Category: Gangs in the news…

Pagan biker gang member accused of starting Wawa parking lot shootout with rival gang found not guilty

2 co-defendants acquitted on aggravated assault charges, found guilty of lesser offenses

Jim Melwert kywnews radio May20.2026
https://www.audacy.com/kywnewsradio/news/local/pagan-montco-shootout-verdict-not-guilty

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — One member of the Pagan Motorcycle Club who was accused of sparking a shootout with a rival gang in a West Norriton Wawa parking lot has been found not guilty.

Two others were cleared of the most serious charges and convicted on lesser counts.

Prosecutors alleged George Cwienk, Justin Noll and Joel Hernandez-Martinez were in a pack of nine Pagan Motorcycle Club bikers that attacked two Unknown bikers at the Wawa on Main Street and Trooper Road on Oct. 17.

When the two Unknowns were knocked to the ground, they fired more than a dozen shots, with six people injured including two bystanders unaffiliated with the bikers. Prosecutors determined the Unknowns fired in self-defense and charged the Pagans.

Montgomery County Judge Risa Ferman found Noll not guilty of all charges.

“I’m pleased that Judge Furman saw through the commonwealth’s case. It was weak,” said Noll’s lawyer, Robert Kerwin. “Justin deserved to be found not guilty, because he was not guilty.”

Meanwhile, Cwienk and Hernandez-Martinez were found guilty of a handful of misdemeanors and one lower felony, but not guilty on the most serious felony charges of aggravated assault.

Prosecutors alleged the Pagans attacked the Unknowns over a turf war, but prosecutor Bradley Deckel called it a challenging case as the two Unknowns were forced to testify but were unwilling to answer questions in any detail.

“It’s part of their culture to just not talk to police and not discuss these types of things, so that was a challenge that was part of the case,” Deckel said.

“They were never going to say what actually happened that night with regards to not being allowed to be in that area, because they don’t believe in cooperating with law enforcement

Officers warn organized crime remains a strong presence in NJ

The mob’s still around, but today’s organized crime looks more like street gangs and outlaw motorcycle clubs

By:Dana DiFilippo-May 20, 2026
https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/20/organized-crime-presence-in-nj/

Organized crime continues to thrive in New Jersey even though shootings and other major crimes are down, with neighborhood-based street gangs, drug traffickers, outlaw motorcycle clubs, and prison and jail gangs now typically more numerous and active than the mob, law enforcement officials said at a public hearing Tuesday in Trenton.

More than a dozen agents and investigators testified at the Statehouse for three hours before the State Commission of Investigation about how organized crime has evolved in the Garden State in recent years.

Mafia groups like La Cosa Nostra are still active with families based in Elizabeth (DeCavalcante), Philadelphia (Bruno-Scarfo), and New York City (Genovese, Lucchese, Bonanno, Colombo, and Gambino) operating in New Jersey, but they no longer define organized crime here, said Bruce P. Keller, the commission’s executive director.

Individual criminals have found it can be more rewarding to work as part of a team to successfully pull off illegal money-making schemes like gambling, loansharking, extortion, sex and labor trafficking, and fraud, he added.

Social media and technology advances have helped street gangs and other structured criminal groups both expand their ranks and carry out crimes like credit card theft, identity theft, phishing, and witness intimidation, Keller and others who testified said.
“Just as the generation of children raised in recent years have become known as digital natives, so too have organized criminal gangs become digitally sophisticated,” Keller said.

Organized crime groups also increasingly use modern digital conveniences like Venmo and Paypal — or personal tablets for those behind bars — to facilitate their crimes, law enforcement officers testified. That’s been an especially lucrative strategy for crafty car thieves, who use sites like Google’s Street View to scope out potential targets, said Sgt. Sean Lake of the Newark Police Department’s gang intelligence unit.

