Mob Piru
| Company type | Street gang |
|---|---|
| Industry | Criminal activities |
| Founded | 1990s |
| Headquarters | Compton , United States |
Area served | United States, primarily Compton, California |
Key people | Suge Knight, Trevon "Tre" Lane, Alton "Buntry" McDonald, Wardell "Poochie" Fouse |
| Products | Drug distribution, firearms trafficking, theft |
The Mob Piru—also referred to as MOB Piru, East Side Mob Piru, Insane Mob Gang, or Mob Piru Bloods—constitutes a "set" within the Piru faction, itself part of the broader Bloods alliance.[1] Notably, Suge Knight, co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records, is associated with this group.[2][3]
Origins of the Bloods
The Piru Street Boys were established in 1969 by Sylvester Scott and Vincent Owens. While some accounts suggest an initial affiliation with the Crips,[4] other sources contend that the Crips were adversaries targeting the Piru Street Boys.[5] By 1972, the Piru Street Boys had allied with smaller groups such as the Brims, Bishops, and Denver Lanes to counteract the Crips.[6] This alliance eventually became known as the Bloods, whose members commonly address each other as "blood."
Following this development, additional Blood "sets" formed, including the Mob Piru Bloods. Reggie Wright Jr. has noted that the Mob Piru and Lueders Park Piru originally operated as a single gang before separating.[7]
Death Row Records Connection
Suge Knight, co-founder of Death Row Records, maintained ties to the Mob Piru set and employed numerous members from it. When Tupac Shakur joined Death Row in 1995, he too became linked with the Mob Piru faction. Prominent Mob Pirus associated with Death Row include:
- Jake "Big Jake" Robles – served as Suge Knight’s bodyguard; he was killed in 1995 at an Atlanta nightclub by an individual connected to Bad Boy Records.
- Trevon "Tre" Lane – suffered an assault by Crips including Orlando Anderson; later engaged in a confrontation at the MGM Grand Las Vegas with Anderson shortly before Tupac’s fatal shooting.
- Aaron "Heron" Palmer – another bodyguard for Suge Knight; murdered in Compton in 1997.
- Alton "Buntry" McDonald – closely aligned with Suge Knight; shot dead in 2002.
- Henry "Hendog" Smith – responsible for designing Death Row’s logo; killed in 2002.
- Wardell "Poochie" Fouse – implicated in the murder of The Notorious B.I.G.; fatally shot in 2003.
Conflict with Lueders Park Piru
Although allied through their shared Bloods affiliation, tensions escalated between Mob Piru and Lueders Park Piru after a Lueders Park member was killed in April 2009. This incident ignited a series of shootings from 2009 through 2013. Efforts to mediate and end the hostilities ultimately failed.
Criminal activities
The Mob Piru are engaged in various illegal enterprises such as drug distribution, firearms trafficking, and theft. Suge Knight is purported to have provided them with substantial amounts of assault weapons.
Depictions in media
- The 2015 film Straight Outta Compton features Suge Knight alongside Mob Piru members as part of Death Row Records staff.
- In the 2017 movie All Eyez on Me, Trevon Lane mentions the Piru gang to Suge Knight and Tupac Shakur after identifying Orlando Anderson.
- The television series Unsolved (2018) includes portrayals of several Mob Piru affiliates, such as Trevon Lane, Wardell Fouse, and Alton McDonald.
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