Oct 21, 2009 12:58 pm US/Central
Police: Gang Threat Against Woman Is E-Mail Hoax
Similar Hoaxes About Gang Initiation Have Been Around For Decades
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
An e-mail claiming that Chicago gang members plan to kill women as a part of initiation is a hoax, police say.
The e-mail, which has been circulating for at least the past week, claims that gang initiation starts on Wednesday, Oct. 21. The e-mail claims that gang members plan to kill 140 women in total, and that women will be targeted around the Chicago area.
More than one version of the e-mail has been forwarded to CBS 2. One e-mail claims a gang member told a church minister about the plan, another says "several police officers" had confirmed it.
But police News Affairs Officer Michael Fitzpatrick says the e-mail is an Internet hoax.
Detectives in the Chicago Police Gang Unit and other investigative units looked extensively into the e-mail and concluded that it appeared to be a hoax, Fitzpatrick said.
Chicago Police have been reaching out to all city departments to make them aware of the e-mail threat.
Fitzpatrick said a similar threat last year also turned out to be a hoax. Similar hoaxes and urban legends about gang initiations have been going around for decades.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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