{"id":10952,"date":"2026-05-24T10:57:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T10:57:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=10952"},"modified":"2026-05-24T10:57:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T10:57:34","slug":"nypd-cops-under-fire-for-flashing-symbols-of-nycs-most-violent-gang-mac-baller-brims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=10952","title":{"rendered":"NYPD cops under fire for flashing symbols of NYC&#8217;s most violent gang Mac Baller Brims"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 300px 160px; gap: 2px; width: 460px; background: #eee; padding: 2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u6574\u884c\u5bbd\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876674\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 90px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876676\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u5de6\u4fa7\u7ad6\u6392 -->\r\n  <div style=\"height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876672\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"height: 500px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876680\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u6469\u5929\u697c\uff08\u548c\u5de6\u4fa7\u5b8c\u5168\u5bf9\u9f50\uff09 -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row: 3\/5; height: 750px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876678\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  \r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e6\" data-zoneid=\"5876682\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>These are signs of trouble.<\/p>\n<p>Two uniformed cops from the Bronx were caught on camera flashing apparent hand signs of the violent Mac Baller Brims, a subset of the Bloods considered NYC\u2019s most lethal gang, The Post has learned.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The viral, undated photo \u2014 now the subject of an NYPD probe \u2014 appears to have been taken at a McDonald\u2019s and shows two masked cops alongside an unidentified young man.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The photo of the officers throwing up gang signs has gone viral \u2014 and prompted criticism. <span class=\"credit\">brooklynp8triot\/X<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>One officer points his fingers down in the image, crossing his middle finger over his ring finger \u2014 the calling card of the Mac Baller Brims.<\/p>\n<p>The other cop also flashes an apparent gang sign, bending back his index finger and holding his other three fingers out.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Lawyer and former NYPD officer Eric Sanders said the signs were authentic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThose are Mac Baller Brim signs,\u201d he said. \u201cThose cops need to be modified.\u201d He was referring to disciplining the cops by putting them on desk duty, or \u201cmodified\u201d assignment.<\/p>\n<p>Retired NYPD Assistant Commissioner of Youth Strategies Kevin O\u2019Connor agreed the cops were trying to make gang signs, but not doing it very well.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt looks like they\u2019re trying to make Blood signs,\u201d he said. \u201cThe one on the right is trying to make the Mac Baller sign.<\/p>\n<p>\u201dYou have to look at the context of the picture,\u201d he said. \u201cThe kid is in blue so were they messing around with him?\u201d The Bloods embrace the color red, and their archrivals, the Crips, use blue.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The officers were assigned to the 43rd Precinct in the Soundview section of the Bronx when the photo was taken. <span class=\"credit\">Robert Miller<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The disturbing photo was posted May 4 on Instagram by a user called michaelclancy1312. The account didn\u2019t respond to requests for comment and it wasn\u2019t clear who originally posted the image.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOfficers kitted out in balaclavas and beanies, throwing gang signs and posing like street enforcers with a civilian in a fast-food spot,\u201d an X user called BrooklynP8triot wrote, reposting the picture.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis isn\u2019t community policing; it\u2019s cosplay for the very criminals they\u2019re supposed to deter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNYC, @NYCMayor, and @GovKathyHochul \u2014 who exactly are you hiring for the NYPD?\u201d the post continues.<\/p>\n<p>Rank and file officers were disgusted by the snap, which has collected hundreds of reposts and likes on X.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a complete disgrace,\u201d one Bronx cop said of the photo. \u201cTaking a picture like this even as a joke sets a bad image and diminishes the department\u2019s long efforts of combating gangs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But a law enforcement source said the cops were just joking around.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey saw a kid they know and they were messing around in the photo. They had no idea it would go viral,\u201d said the source.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>One of the officers has since been transferred out of the 43rd Precinct. <span class=\"credit\">Robert Miller<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>One of the cops, identified by sources as Shane Cruz, has been on the force since 2024, and was working at the 43rd Precinct in Soundview until February when he was transferred to Brownsville\u2019s 73rd Precinct in Brooklyn, online records show. <\/p>\n<p>The identity of the second officer, who also works at the 43rd Precinct, was not known because his shield isn\u2019t visible in the photo.