Hells Angels Red Devils Brawl With Rock Machine
By Insane Throttle News Desk 6-20-2026
In a high-profile Canadian biker case that highlights ongoing tensions between rival outlaw motorcycle clubs, Crown prosecutors are pushing for penitentiary sentences against members of the Hells Angels and their support club, the Red Devils, following a brazen assault and robbery at a Hamilton bar and grill.
The incident took place on July 4, 2024, at Cadillac Jax on Main Street East. Around 7 p.m., 16 motorcycles pulled into a neighbouring convenience store parking lot. Many riders wore Hells Angels and Red Devils colours. A group of five men — later convicted — walked straight into the bar where Daniel Scherer, then around 66 and wearing a probationary Rock Machine Motorcycle Club vest, was on the patio with others.
What followed was described in court as a “swarming” — a premeditated, unprovoked group attack akin to aggravated assault. Scherer was punched approximately 10 times, collapsed, and lay unconscious on the patio briefly before getting up unsteadily. Video evidence captured blood dripping from his forehead. His Rock Machine vest was stolen during the robbery. The entire episode, including a follow-up sweep of the bar by about 11 more bikers (mostly Red Devils), lasted less than three-and-a-half minutes.
The victims’ fear was palpable. Other club-affiliated individuals, including the then-president of the Rock Machine’s Guelph chapter, David Robson, quickly hid their vests. One man in a Vendettas vest did the same after the assault began. “We know they were scared,” assistant Crown attorney Sean Doherty told the court.
During a sentencing hearing on June 19, 2026, for three of the convicted men — Joel Rollin, William Ashford-Smith, and Jason Hall — Doherty urged Ontario Court Justice Amanda Camara to treat the Hells Angels as a criminal organization, an aggravating factor that could add up to a year to each sentence. He referenced decades of Canadian case law establishing the Hells Angels as a criminal organization and urged the judge to rely on common knowledge: “Hells Angels have been found to be a criminal organization in Ontario for 20 years… everybody in the world knows it.”
Doherty proposed sentences of 6 years for Rollin (who has a prior record including assault and extortion), 5.5 years for Ashford-Smith (also convicted of unauthorized possession of a prohibited device linked to a switchblade and ammunition), and 5 years for Hall if the criminal organization factor is accepted. Without it, the requests drop to 5, 4.5, and 4 years respectively. He also sought forfeiture of seized Hells Angels and Red Devils vests, arguing they were used in the offence and serve as tools of intimidation.
The five convicted men are:
• Joel Rollin, 41, of Grimsby (Hells Angels)
• Trevor Pittman, 34, of Ancaster (Hells Angels)
• Daniel Fish, 36, of Brantford (Red Devils)
• William Ashford-Smith, 36, of Hamilton (Hells Angels)
• Jason Hall, 51, of York (Hells Angels)
Tragically, Scherer, the victim and a probationary Rock Machine member, died on September 23, 2025, at age 67, before he could testify at trial. While a clear motive was never established in court, Doherty referenced the infamous and deadly Quebec biker war between the Hells Angels and Rock Machine in the 1990s-2000s as context for the deep-seated rivalry.
Defence lawyers disputed the criminal organization designation and the aggravated assault characterization, with one claiming they were “blindsided” by the Crown’s submissions. The hearing for Rollin, Ashford-Smith, and Hall was adjourned to July 31, 2026, to allow more preparation time. The other two co-accused are scheduled to return later this month.
This case underscores the persistent and often violent nature of outlaw motorcycle club rivalries in Canada. The Hells Angels, one of the most notorious 1%er clubs globally, and their puppet/support clubs like the Red Devils, frequently find themselves in conflict with groups such as the Rock Machine. The coordinated arrival of 16 bikes, the rapid swarming, and the theft of rival colours point to a show of dominance typical in these territorial disputes.
For Hamilton residents, the incident brought outlaw biker activity directly into a public venue on a summer evening. Patrons on the patio reportedly froze in fear as the coloured riders approached. Such events fuel public concern about motorcycle club influence in communities and raise questions about how law enforcement and the courts address organized group violence.
The Crown’s push to formally recognize the Hells Angels’ status as a criminal organization in sentencing — even without dedicated charges — could set a tone for future cases. If accepted by Justice Camara, it reinforces long-standing judicial precedents and sends a strong deterrent message to club members that wearing the patch and engaging in group assaults carries heavier consequences.
As sentencing continues, this Hamilton bar assault remains a stark example of how quickly things can escalate when rival clubs cross paths. From the initial motorcycle convoy to the punches that left an older man bloodied and unconscious on the ground, the event captures the raw edge of 1%er culture that often clashes with civilian life and the rule of law.
