As B.C. authorities struggle to deal with rampant gang warfare, a Victoria man is speaking out about life inside a gang and how easy it was to become involved.
Calling himself a "gang wannabe,'' Benoit Hallis says he was just another middle class teenager growing up in Montreal, when an addiction to alcohol and drugs led to a life on the streets where he eventually joined up with a gang.
"If it can happen to me it can happen to anybody,'' Hallis told A Channel News during an interview in Victoria. "I was from a good family."
Hallis said the gang lifestyle gave him a sense of belonging and he became addicted to power and the ability to have "what he wanted, when he wanted.''
"When I met these guys, it made me feel important because I was part of something."
Hallis later used that power to manipulate, intimidate and even beat rivals up.
The admission comes as the B.C. government moved Friday to crack down on gang warfare by adding more police officers, prosecutors and jails. "We are going to drive gangs off the streets of British Columbia,'' said B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell.
The move follows a string of brazen shootings -- nine in the space of 11 days -- that has sent shock waves through the province, raising concerns that gang violence is getting out of control.
On Saturday, the provincial government said it will dispatch two 16-member anti-gang units to Prince George and Kelowna. The hope is that this will give them the upper hand on gangsters.
But after getting sucked into the gang lifestyle, Hallis said his parents were there to support him once he decided that he finally wanted out.
He now puts his gang experience to good use by helping street youths in Victoria.
With reports by CTV British Columbia's Jina You and A Channel News.
