MINNEAPOLIS
Nine suspected gang members are being charged Friday in Ramsey County with the rape of a 14-year-old girl on St. Paul's East Side last November.
The alleged attack by members of the True Blood (TB22) gang occurred at an abandoned house on the 200 block of White Bear Avenue, according to charges filed Friday against five adult defendants.
The charges say that the victim was picked up at school on Nov. 17 by one of the suspects, Mang Yang, 24, of St. Paul, and that after attending one party, the two then went to the abandoned house. There, the 14-year-old recognized seven suspects, at least six of whom were TB22 gang members, she said later.
According to the complaint, the girl tried to leave, but was pulled from Yang's vehicle, and then carried by two juveniles into a bedroom with just a mattress on the floor.
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"The victim reported grabbing whatever she could, including door frames, to stop them from bringing her into the bedroom," the charges say. Her pants and underwear were removed as she was held down. She recalled someone trying to insert a finger in her vagina before someone shouted, "Police," and everybody ran.
The complaint quotes one of four juvenile suspects saying that he saw an adult suspect, Vang Tou Ger Vue, 19, of St. Paul, rape the girl. A second juvenile reported seeing two gang members rape the victim before the group was told that "the police were coming," the charges say.
The girl was interviewed on Nov. 23 by a sexual assault nurse examiner at Children's Hospital, and then by police on Nov. 28.
The complaint states that the TB22 gang is a documented criminal street gang that operates in the Twin Cities, and has been involved in violent acts that include rape, aggravated assaults, drive-by shootings, auto thefts and drug-related crimes.
In an interview with police, Mang Yang allegedly said the gang sought to get girls drunk at parties and rape them, the charges say.
In addition Mang Yang and Vue, the adults charged were: Vanchai Xiong, 18, of St. Paul; Kong Meng Vang, 38, of St. Paul; and Michell Teng Yang, 22, of St. Paul.
The complaint does not name the four juvenile suspects.
County Attorney John Choi has scheduled a news conference for early Friday afternoon to discuss the allegations.
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Distributed by MCT Information Services