“They use applications such as Zillow, and they look up where the million-dollar houses are. Then they’ve gone on Google Maps, and literally they could walk down the street on Google Maps and see what cars were parked in the driveway over the last few months,” Lake said.

Those who gave testimony identified several recent trends that have kept investigators scrambling to keep up.
The number of outlaw motorcycle gangs in New Jersey has doubled in the past decade, with about 16 today compared to eight or so identified in 2018, according to testimony.

Officials estimate 15 to 16 outlaw motorcycle clubs now are active in New Jersey, twice as many as a decade ago. (Courtesy of the State Commission of Investigation)

County jails and state prisons have increasingly become places where gangs actively recruit new members, said Edwin Torres, a senior criminal intelligence officer at the commission. While staff at many facilities work hard to identify and thwart gang activity, most facilities have far fewer correctional officers than gang members, making the fight against such activity a losing “numbers game,” he added.

“It is absolutely a monumental problem in the correctional system,” Torres said. “It’s almost like a Whack-a-Mole — you keep trying to pat down one problem and another one will pop up.”

Morris County Sheriff James Gannon told commission members that about 15% of people incarcerated at the Morris County Jail, which also holds people from Sussex and Somerset counties, has a gang affiliation.

Gangs that used to be bitter rivals now increasingly work together to achieve their illicit ends, and those who join are getting younger and younger, officers testified.

Lt. Nicole Bradley of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office’s gang intelligence unit testified that her office arrested a 14-year-old girl for murder last year.

“These kids come off into the gangs at 12, 13, 14, 15 years old,” added Edwin Santana of the Morris County Sheriff’s Office’s gang intelligence unit. “They didn’t have any sort of guidance or safety, but they found it in the gang, unfortunately.”

Investigators also warned organized crime groups probably are working now to capitalize on FIFA’s World Cup, the five-week, global men’s soccer tournament that will play eight matches starting next month in East Rutherford.

Martha Nye of the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office said officials expect schemes will include counterfeit merchandising, sex and labor trafficking, illegal gambling, money laundering, illegal drug trafficking, cyber fraud, and coordinated theft efforts.

“Major international sporting events attract not only millions of fans and billions of dollars in commerce but also organized criminal networks looking to exploit enormous crowds, global attention, and the rapid flow of money,” said Nye, deputy first assistant attorney general.

Those who testified suggested several solutions policymakers should embrace to crack down on organized crime.

Torres pointed to two bills now in the Statehouse pipeline that would make participation in a street gang a crime and heighten penalties for anyone who recruits people into gangs.

Edwin Torres, a senior criminal intelligence officer with the State Commission of Investigation, speaks during a public hearing on organized crime in New Jersey the commission held on May 19, 2026, at the Statehouse in Trenton. (Photo by Dana DiFilippo/New Jersey Monitor)

Gannon called on policymakers to review bail reform to make sure repeat offenders aren’t slipping through the cracks and the system takes a more “balanced approach” to pretrial detention.

“We must ensure that risk assessments are accurate and consistently applied, repeat offenders are appropriately addressed, and violent offenders are not released when they pose a clear threat. Public safety must remain a top priority,” Gannon said.

Tracking repeat offenders would be easier if police, prosecutors, parole officials, and others partnered more on investigations and did more information-sharing, said John Havens, a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“Many times, a significant gang member or highly violent gang member will be arrested, and — say it’s a stolen vehicle charge or something like that — you then progress through the system, and the case goes to prosecutors that may not know exactly who they’re dealing with,” Havens said. “It’s getting lost in the noise, the significance of who this person is and what they do.”

Others urged state and local policymakers to expand staff and intelligence-gathering in prisons and jails to thwart gang recruitment and activity and prosecutors to undertake more racketeering investigations and prosecutions aimed at taking down organized crime bosses.

The hearing was the commission’s first since April 2024, when it heard testimony about ghost guns and repeat gun offenders.

