Authorities announced at a press conference on Thursday the indictments of 43 defendants associated with warring gangs from the Brownsville section of Brooklyn.

Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes announced in conjunction with Police Commissioner Ray Kelly that 25 members of the Wave Gang and 18 from Hoodstarz had been terrorizing Brooklyn streets. According to the authorities, Culture Bermudez, the leader of the Hoodstarz, gave orders to attack rival gang members. On Aug. 31, 2011, Gilberto Vincente fired shots into a courtyard killing a bystander, Daniel Aleys, and wounding others, including a 9-year-boy. The Wave Gang would retaliate, wreaking havoc on the community.

Fear among the community was heightened due to the targeted acts of violence committed by these two gangs in Brownsville, said Hynes in a statement. The gangs had a longstanding feud over territory, leading to wanton and reckless behavior where kids would shoot at each other because they were in the wrong gang or on the wrong street or in front of the wrong building.

Dubbed Operation Tidal Wave, investigators say they arrested the 43 defendants, ranging from 15 to 21, on Jan. 17 and Jan. 18. Gang members also reportedly attacked youths of 13 and 14, stealing their personal items.

Police also utilized social media in order to track down the gangs and their members.

Gang members made the mistake of boasting about their shootings on Twitter which NYPD officers used to help establish their complicity in murder and other crimes, said Kelly in a statement.

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