Ontario Provincial Police investigations, including a search of the Hells Angels Hamilton clubhouse, contributed to the convictions. The outcome of the ongoing sentencing phase will be closely watched by those following biker news across Canada, as it could influence how similar cases involving Hells Angels, Red Devils, Rock Machine, and other clubs are handled moving forward.
The use of colours as intimidation, the swarming tactic against a lone prospect, and the rapid bar sweep all paint a picture of calculated intimidation rather than a spontaneous bar fight. With the victim no longer alive to share his side, the court relies heavily on video evidence and witness accounts that left little doubt about the group’s actions.
This latest development in Hamilton biker justice adds to a long history of legal scrutiny for these clubs. Whether the judge accepts the criminal organization aggravating factor or not, the convicted men are facing significant prison time for their roles in the assault and robbery. It serves as another reminder that in the world of outlaw motorcycle clubs, public displays of power can lead to serious repercussions inside the justice system.
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Five men convicted in Hells Angels assault, robbery at Hamilton bar
Court heard the Hells Angels group assaulted and stole the vest of a man wearing a Rock Machine prospect member vest.
Updated March 4, 2026 at 3:20 p.m.
March 4, 2026
Five men were convicted of assault and robbery after an incident at Cadillac Jax bar and grill on Main Street East, near Wentworth Street in July 2024.
OPP
By Nicole O’Reilly Reporter
https://www.thespec.com/news/crime/motorcycle-club-crime/article_8b9d01c1-9df1-58c3-9bad-b68ceab0bb81.html
Four alleged Hells Angels Motorcycle Club members and an alleged member of a support club have been convicted of assault and robbery for beating up a probationary member of another biker club and stealing his vest at a Hamilton bar.
It was early evening on July 4, 2024 and “people were milling about” on the outdoor patio, sitting at the bar and playing pool at Cadillac Jax bar and grill on Main Street East, near Wentworth Street, Ontario Court Justice Amanda Camara said in court Monday.
Daniel Scherer was wearing a probationary member Rock Machine vest, talking to people on the patio, when David Robson arrived. He wore a Rock Machine vest and told court that at the time he was the president of the motorcycle gang’s Guelph chapter (he claimed to have retired a week later). Scherer was supposed to keep the president safe.
The two men had known each other for years, and Robson described Scherer — in his 60s — as elderly. Another witness called him “pops,” Camara said.
Not long after the men greeted each other, a large group on motorcycles arrived in the parking lot and an adjacent convenience store parking lot, she said. Many wore Hells Angels and Red Devils vests.
Red Devils is a support club for Hells Angels. Also in the bar that night were men wearing Vendettas Motorcycle Club vests — that’s a support club for Rock Machine.
What happened next was captured on “crystal clear” surveillance camera footage.
Among the Hells Angels contingent that arrived on scene was Joel Rollin, 41, of Grimsby, Trevor Pittman, 34, of Ancaster, Daniel Fish, 36, of Brantford, William Ashford-Smith, 36, of Hamilton and Jason Hall, 51, of York.
At the time, Ontario Provincial Police said Fish was a member of the Red Devils, while the other four were Hells Angels members.
Camara said Rollin was the initial aggressor, grabbing and punching Scherer. Hall stepped in next, grabbing a hold of Scherer and preventing him from being able to get away. Then Ashford-Smith helped to undo Scherer’s vest. Pittman climbed up on a railing and punched him in the head, before Fish pulled him to the ground.
By the end of the assault and robbery, Scherer lay motionless on the ground for four seconds, before slowly getting up. He was bleeding from the forehead, with blood dripping down his face, Camara said. He was unsteady and was helped to a stool by a police officer and a woman.
Camara found the five men acted together to assault and rob Scherer. She convicted them all of assault causing bodily harm and robbery.
Ashford-Smith was also convicted of unauthorized possession of a prohibited device for a switchblade and ammunition seized in his home.
Hall was charged with breaching firearms storage regulations, but that charge was dismissed.
Fish had argued he was acting in defence of his friends, but Camara rejected that too, noting that Scherer never fought back.
Scherer never testified in court because he died Sept. 23, 2025 at 67, before the trial.
Court heard that after the Hells Angels contingent arrived, Robson went inside, where he was captured on video putting his Rock Machine vest behind the bar. He denied this in court, saying he put a hoodie on because police were on scene and he wanted to charge his phone behind the bar. He also testified to not knowing what caused Scherer’s injuries. Camara didn’t believe him.
Following the assault, the OPP-led biker enforcement unit took over the case. OPP and Hamilton police searched both Hells Angels and Red Devils clubhouses.
Camara said there was no evidence of history between Scherer and any of the men who assaulted him.
The men return to court June 15 for a sentencing hearing.