Baltimore: Gangs say reports of pact to kill police officers are false

Baltimore gang members on 28 April said they're upset by reports that they formed a pact to harm police officers.

"We want to tell the people of Baltimore City that the image they are trying to portray of gangs in Baltimore...we do not make that truce to harm cops. We did not, together against cops. We are not about to allow you to paint this picture of us," one gang member told NBC after a meeting with community leaders.

He went on to add that rival gangs like the Bloods and the Crips have come together in their frustration over the riots and the death of Freddie Gray.

Gray, a 25-year-old black man was arrested on 12 April while running from officers. He died in the hospital a week after sustaining injuries in police custody.

"We just want justice for Freddie Gray. We believe in that," the gang member said.

Another gang member who asked not to be identified said, "The point we're trying to get across is that we are of a different faction and that's going to start to show people in the community that we can come together as a unit and be unified and be peaceful."

Talk of a truce between rival gangs started after Baltimore Police Chief Anthony Batts announced on 27 April that police had received "credible information" about a joint mission by gangs to target police.