The agency, which probes public corruption and organized crime among other things, made headlines last fall when Senate President Nicholas Scutari proposed partially merging the state Comptroller’s Office into the commission. Critics saw the move as an attempt to weaken government oversight and kneecap the comptroller, which has in recent years taken on far more investigations than the commission.
Keller took the helm at the commission last July. Its previous director resigned after the Asbury Park Press reported she had a second full-time out-of-state job.

In his opening statements during Tuesday’s hearing, Keller tapdanced around those controversies, ticking off a list of the commission’s recent doings and promising big things ahead.

“SCI continues to focus on exactly what the Legislature intended at the time of its creation — independent investigations dedicated to rooting out corruption and other corrosive problems in all of their forms,” Keller said.

Tuesday’s hearing largely focused on gangs and other organized crime activity in Paterson, Newark, Jersey City, and other parts of North Jersey. The commission plans another public hearing this fall on organized crime in South Jersey.

2 more members of Thug Riders learn punishments for organized crime

By John Tisdell, WHIO.com May 20, 2026
https://www.whio.com/news/local/2-more-members-thug-riders-learn-punishments-organized-crime/6LBVSH6KPRFWHODL4UC5TNR6QE/

DAYTON — Two more members of the Thug Riders have learned their punishments for organized crime.

Norman Dale Beach, aka “Stormin Normin,” was sentenced to eight months in prison and three years probation on May 4, according to federal court records.

He was the former Vice President for the Thug Riders.

Brent Egleston, also known as “B-Easy,” was sentenced to five years probation on May 13, federal court records stated.
He was a president of the Thug Riders.

Beach and Egleston were two of 14 members of the Thug Riders motorcycle gang arrested in 2024 as part of a federal organized crime investigation.

At least eight other members of the Thug Riders have learned their punishment for their roles.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.

Bikers in rival gang testify to being assaulted on parking lot of Wawa in West Norriton

CARL HESSLER JR. | chessler@pottsmerc.com | MediaNews Group
PUBLISHED: May 19, 2026 at 1:40 PM EDT

NORRISTOWN — Two members of the Unknown Bikers Motorcycle Gang, who prosecutors allege were assaulted by members of the rival Pagans Outlaw Motorcycle Gang on the parking lot of the Wawa in West Norriton Township, were reluctant to testify against their accused attackers.

David Zimmerman, who suffered gunshot wounds to the arm and leg during the 9:12 p.m. Oct. 17, 2025, altercation, and Robert Statzell, who was physically assaulted, invoked their Fifth Amendment rights to remain silent and privileges against self-incrimination when they were called to testify in Montgomery County Court at the trial of George T. Cwienk III, Joel “Chihuahua” Hernandez-Martinez and Justin “Junkyard” Ray Noll, three Pagans members charged with assaulting them.

Zimmerman and Statzell admitted to prosecutors they did not want to be in court.

Prosecutors then requested that Zimmerman and Statzell be granted immunity on the grounds that their testimony was necessary to the public interest. Judge Risa Vetri Ferman granted immunity to both men, instructing them they may not refuse to testify but that none of their testimony can be used against them at a later date.

Zimmerman and Statzell then proceeded to answer questions posed to them by prosecutors.

Zimmerman repeatedly claimed he couldn’t recall a lot of the incident, maintaining he was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
But Assistant District Attorney Bradley Walter Deckel painstakingly reviewed with Zimmerman the testimony he gave before a grand jury last December during which he recalled the incident. Portions of Zimmerman’s grand jury testimony were read in court.

“If I testified to it,” said Zimmerman, not discounting what he told the grand jury. “I was there for gas. I was getting gas.”
Zimmerman testified to the grand jury that he was pumping gas when he was suddenly surrounded by several people who assaulted him and forced him to the ground. Zimmerman agreed with Deckel that during his grand jury testimony he said, “I just went on autopilot fighting for my life. I didn’t know what was going on.”

