NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A New Haven man pleaded guilty on Monday to a charge related to his involvement in a violent New Haven street gang called Exit 8, according to a release on Tuesday from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
Samuel Douglas, 25, pleaded guilty to “conspiracy engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, and specifically admitted that on June 1, 2018, he and another Exit 8 member shot at and attempted to kill a member and associate of a rival gang in the area of Fountain Street, Davis Street, and lakeview Terrace in New Haven,” prosecutors said.
Prosecutors added that the intended victim’s associate was shot seven times but survived the attack, and 15 spent ammunition casings were found at the scene by investigators.
Douglas and other Exit 8 members engaged in drug trafficking, used and shared guns, and, since June 2018, have committed at least three murders and attempted 16 murders, prosecutors said.
Douglas is currently detained and faces a maximum prison term of 20 years when he is sentenced on Aug. 6.
Those involved with Exit 8 have also stolen vehicles, at times from out of state, and used those stolen vehicles when committing acts of violence, according to prosecutors. Exit 8 members have also promoted, coordinated, facilitated, and celebrated their narcotics distribution and violent acts through text messaging and the use of social media applications, prosecutors said.
The Exit 8 gang is named after the area accessed by exiting Interstate 91 at Exit 8 in New Haven, according to prosecutors, who noted that younger members of the gang have recently referred to themselves as “Honcho” to honor an Exit 8 member who was murdered on Quinnipiac Avenue in February 2020.
Court documents note that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the New Haven Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and New Haven’s State Attorney’s Office have been investigating an ongoing war between those involved in the Exit 8 gang and rival gangs in the Hills section and other areas of the city.
The Hamden Police Department, the Connecticut State Police and the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory also contributed to the investigation of Douglas.
The prosecution is part of the Justice Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods program, and the Project Longevity and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces program. PSN aims to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.
Project Longevity endeavors to reduce gun violence in Connecticut’s major cities by facilitating direct engagement between community members and law enforcement with members of groups that are prone to commit violence and deliver a community message against violence, a law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence and an offer of help for those who want it.
More information about Project Longevity can be found here.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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