WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Law enforcement officials "took down" a violent drug and crime organization in Northwest Washington in an early morning raid Friday, D.C. police said.

Nearly 200 Metropolitan Police Department officers, FBI agents and U.S. marshals swooped into the neighborhood near Shaw at 6:30 a.m. to arrest 11 members of the LeDroit Park Crew, a gang tied to 42 violent crimes throughout the District, police said. The group, consisting of nine adults and two juveniles, is responsible for at least six homicides and numerous armed robberies and assaults with intent to kill, police said.

"Today's arrests are a severe blow to this crew, and sends a clear message that they cannot terrorize innocent people without suffering the consequences," said D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier.

Lanier has been trying to develop new ways to attack old crime problems. In November, MPD announced it was bolstering its gang-intervention unit. It centralized the anti-gang operations into one command center instead of having the officers dispersed around the city. The District also planned to allocate $1.2 million to expand the Hispanic-gang unit to also target African-American crews in the third police district, home of the LeDroit Crew and at least six other warring gangs.

Friday's raids were a culmination of a six-month investigation and were conducted mostly in the crime-riddled area around the Kelly Miller housing complex, between the 200 and the 400 blocks of W Street Northwest.

"Those blocks have been seriously troubled with crime," said D.C. Councilman Jim Graham. "There is no substitute for this kind of highly effective police action."

Anyone with information about LeDroit Park Crew can call the D.C. Command Information Center at 202-727-9099, or send a text message to 50-411.

smccabe@dcexaminer.com