Sin City Gangsters Join Forces

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Attempted murder suspect and Las Vegas gang member, Robert Jackson, is wanted for opening fire in a bar on the Vegas strip.

In recent years, Las Vegas has become a battleground for a new type of gang -- something local authorities are calling "hybrid gangs." Cops tell AMW that Las Vegas started out as a gang town in the traditional sense -- Bloods in one neighborhood, Crips in another.

Each gang had its own neighborhood and identity.

However, that all changed when some of the local housing projects shut down and forced the occupants into new neighborhoods and new schools.

Soon enough, previously warring gang factions joined forces and created hybrid gangs.  Police say many of these gangs have one thing in mind -- money: they'll steal, deal drugs, and kill to get what they want.

One of these gangs is the Squad Up Bloods or Squad Up.  Police say hip-hop superstar Lil' Wayne was a Squad member as the gang's precursor was a group of wannabe rappers called the Young Ballers Squad.

One member of the gang is a man the U.S. Marshals are looking for -- a guy named Robert Steven Jackson.

Barroom Brawl Ends With Barrage Of Bullets

On any given night, Margaritaville, a popular watering hole on the Vegas strip with steps to the sidewalk, has hundreds of people sauntering into the large restaurant and bar for a few drinks.

August 17, 2008 was no different, but on that summer evening, cops say two rival gangs showed up.

At around 3 a.m., a fight broke out between members of the Wood gang and Squad members. Cops say that's when Robert Jackson opened fire on the crowd of people, wounding four people.

Cops say Jackson, who was wearing a lime green polo shirt, fired five to seven shots into the scrum. In the subsequent chaos, they say Jackson made his escape.

Cops believe that Jackson fled to Bremerton, Wash. where he has family, but now could be in New York, Las Vegas, Southern California, or Washington.