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Team coverageTwo followers of the rap group "Insane Clown Posse" are in police custody after they allegedly attempted to kidnap a 5-year-old boy. Police say the suspects call themselves "Juggalos."
The attempted kidnapping happened in West Valley City on Saturday near 4100 South and 1500 West. The two suspects had their faces painted like clowns.
This is just the latest incident by a group many police are calling a gang. The music of the Insane Clown Posse may come across as angry and violent, but some followers of the group, known as "Juggalos," insist they're not criminals.
James Day, a Juggalo, said, "I think the kids that are doing that are misinterpreting the music." Another person we spoke with said, "This is not a gang, this is a family."
But 5-year-old Mauricio Gonzales and his 8-year-old sister Socorro may have a different opinion. Socorro said, "He was screaming and saying that the strangers were grabbing his hand."
West Valley City police say two Juggalos, 18-year-old Blue Wynn and a 15-year-old boy, tried to kidnap Mauricio by forcing him into a car. Socorro and neighbors went for help. Neighbor Henry Surowiec said, "She explained to us that a couple of guys wearing clown masks were running around grabbing kids and telling them to go with them."
According to West Valley City Police Department, there are 3,000 to 4,000 Juggalos in Utah. Of those, about 15 percent are considered to be gang members.
Capt. Tom McLachlan, with the West Valley Police Department, said, "Not all Juggalos are involved in criminal activity, but there seems to be certain groups of them that do frequently become involved."
In July, two people police believed to be Juggalos used a battle-ax to stab a 17-year-old boy about a dozen times. Investigators said Cody Augustine and Scott Stapley used text messages to lure 17-year-old Justin Ennis out of his home. Once in the driveway, Stapley allegedly hit Ennis with the battle-ax, and Augustine reportedly stabbed Ennis up to a dozen times. Police found those suspects because the victim ripped a necklace off one of them. It had the symbol of the Juggalos.
Incidents like these have given the Juggalos a bad name in the eyes of the law. Recently Grantsville police have also had trouble with Juggalos vandalizing churches in the area.
People who know the two suspects said they believed the teenagers were joking, but according to police that does not matter. "We have to take their statements and actions at face value," McLachlan said. "We will charge them with it."
Because the boy was with the two suspects for a short period of time, Wynn will be charged with kidnapping. The 15-year-old was turned over to the juvenile system.
E-mail: wjohnson@ksl.com
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