Zimmerman testified that he didn’t recall discharging a firearm that he “probably” was carrying that night and that he couldn’t identify who assaulted him.

Zimmerman repeatedly clashed with defense lawyers as they cross-examined him.

When defense lawyer Robert J. Kirwan II, who represents Noll, expressed doubt that Zimmerman suffered from PTSD, Zimmerman responded, “I don’t think you know how PTSD works” and added, “Do you want to be my therapist?”

When Kirwan confronted Zimmerman with defense lawyers’ theory that the altercation occurred when Pagans members saw Zimmerman reaching for his gun and they attempted to disarm him, Zimmerman defiantly responded, “Where did you come up with this? That’s not what happened.”

Zimmerman and Cwienk appeared to lock eyes several times during the trial and defense lawyers accused Zimmerman of making facial expressions and hand gestures at the defendants.

Ferman instructed Zimmerman to look only at the lawyers as he testified.

After being granted immunity, Statzell testified he was pumping gas when he suddenly realized he was surrounded by a group of other motorcyclists, but claimed he couldn’t identify them.

“I was surrounded. There was multiple people. I had nowhere else to go. I was struck and then I pulled out my firearm,” Statzell testified, adding he also was shot at.

“Is that why you felt your life was in danger?” Assistant District Attorney Libby Ann Hemler asked Statzell.
“Correct,” Statzell replied.

Statzell testified he did nothing to provoke the incident.

When Kirwan questioned whether Statzell believed he was justified in brandishing and firing a gun, Statzell responded, “I’m going to keep repeating it the same way, I was struck.”

“The detectives reviewed the tape and I was cleared in self-defense,” Statzell addressed Kirwan, referring to video surveillance footage from the Wawa. “I was firing with intent to defend myself because I was in fear for my life.

“It was a traumatic experience. It was extremely traumatic,” Statzell added.

Zimmerman and Statzell, who did not appear to be rattled by questions from the defense lawyers, were not charged in connection with the incident.

Cwienk, 51, of the unit block of 7th Street, Bridgeport, Hernandez-Martinez, 36, of the 300 block of West Sixth Street, Bridgeport, and Noll, 34, of the 600 block of Memorial Highway, Fleetwood, Berks County, each face charges of aggravated and simple assault, recklessly endangering other persons and riot in connection with the Oct 17 confrontation with Zimmerman and Statzell on the parking lot of the Wawa at 2544 W. Main St. in West Norriton.

In addition to Zimmerman, Cwienk, Noll and Hernandez-Martinez suffered gunshot wounds during the incident.

Two innocent bystanders on the parking lot also were wounded during the gunfire. A female Wawa employee on a “smoke break” outside suffered a gunshot wound to the back and a man was shot in the face just below his eye while he was putting air in his vehicle’s tire.

Cwienk, Noll and Hernandez-Martinez waived jury trials on Monday and instead have left their fates up to Ferman, who will listen to testimony and render verdicts.

A total of nine Pagans members originally were charged in connection with the incident.

Four club members previously pleaded guilty to assault or conspiracy-related charges and avoided a trial.

Earlier this year, Ferman dismissed charges against two other Pagans members.

Deckel and Hemler alleged the Pagans, a dominant club in Pennsylvania, felt disrespected when the Unknown Bikers hadn’t requested permission to be in the Pagans’ territory.

But Zimmerman and Statzell each testified they were unaware of any prohibition to riding while wearing their so-called club “colors” in Montgomery County because it was Pagans territory. The Unknown Bikers testified they did not have any previous problems with members of the Pagans and knew of no friction between the clubs.

“We ride where we want,” Statzell testified

Deckel and Hemler alleged none of the victims would have suffered gunshot wounds if the Pagans had not entered the Wawa parking lot and initiated an attack on a rival motorcycle gang.

Testimony revealed that 13 of the 14 fired cartridge casings found at the scene were fired from guns linked to the two members of the Unknown Bikers.

