Law-enforcement officials in Augusta have arrested more than 70 people in an operation aimed at reducing gang violence, according to a report.

Operation Chip Shot resulted in 50 arrests in Rich­mond County and 17 in South Carolina, Virginia and Mary­land, the Augusta Chronicle reported. Seven sex offenders also were arrested for violating probation.

Authorities identified possible suspects through investigations, by searching social media, and by focusing on areas with known gang problems, according to the report.

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People line up outside the federal building in Atlanta that houses an immigration court and ICE office. Several cases in the court are at the center of a disciplinary proceeding against Norcross immigration lawyer Christopher Taylor. (Ben Hendren/AJC 2025)

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

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