2016, members of the Swerve Team committed a string of violent crimes against rival gang members and community members throughout Contra Costa County. The crime spree ended on Sept. 30, 2016, when Williams and fellow Swerve Team gang members were arrested following a high-speed chase through multiple local cities, which ended in San Pablo.

Police searched the car driven by Williams and found evidence from cell phones and camera images. Williams, Young, Waters and five other Swerve Team gang members were indicted in 2017 by a grand jury following a massive federal and state investigation centering on multiple shootings, including three homicides, the DA's Office said.

The trial against the defendants began in August and was based on ballistic evidence, cell phone records and forensic evidence, along with the testimony of 185 witnesses.

Williams and Young face multiple 25-to-life prison sentences. Their sentencing will be held later this year by Judge Charles "Ben" Burch in Martinez.

The remaining case against Waters is scheduled for a future court date. A determination has yet to be made as to whether Waters will be retried, the DA's Office said.

This case was investigated by numerous law enforcement agencies throughout the county including police departments in Richmond, Antioch, Brentwood, Pittsburg, Danville, Pinole, San Pablo, Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Department, along with several out of county agencies. The Contra Costa County FBI Safe Streets Task Force also participated in the wire investigation into the Swerve Team in September 2016.