The leader of a lethal street gang has been jailed for life for killing a man in a crowded nightclub.
Flatbush man Larry Pagett, a leader of the “Eight Trey Crips” gang, was convicted of murder by a federal jury on Oct. 24 and sentenced to life in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Richard Donoghue.
Pagett gunned down Chrispine Philip in the Buda Hookah Lounge on Flatbush Avenue in Prospect Lefferts Gardens on Aug. 28, 2015, because he believed Philip was part of the rival “Folk Nation” gang. Pagett’s gang was based out of the Flatbush Gardens housing complex on New York and Foster avenues in East Flatbush and had been in a deadly territorial feud with Folk Nation for years, the authorities said.
The slayer blamed Philip for the murder of an Eight Trey Crips gang member in Trinidad a few months earlier, according to the authorities.
Pagett pulled out a gun and shot Philip multiple times and executed him with a bullet to the back of his head, all of which was caught on video by surveillance cameras inside the club, the documents read.
An innocent bystander in the nightclub was also shot in the arm and stomach but survived, which showed the convict’s deep disregard for life, according to the U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue.
“Motivated by his twisted allegiance to the Eight Trey Crips street gang, Pagett opened fire with a handgun in a crowded nightclub, murdering a rival in cold blood and wounding an innocent bystander,” said Donoghue, adding that his office will continue to work to fight random acts of violence in the community.
“Today’s verdict sends the message loud and clear that wanton violence will not be tolerated in our community. This Office and our law enforcement partners will continue working tirelessly to eradicate violent street gangs and bring to justice those criminals who value murder and mayhem over human life,” he said.
