CLEVELAND, Ohio – Federal agents and police officers from several cities arrested more than two dozen suspected gang members today during a pre-dawn raid on the city's West Side.

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty reported the gang crackdown during an afternoon press conference at the County Juvenile Court building.

He cited a 36-page, 299-count indictment returned on Tuesday, charging 38 members of the BBE 900 gang with waging a reign of terror over the West Side neighborhoods in the vicinity of Madison Avenue and West 98th Street.

The charges included murder, kidnapping, shootings and assaults, robberies, burglaries and break-ins, according to the indictment.

"They resembled a plague of locusts wreaking havoc against everything in their paths," said First Assistant County Prosecutor Duane Deskins.

First Assistant County Prosecutor Duane Deskins

The BBE 900 gang members channeled much of their criminal proceeds into rap recordings and videos posted on YouTube that advertised their violence, highlighted their swagger and showcased their guns, Deskins said. The videos helped the gang recruit new members and raised their intimidation factor, he added.

The initials BBE are an acronym for "Band Boy Entertainment." The 900 represents a "bizarre means of communication" with other gangs, McGinty said.

"The overarching motivation for BBE 900 was to intimidate both potential rivals and law-abiding citizens," Deskins said. "The BBE 900 gang bragged that they owned the streets and demonstrated the ability to assault or steal from whomever they found.

"Today, on behalf of the people of Cuyahoga County, the law enforcement community is sending the BBE 900 gang another message: 'You do not own the streets.'"

Twelve of the gang members in the indictment are adults; 26 are juveniles. Four of the suspects remain free, and eight were already behind bars, including Sterling Manning Jr., 18, of Cleveland, who was indicted for aggravated murder two weeks ago in connection with the July 10 fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy.

The other adults named in the indictment were Sayvon J. Hall, 19, Eric F. Moore, 18, George A. Jones, 18, Marquis L. Cistrunk, Dario W. Baker, Nathan Brown, Marquis D. Smith, Brandon B. Wilson, Anthony C. Bringsthem, Clinton M. Young III, 20, Marquise A. Taylor, 18. All of the ages and addresses were not available.

The 12 adults face felony charges of racketeering and participating in a criminal gang, which carry mandatory minimum prison sentences of 10 years and two to eight years, respectively, said Assistant County Prosecutor Gregory Mussman.

McGinty said investigators suspect the BBE 900 gang is connected with the larger, more notorious and equally as ruthless Heartless Felons, considered one of the fastest-growing gangs in Ohio.

The Heartless Felons began in Cleveland, where members worked to gain control of the Ohio Department of Youth Services' juvenile detention facilities. They eventually spread to state adult prisons, and have since returned to Cleveland, authorities said.