When Kirwin asked Statzell if he was concerned that civilians were wounded Statzell replied, “Of course I would feel sorry for any innocent person who got hurt.”

Prosecutors contend Zimmerman and Statzell acted in self-defense.

But Kirwan and defense lawyers Carlos A. Martir Jr., who represents Cwienk, and Finn L. Skovdal who represents Hernandez-Martinez, argued the Unknown Bikers were the “aggressors” and are not victims. The defense lawyers have repeatedly questioned why the Unknown Bikers were not charged.

Defense lawyers argued the evidence will show that Cwienk and the other Pagans were at the Wawa to simply get gas and that it was the Unknown Bikers who created the “havoc.”

The investigation determined that two members of the Unknown Bikers Motorcycle Gang arrived at the Wawa about 9:08 p.m. and were pumping gas when they were confronted by multiple members of the Pagans.

“Through review of various video sources, the Pagans bypassed the initial entrance to the Wawa and then entered a secondary entrance and immediately worked in tandem surrounding the two members of the Unknown Bikers Gang,” county Detective David Holtzman and West Norriton Detective Robert Scotti alleged in the arrest affidavit, adding “the collective nature of their movements was not to intimidate but to overpower the rival group.”

Detectives said the Wawa parking lot was a busy location with a steady flow of customer traffic.

“Law enforcement reviewed various video angles and identified approximately 23 individuals placed at risk of death or serious bodily injury. This danger was instigated by the actions of the Pagans,” Holtzman and Scotti alleged. “The collective manner in which the Pagans entered the parking lot, positioned themselves and promptly started attacking the other individuals revealed a conscious disregard for the safety of employees, patrons of Wawa and their rivals.”

The investigation was conducted by members of the Montgomery County Detective Bureau’s Violent Crime Unit, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Gun Violence Reduction Task Force, Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General’s Gun Violence Task Force and police from West Norriton, Upper Merion, Norristown and Bridgeport.

Murder victim who was Satan’s Choice motorcycle club member remembered for ‘fierce loyalty’
Toronto Sun May 18, 2026 A-I Summary

Pasquale “Squals” Casciato, a 49-year-old member of the newly revived Satan’s Choice Motorcycle Club, was identified as one of two men shot to death in Vaughan, Ontario. Family and club members have publicly remembered him for his “fierce loyalty” following the tragedy. [1, 2]

The Incident
• The Shooting: On May 13, 2026, at approximately 5:30 p.m., Casciato and 34-year-old Christian Belsito were targeted in a driveway outside Casciato’s mother’s home. Over two dozen bullets were fired in the attack.
•
• The Suspects: York Regional Police reported that three suspects fled the scene in a blue SUV. A vehicle matching that description was found on fire roughly 15 minutes away shortly after the shooting.
•
• Biker Context: While Casciato was a former member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club and a current member of Satan’s Choice, the club’s president stated online that the tragic loss “wasn’t biker related”.
•
• Legal Background: At the time of his death, Casciato was under a court-ordered weapons ban stemming from a previous dispute involving charges of assault and uttering death threats. [1, 2]
•
Tributes and Tributes of Loyalty

Following his death, Casciato’s family and club leadership released statements honoring his life:

• Club Remembrance: Harley Davidson Guindon, president of the Satan’s Choice Motorcycle Club, praised Casciato’s unwavering allegiance to their brotherhood, describing him as family and noting that he “lived a life of authenticity, fierce loyalty, and had a presence that will never be forgotten”.
•
• Family Memorial: His official funeral announcement echoed these sentiments, highlighting his spirited personality, generous heart, and deep devotion to his close friends and family.
• Passions: Loved ones noted that Casciato got his motorcycle license before his driver’s license, loved working on his bike, was a passionate soccer goalie, and closely followed the Montreal Canadiens. [, 2, 3]
•
Satan’s Choice leadership organized a mass memorial ride to celebrate his life, opening the invitation to members of both Satan’s Choice and the Hells Angels. [, 2]