<\/p>\n<p>Cruz, who couldn\u2019t be reached for comment, was not transferred because of this incident, a law enforcement source said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis incident is under internal review,\u201d a police spokesman said, citing an Internal Affairs Bureau probe.<\/p>\n<div class=\"single__inline-module inline-module inline-module--newsletter aligncenter inline-module--nypostbusinessunit aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-newsletter\" data-source-unit=\"Inline Newsletter Module Morning Report\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__title-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__unsubmitted-title-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p class=\"inline-module__cta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Mac Baller Brims formed in the Bronx in 2001 and are the largest subset of the West Coast Bloods gang. They are known for racketeering, dealing drugs, and murders, shootings and armed robberies.<\/p>\n<p>They have long been considered one of the city\u2019s most violent gangs.<\/p>\n<p>The Mac in the gang\u2019s name is a tribute to high-ranking member O.G. Mack, who established the Bloods in 1993. Baller is slang for a high-ranking gang member or drug dealer. Brims indicates the gang\u2019s ties to the original New York Blood Brim gang.<\/p>\n<p>In 2023, the Mac Baller Brims were indicted in connection with a string of brazen gunpoint robberies at lower Manhattan smoke shops in Chelsea, Union Square and the West Village, prosecutors said.<\/p>\n<p>In 2019, 13 defendants were charged in connection with Mac Baller Brims violence, including murders and shootings, in and around the Mount Hope section of the Bronx between 2017 and 2019.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The incident is now under review, the NYPD said. <span class=\"credit\">Angel Chevrestt<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Drug Enforcement Administration called the gang \u201ca criminal enterprise\u201d that \u201cengaged in such acts to preserve and protect their power, territory, and profits.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Former NYPD detective Michael Alcazar, an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said the department would likely look into the officers\u2019 histories as a result of the viral photo.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019re throwing up gang signs while in uniform that\u2019s basically conduct unbecoming an officer,\u201d Alcazar said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf they lied about any kind of criminal history and they uncover that in fact these [officers] were gang members, they could potentially be terminated,\u201d he said. \u201cThat being said, it\u2019s a different generation. They might just be throwing up gang signs because they saw it on a rap video.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The department has lowered requirements for new police officers in recent years to deal with waning recruitment.<\/p>\n<p>Rules preventing candidates with minor marijuana arrests from joining the NYPD were thrown out in 2021 when the drug\u2019s use became legal in the state.\u00a0But police officers are not permitted to smoke pot and are randomly tested, or \u201cdoled,\u201d for all drugs.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They also aren\u2019t permitted to associate with known criminals.<\/p>\n<p>And last year, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch reduced the number of college credits required for candidates from 60 to 24, in hopes of addressing a growing hiring crisis that saw 29% of applicants disqualified in 2023.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async defer src=\"https:\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><!-- \u603b\u5bb9\u5668\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u5bbd908px Grid\u7d27\u51d1\u5e03\u5c40 -->\r\n<div style=\"display: grid; 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Two uniformed cops from the Bronx were caught on camera&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10953,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[349],"tags":[10638,10639,435,1408,10636,7349,3208,3547,4785,10637,3239],"class_list":["post-10952","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-baller","tag-brims","tag-cops","tag-fire","tag-flashing","tag-gang","tag-mac","tag-nycs","tag-nypd","tag-symbols","tag-violent"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/crop-39393970.jpg",1200,799,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/crop-39393970-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/crop-39393970-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/crop-39393970-768x511.jpg",640,426,true],"large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/crop-39393970-1024x682.jpg",640,426,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/crop-39393970.jpg",1200,799,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/crop-39393970.jpg",1200,799,false],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/crop-39393970-1115x715.jpg",1115,715,true],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/crop-39393970-800x500.jpg",800,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/crop-39393970-1024x682.jpg",1024,682,true],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/crop-39393970-540x340.jpg",540,340,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/crop-39393970-400x250.jpg",400,250,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?author=1"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?cat=349\" rel=\"category\">Blog<\/a>","tag_info":"Blog","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10952","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10952"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10952\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}