Gangs Linked to Mayhem on Stretch of Florida Road : Violence: National Guard patrols overpasses as police say initiation rites may be behind attacks on motorists.

Armed National Guard troops patrolled overpasses along Interstate 295 for a second night Saturday, while police investigators zeroed in on youth gangs who, they say, may have encouraged an outbreak of sniper fire and rock-throwing at moving cars as initiation rites.

Police said the gangs, an interracial mix of high school students, may be responsible for a nine-month spate of random violence that has led to one motorist’s death, three serious injuries and a rare advisory from the American Automobile Assn. that its members stay off the 13-mile bypass of I-95 altogether.

The four-lane highway skirts Jacksonville to the west through an area of rural pine lands, and carries an average of 80,000 vehicles a day. Since February, police report 36 incidents in which motorists have been attacked.

“We’ve been getting information from both the public and others leading us to at least look at and investigate youth groups that have been in operation,” said Duval County Sheriff Jim McMillan. Among those gangs mentioned are the English Estates Posse, Nation of Chaos, Dog Jaw Posse and Teen Les Miserables.

No arrests were reported Saturday after the first National Guard troops began patrolling in Humvees. The armed troops were called up by Gov. Lawton Chiles in response to the unprecedented AAA warning.

“There is concern, obviously,” sheriff’s department spokesman Howard Curry said Saturday. “The Guard, our people, the Florida Highway Patrol and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement are working together to bring this to a resolution.”

The posting of the Guard along what is a major gateway into the Sunshine State comes just as the lucrative winter tourist season gets under way. Traffic on Saturday was heavy, as usual, and no patrols were evident. All of the attacks have taken place at night, police say.

News that the AAA had changed what had been a “caution” about I-295 to a flat-out directive to stay off the road, night or day, was prominently reported on all four major television networks. On NBC News, anchor Tom Brokaw called I-295 “the highway from hell.”

Motel and restaurant operators along the route say the AAA warning, the national publicity and now the presence of soldiers in battle fatigues has already had a chilling effect on business. “If this keeps up it’s going to have a huge impact on revenues,” said George Brady, general manager of the Best Western Motel at I-295 and U.S. 17. “People just won’t travel on I-295.”

Many local residents say they have avoided the highway for months, especially since July when the body of a 61-year-old man was found in his car, weeks after he had disappeared. After a concrete block was dropped through his windshield, the man’s car apparently veered off the road and into the underbrush, where it remained hidden.

The Florida Times-Union reported that the most recent attack took place last Sunday, when a South Carolina traveler was hit by a brick.

“I route customers through downtown, even though it takes more time and is inconvenient,” said Rick Faulstick, a clerk for Dollar Rent A Car at Jacksonville International Airport. “At least it’s safe.”

Gordon Morris, manager of a Red Roof Inn at I-295 and Blanding Boulevard, said he has noticed business at his 109-unit motel is “off a little bit” from normal this week. “I don’t know if putting the Guard out there is the right thing or not,” he said. “But I don’t know what I’d do differently.”

He said Red Roof Inns were planning to contribute to the reward fund, set up to encourage tips to police. The fund now tops $35,000.