Trial to begin for Pagans Motorcycle Club members after Wawa shootout in West Norriton Township

By 6abc Digital Staff May 18, 2026

https://6abc.com/post/jury-selection-begins-pagan-motorcycle-club-trial-wawa-shootout-west-norriton-township-montgomery-county/19123596/

WEST NORRITON TWP., Pa. (WPVI) — Jury selection begins Monday for three members of the Pagans Motorcycle Club in connection with a shootout at a Montgomery County Wawa that left six people injured last year, including two bystanders.

Investigators say nine members of the Pagan Motorcycle Club showed up at the store on West Main Street in West Norriton Township and confronted two rival gang members.

Joel Hernandez-Martinez, 36, of Bridgeport, Pa.; Justin Ray Noll, 34, of Reading, Pa.; and George Cwienk III, 51, of Bridgeport, Pa., will be tried in front of a jury.

Joel Hernandez-Martinez, 36, of Bridgeport, Pa.; Justin Ray Noll, 34, of Reading, Pa.; and George Cwienk III, 51, of Bridgeport, Pa., will be tried in front of a jury.

According to investigators, members of the Unknown Bikers motorcycle gang stopped at the Wawa to gas up their bikes on October 17 at about 9:08 p.m.

Two minutes later, members of the Pagans were seen on surveillance video riding by, then pulling into the Wawa.

Some of the Pagans surrounded the Unknown Bikers, while other Pagans blocked any escape route, detectives said.

There was a physical altercation, in which the Pagans were allegedly seen trying to remove their rivals’ “cuts,” or gang colors.
Video shows Pagan gang members taking a “shooting platform stance,” the D.A.’s office said.

Just one minute after the Pagans arrived, detectives said gunfire erupted.

One member of the Unknown Bikers gang was shot in the left forearm and thigh.

The other three people shot were Pagans members Hernandez-Martinez, who was shot in the chest; Cwienk, who was shot in the ankle; and Noll, who was shot in the foot.

Jason Lawless, 45, of Bridgeport, Pa.; George Hripto, 50, of Bridgeport, Pa.; Manuel Baez-Santos, 34, of Norristown, Pa.; and Erik Rosenberger, 46, of East Greenville, Pa., have each pleaded guilty.

Two others had charges dismissed.

Norway arrests 27 at Oslo biker gang gathering
The Local Norway May 17, 2026

The Oslo police arrested 27 men on Saturday, May 16, 2026, during a raid on a gathering hosted by the outlaw motorcycle gang Comanches MC at a local marina.

The Investigation and Legal Charges

• The Gang’s Identity: Authorities stated that they consider Comanches MC to be a direct continuation of Satudarah MC, a criminal biker group officially banned by Norway’s Supreme Court in October 2024 due to a history of violent crime, extortion, and drug trafficking.

• Penal Code Violations: The arrested individuals range in age from their early 20s to their 50s. All face charges under Section 199 of Norway’s penal code, which explicitly targets participation in a criminal association.

• International Scope: The gathering included biker gang participants travelling from Sweden and Denmark, alongside local Norwegian members.

Next Steps and Border Control

• Custody Hearings: The Oslo police announced they are reviewing whether to bring the suspects before a court to request them to be remanded in custody, with hearings expected no earlier than Monday.

• Deportation Orders: For the foreign nationals detained during the marina raid, Norwegian authorities are actively evaluating the issuance of formal deportation orders to remove them from the country.

Would you like to know more about the legal framework Norway uses to ban criminal gangs, or would you like to look into recent police operations targeting organized crime networks in Oslo?

