MURRIETA -- Authorities say they have "dismantled" what they are calling a criminal street gang consisting mostly of former Murrieta Valley High School football players who started their own fight club, then began committing violent crimes, including armed robbery.

On Thursday, gang task force members arrested nine people -- including one juvenile -- in connection with a six-month investigation, authorities said. At least three more are still being sought by police.

One of the three is being called a fugitive by authorities who are seeking the public's help in finding him. Anthony Craig Smith, 19, of Murrieta, is wanted for a variety of charges, including burglary, vehicle theft and assault, authorities said.

Anyone with information about Smith's whereabouts is asked to call the Murrieta-Temecula Regional Gang Task Force at (951) 461-6351.

"This wasn't the typical gang you think of, like the turf-based gangs we often see," said Murrieta police Lt. Dennis Vrooman.

This one, police say, started in about 2004 with some Murrieta Valley High students who, Vrooman said, "were abusing illegal anabolic steroids."

"Then, for thrills, they'd spar against each other, patterning themselves after the movie 'Fight Club,'" he added.

They would hold matches at local parks where they would fight as crowds would gather to watch, authorities said.

"They became bored fighting each other, so they started going to parties in the area and challenging other people to fight," said Tim Hales, special agent supervisor with the state Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement and head of the gang task force.

If fight club members believed someone was "disrespecting their gang," Hales said, they'd beat that person up.

"Often, one guy would confront someone at a party for supposedly disrespecting them, then another guy would come up behind the unsuspecting victim and sucker punch them," Hales said.

"The victim would just wake up in the hospital because they'd been beaten up so badly," he said.

It wasn't just young men they'd beat up, Hales said, as some young women were also assaulted.

Fight club members created dog tags and ball caps bearing the initials "FC," Hales said.

What started as fights at parties progressed to burglary, authorities said.

While at some of these parties, fight club members would case the home, coming back later and burglarizing the place, sometimes stealing weapons, he added. Local businesses were also burglarized, Hales said.

That, in turn, led to another progression as the guns stolen in burglaries were used to commit armed robberies, authorities said.

Hales said investigators believe nearly a half-dozen robberies of local businesses can be attributed to the group. No shots were fired during any of the robberies, he said.

All told, Hales estimates at least 20 crimes can be connected to the group.

Thursday's sweep stemmed from warrants issued for the arrests of those involved.

"This was important because we took a violent street gang, dismantled them and took them off the streets," Vrooman said. "This sends a message that this type of activity won't be tolerated in this valley."

Hales called this the first phase of arrests, saying there may be more in the future.

"All of these guys are facing some serious time" in custody, Hales said.

Five of the eight adults arrested face allegations of participating in a criminal street gang, which, Hales said, could result in life sentences.

Vrooman identified the arrested as Christopher David Owen Bredesen, 18, of Murrieta; Gilberto Cuevas, 18, of Murrieta; Simon Lyle Johnson, 20, of Murrieta; Nathan Martinez, 21, of La Habra; Michael Robert Petty, 20, of Murrieta; William "B.J." Unmacht IV, 21, of Murrieta; Martin Arturo Valle, 21, of Murrieta; and Travis Brenn Baker, 20, of Winchester.

The name of the 17-year-old Murrieta boy was not released because of his age.

The gang task force, based at the Murrieta Police Station, includes investigators from the Murrieta Police Department, state Department of Justice, Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, Riverside County district attorney's office, Riverside County Sheriff's Department, county probation office, state parole, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Contact staff writer John Hall at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2628, or jhall@californian.com.