SENG

PROVIDENCE — Nirut “Shorty” Seng, a leader in the Young Bloods street gang, has been charged with possession of a shotgun and drug counts following a recent police search of his house in the city’s West End.

The police said they found the shotgun in Seng’s bedroom along with 73 tablets of the drug Ecstasy in a nearby closet. According to a police report, Seng said that the shotgun belonged to him. “It’s my room. I had that shotty for years,” he allegedly said. “It’s old and rusty and it’s not even loaded.”

Seng is well-known to the police. In October 2007, he was shot in the left side of the buttocks as he climbed the front steps of his home. Witnesses told the police that a passing car sprayed gunfire at Seng and one of the bullets struck him.

The injury was not serious and he quickly recovered. Seng also played a prominent role in Gangs of Providence, a multimedia presentation that appeared in the Sunday Journal and on projo.com in February 2008.

The police say Seng, 23, has been a respected leader of the Young Bloods for several years and his home is a known hangout for gang members.

The circumstances leading to Seng’s latest arrest occurred on June 25. Officers assigned to the Violent Crime Task Force were paying extra attention to Seng’s home in the wake of a series of shootings there. Around 10:30 p.m., the police saw four known Young Bloods, all wearing the traditional red clothing favored by the gang, loitering outside at the address.

The police, who were driving an unmarked car, flashed a spotlight on the gang members. One of them allegedly grabbed his waistband and dashed into the house and locked the door. The police suspected that he was armed with a gun and they entered the house.

The police found the suspect, Sokhun Srov, 19, seated on a bed with two bags of marijuana at the foot of the bed.

Srov was charged with marijuana possession. The police continued their search and allegedly found a 12-gauge pump action shotgun under Srov’s mattress. Seng, who was in the house with two other young men, told the police that the shotgun belonged to him; he was charged with possessing a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence.

Moments later, the police say that found the green Ecstasy tablets in a bag with a Batman logo. Seng allegedly told the police that he takes the pills, but does not sell them.

The police reported that they also seized a large supply of ammunition that include two magazines for a 9mm handgun, five .20–gauge shotgun shells, 30-grain hollow-point rounds for a 9mm Luger, 21 rounds for a Winchester gun, eight rounds for a .380-caliber handgun and 9 rounds for a .45-caliber handgun.

Seng was arraigned in District Court, Providence, and released on surety bail. Srov also appeared in court where he was charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession and released in his own recognizance.

bmalinow@projo.com