Two members of the Goon Squad, a Pontiac street gang known for random acts of violence, were sentenced to prison Tuesday in Oakland Circuit Court for robbing a man and then shooting at his car as he fled. Omar Humphrey and Lonnell Joyner, both 21 and from Pontiac, were each convicted of assault with intent to murder, armed robbery and felony firearm. According to authorities, they robbed a 20-year-old victim at gunpoint in his car in an apartment parking lot off Telegraph Road on Jan. 11. At one point, they fired at the vehicle as he tried to drive away. "They got what they wanted but shot at him anyway," said Oakland County Sheriff's Sgt. Greg Moore, a member of the Youth Gang Task Force. He called the pair's conviction and sentencing "good news for the people of Pontiac." "Two members who have been identified as Goon Squad members are off the street," Moore said. "Two less gang members to victimize and terrorize citizens." Oakland Circuit Judge Colleen O'Brien sentenced both to 10 to 15 years in prison and an additional two years mandatory sentence for unlawful use of a firearm. The Youth Gang Task Force, consisting of local and state police and federal agents, has targeted several youth gangs involved in violent activity. Humphrey and Joyner met up with the victim during a drug "rip off," investigators said. As he tried to flee, bullets shattered his windshield and grazed his shoulder. The Goon Squad has been on the radar of area law enforcement since 2008, when some of its young members trolled parts of Pontiac's business district, looking for random victims to rob or assault. Within a few days of each other, two homeless men were kicked and beaten to death by members of the gang, Moore said. They were subsequently convicted in the slayings. Goon Squad members, primarily located on Pontiac's west side, also were involved in the 2009 shooting of a teenager outside a birthday party. Moore said members often sport "ATG" tattoos on their hands, arms or neck, signifying "All Time Goons" or "All Time Grinders." "If you see one of them and ask them what it (tattoo initials) means, they will first say 'Always Thanking God,'" said Moore. "And then when pressed if it could mean something to do with the Goon Squad, they admit it could mean that, as well."
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