News in English.no +1

AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses

Fourth member of Pagan Motorcycle club pleads guilty in Montco Wawa shootout
3 other members will go on trial on Monday, May 18

ByJim Melwert KYW Radio May 15, 2026
https://www.audacy.com/kywnewsradio/news/local/fourth-member-pagan-motorcycle-club-shootout-pleads-guilty
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A fourth member of the Pagan Motorcycle Club has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from last fall’s shootout with a rival gang in a West Norriton Wawa parking lot.

rik Rosenberger, 46, of East Greenville, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and conspiracy. Prosecutors agreed to 11.5 to 23 months in county jail when Rosenberger is sentenced next month.

Rosenberger is requesting house arrest or work release. His attorney, Wendy Williams, said while Rosenberger is taking responsibility, the threat of a decade or more in prison weighed into the decision.

“For him to go to prison or jail for an extended amount of time would be absolutely devastating for his family, and he feels terrible about what happened, and he wanted to take responsibility for his actions.”

Prosecutors said Rosenberger was one of nine Pagans who pulled into the Wawa parking lot on Main Street and Trooper Road in West Norriton around 9 p.m on Oct. 17 when they saw two members of the Unknown motorcycle club getting gas. They blocked the exits and surrounded the two.

The Unknowns drew guns and opened fire in what prosecutors said was self-defense.

Fourteen shots were fired; six people were wounded.

Nine Pagans were charged. Charges against two people — Luke Higgins and Erik Dixon — were thrown out. Three others — Jason Lawless, George Hripto, and Manuel Baez-Santos — have pleaded guilty. Joel Hernandez-Martinez, Justin Knoll, and George Cwienk will go on trial starting on Monday.

Two more Pagans members plead guilty in West Norriton Wawa biker club confrontation that erupted in gunfire

MAY 16, 2026 TONY DI DOMIZIO

Two more Pagans members plead guilty in West Norriton Wawa biker club confrontation that erupted in gunfire

Prosecutors say assault on rival motorcycle club members led to shooting that wounded six people, including bystanders

Two more members of the Pagans Outlaw Motorcycle Club have pleaded guilty for their roles in the October 2025 confrontation at a Wawa parking lot that escalated into gunfire and left six people wounded, including two uninvolved bystanders.

George Hripto Jr., 50, of Bridgeport, and Manuel “Machete” Baez-Santos, 35, of Norristown, each entered guilty pleas in recent days before Montgomery County Judge Risa Vetri Ferman in connection with the Oct. 17, 2025 altercation outside the convenience store at 2544 W. Main St., according to The Mercury.

Authorities alleged the confrontation began around 9:12 p.m. after multiple Pagans members encountered two members of the rival Unknown Bikers Motorcycle Gang at the gas pumps.

According to prosecutors, the Pagans viewed Montgomery County as their territory and believed the rival club should not have been present without permission.

Hripto pleaded guilty last week to misdemeanor charges of simple assault and conspiracy to commit simple assault. He was sentenced to time served to 23 months in jail, followes.

Baez-Santos pleaded guilty Thursday to d by 23 months of consecutive probation. Court records indicated Hripto had already spent 151 days in jail following his Oct. 30 arrest.felony aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit simple assault. Ferman sentenced him to 11½ to 23 months in the county jail followed by three years of probation. He received credit for 156 days already served.

Both men were ordered to have no contact with victims or witnesses and to stay away from the West Norriton Wawa.

Assistant District Attorney Libby Ann Hemler told the court the defendants admitted they understood confrontations with rival outlaw motorcycle gangs could become violent.

Prosecutors said Hripto acknowledged he rode with other Pagans into the Wawa parking lot knowing members intended to confront and assault the Unknown Bikers. While Hripto did not physically attack anyone, authorities said he admitted acting as backup support if fellow Pagans needed assistance during the altercation.

Baez-Santos admitted he personally participated in the physical assault, according to prosecutors.

“He admitted that there was an underlying agreement that if they were to see a rival biker gang in their territory, they would approach them and that it could turn violent,” Hemler said during Baez-Santos’ plea hearing, according to The Mercury.

