Who are the Birmingham gang 9Boyz? Territory, enemies and links to the notorious group

In the blink of an eye, three men punched and attacked another at a Handsworth takeaway, knocking him over the counter before fleeing the scene and driving away. The victim was not considered seriously injured in the incident on April 30 this year at Grandad’s Tastee Patties on Holyhead Road.

But it provided an ominous reminder that a deadly rivalry between two of Birmingham’s most violent and notorious gangs is still well and truly alive. The main attacker, 21-year-old Yvan Ondaye, is said to have tried to show his “toughness” to his associates in the 9Boyz gang, of which he denied being a full member.

The victim was from their sworn enemies Armed Response, Birmingham Crown Court was told. The latter group has shot to infamy in the city in recent years thanks to their involvement in a series of high-profile shootings and attacks.

READ MORE: The rise of Armed Response – territory, colors, members, rivals and history

In contrast, the 9Boyz – sometimes spelled 9Boys – have perhaps received less media attention, despite being just as lethal. So who exactly are they? The gang have been referenced in several high-profile court cases in recent times, while their YouTube drill rap videos – some of which have been viewed millions of times – have revealed more about their identities.

The 9Boyz have been based in north Birmingham for several years and consider Newtown and the B19 postcode area to be their home turf. One of their music videos features Guest Grove with the Sadler House tower block in the background.

In it, a large group of young men, dressed mostly in black and with their faces covered by masks or balaclavas, make the typical trigger-pulling gestures for the camera that have become a staple of YouTube exercise videos made in Birmingham. Some can also be seen smoking joints.

The 9Boyz are believed to be a younger offshoot of the Get Money Gang (GMG), as well as one of Birmingham’s most notorious gangs – the Johnson Crew. On the other hand, their main rivals Armed Response (AR) are considered to be the younger generation of the Burger Bar Boys. Their home turf is Handsworth, northwest of Newtown.

Despite the fact that gangs are tied to certain zip codes, it is a misconception that violence between them is based on disputes over who claims what territory. Revenge and a cycle of tit-for-tat retaliation have been behind many attacks, as well as taunts on social media and in training rap videos. But some people have been targeted for simply straying into the “wrong area.”

In January 2021, 15-year-old Keon Lincoln was stabbed and shot dead in broad daylight outside his home in Linwood Road, Handsworth. Four teenagers were convicted of murder, including the gunman, who was just 14 at the time, and given life sentences. A fifth teenager was convicted of manslaughter for selling them knives.

Although evidence at trial did not identify an exact motive, it has since been alleged that his killers were associated with 9Boyz and may have targeted him because he simply knew people in Armed Response but was not a member. On the first anniversary of Keon’s death, a teenager was shot in broad daylight as a crowd gathered to remember him at Handsworth Cemetery.

In November 2021, Armed Response gangsters shot a 13-year-old boy in the back near an underpass in Hockley Circus, mistakenly believing him to be a member of the 9Boyz. Teenage gunman Tafique Thomas, along with Zidann Edwards, Diago Anderson and Louis Clarke were sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of attempted murder and a firearms offence.

Some of them made insensitive drill rap videos about the shooting that left the innocent boy paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. That day, he simply got off a bus with two friends and crossed the A41 – supposedly in armed response territory – to buy food at a Jamaican restaurant.

The 9Boyz were one of several groups referenced by West Midlands Police’s gangs expert during the murder trial of Sekou Doucoure. The 16-year-old was stabbed at the Esso petrol station on Nursery Road, Hockley, in July 2022.

The jury was told Sekou was associated with gangs in the B20 postcode areas, including Handsworth Wood, but was riding an electric scooter in rival territory B19 Newtown, making him a target for groups including 9Boyz, Get Money Gang and Get Back Gang.

The trial heard that some of the gangs demonstrated affiliation with each other by using the phrase 6219, meaning postcodes B6 to B19 – Aston to Newtown. Pierre Thomas and a boy aged 16 at the time were convicted of manslaughter, although the alleged gangster who allegedly stabbed Sekou remains at large.

Yvan Ondaye, from Aston, the man responsible for the attack on Grandad’s Tastee Patties in April admitted affray and was given a 24-month community order at Birmingham Crown Court earlier this month. Although relatively mild compared to historical incidents, it shows that gang tensions remain ever-present in north Birmingham.

Sentencing Sekou’s killers last year, Judge Dove described gang culture as “corrosive to communities”. While Det Insp Laura Harrison expressed concerns that Birmingham’s modern gangsters appeared to be getting “younger and younger” with “no regard for each other or themselves”.

What are the police doing about gangs in Birmingham?

West Midlands Police issued a statement to Birmingham Live outlining what the force is doing to tackle gang-related crime. It said: “We are committed to making our communities safer in Birmingham and are working around the clock to disrupt and arrest people linked to organised crime.

“We have a dedicated gang policing team in Birmingham and we work with partners to provide pathways out of crime for anyone who wants to leave gangs, while also engaging with those who are vulnerable to gang exploitation. We have also increased the number of officers we have in schools who focus on intervention and prevention, and provide information to young people on a range of topics.

“But we will go after those who persist and are a danger to our communities. We are using existing powers under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to control the behaviour of people believed to be involved in gangs and violence in public places.

“These powers allow us to impose conditions on people, including not wearing face coverings, exclusion zones and a restriction on the size of groups gathering. These conditions are being applied following unacceptable behaviour that puts our communities in Birmingham in fear of gangs.

“This means we can issue Community Protection Notices to people in the first instance, but if their antisocial behaviour continues we will serve them with Community Protection Notices. Your information about people involved in gangs, drugs or weapons, or those you fear may be vulnerable or exploited, is crucial as it helps us target our activity and broaden our understanding.”

Police can be contacted via live chat on their website or by calling 101. Anyone can also speak anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.