Defense attorney Brendan Campbell argued Baez-Santos did not fire any shots during the confrontation but acknowledged his client ultimately accepted responsibility for participating in the assault that preceded the gunfire.

Investigators said the violence escalated after several Pagans members surrounded and attacked the two Unknown Bikers members near the gas pumps. Authorities alleged many of the bikers carried firearms or knives during the encounter.

During earlier hearings, Montgomery County prosecutors argued surveillance footage showed the Pagans intentionally bypassed the Wawa’s primary entrance before entering through another access point and coordinating around the rival bikers

“Through review of various video sources, the Pagans bypassed the initial entrance to the Wawa and then entered a secondary entrance and immediately worked in tandem surrounding the two members of the Unknown Bikers Gang,” Montgomery County Detective David Holtzman and West Norriton Detective Robert Scotti alleged in the arrest affidavit.

Gunfire erupted moments later.

A male bystander pumping air into his tires suffered a gunshot wound to the face below his eye, while a female bystander standing near the store entrance was shot in the torso, according to testimony presented during earlier proceedings.
Authorities additionally said three Pagans members — George Cwienk III, Justin “Junkyard” Ray Noll and Joel “Chihuahua” Hernandez-Martinez — were wounded, along with one member of the Unknown Bikers.

Defense attorneys for the Pagans have repeatedly pointed to evidence showing 13 of the 14 cartridge casings recovered at the scene were allegedly tied to firearms used by the Unknown Bikers members, who have not been criminally charged. Defense lawyers argued the rival bikers were responsible for the shooting injuries.

Prosecutors, however, maintain the Unknown Bikers acted in self-defense after being ambushed.
Hemler and co-prosecutor Bradley Walter Deckel have argued none of the shootings would have occurred if the Pagans had not initiated the attack in a crowded public parking lot.

Authorities originally charged nine Pagans members in connection with the incident.

Earlier this year, Ferman dismissed all charges against Erik Dixon, 33, of Upper Merion, and Luke Clayton Higgins, 29, of Berks County, after defense attorneys argued prosecutors failed to sufficiently establish their roles in the incident.

Hripto and Baez-Santos join Jason William Lawless, 46, of Bridgeport, as defendants who have now resolved their cases through guilty pleas.
Four remaining defendants — George T. Cwienk III, Erik P. Rosenberger, Hernandez-Martinez and Noll — are still scheduled for trial beginning May 18 on assault-related charges tied to the confrontation.

The investigation involved the Montgomery County Detective Bureau’s Violent Crime Unit, the county’s Gun Violence Reduction Task Force, Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office Gun Violence Task Force and several local police departments.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records and information provided by the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office

Stockton ‘outlaw’ biker club boss headed to prison after gun bust

By Aldo Toledo,Staff WriterMay 12, 2026
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/stockton-biker-convicted-22256318.php

The founder of a Stockton-based motorcycle club is headed to prison after trafficking illegal weapons, stockpiling military-grade explosives and trying to flee the country before his trial.

Jashanpreet Singh, 27, of Lodi, was sentenced Monday to five years and four months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.

Authorities said Singh founded the Punjabi Devils Motorcycle Club, an “outlaw motorcycle gang” that blends Punjabi identity with outlaw biker imagery associated with the Hells Angels, one of the country’s most notorious biker gangs, authorities said.

Singh tried to broker a deal with an undercover cop on June 6, 2025, offering him a cache of illegal weapons that included assault-style rifles, a short-barreled rifle, machine gun conversion devices and a revolver. Agents found an arsenal in his home, authorities said.

Singh had stockpiled hand grenades, Claymore mines and other explosives, a discovery that prompted the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office to send out a bomb squad and destroy the explosives at the scene.

Singh initially faced charges in San Joaquin County but disappeared. The same month, federal agents caught him at San Francisco International Airport trying to hop on a flight to India, authorities said. He has remained behind bars since.