Category: Gangs in the news…

5 charged in connection with alleged 2022 Pagan Motorcycle Club-related slaying in Marion Co., West Virginia

wvnews.com June 14, 2023
https://www.wvnews.com/news/wvnews/5-charged-in-connection-with-alleged-2022-pagan-motorcycle-club-related-slaying-in-marion-co/article_cb09c61a-0ad7-11ee-a36f-27fa7559922c.html
FAIRMONT, W.Va. (WV News) — Law enforcement officials charged five men Wednesday in connection with the homicide last September of Henry Silver, with police saying they believe the slaying was related to the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club.
Marion County Sheriff Jimmy Riffle said that law enforcement across the state and beyond executed arrest warrants early Wednesday morning based on sealed indictments from the Marion County grand jury that pertained to the homicide.
Law enforcement arrested Jonathan Biller, 42, Derek Clem, 28, Dane Hull, 27, and Austin Mullins, 26, in connection with the murder. John Lee Wolfe, 33, who was arrested in October in connection with the case, was also charged with the others Wednesday.
All the defendants have been charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit a felony and use or presentation of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Mullins, of Philippi and Weston, was arrested when officers from Bridgeport Police SWAT, Bridgeport Police, Mountaineer Highway Interdiction Team South, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and federal law enforcement raided the residence of Mark Allen Smith at 479 McDonald Hollow Road, Clarksburg.
Smith, not named in the Marion County indictment, was charged in Harrison County Magistrate Court with possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine after law enforcement found “numerous firearms, explosives material, a large quantity of a crystal substance suspected to be methamphetamine, scales, packaging materials and U.S. currency” in the residence, according to a criminal complaint.
Law enforcement also found marijuana psilocybin mushrooms, drug paraphernalia, hits of acid and an active indoor marijuana grow, the complaint alleges.
Nicholas Littleton was charged with obstructing and fleeing as a part of the investigation.
“Our office is continuing its investigation into the roles these suspects may have played in the homicide, as well as any other criminal activity,” Riffle said. “Evidence is still being collected and analyzed.”
Riffle said seven search warrants were served over a four-county region of Marion, Harrison, Lewis and Barbour. None of the suspects were arrested in Marion, with Hull being taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service near Pittsburgh.
Several agencies have been assisting in the investigation: Fairmont Police, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, Bridgeport Police, the West Virginia State Police, the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI and the Marion and Monongalia County Departments of Homeland Security.

Shooting, crash in Lubbock possibly related to biker gang rivalry, court records said
by: Staff | newsweb@everythinglubbock.com
Posted: May 24, 2023 / 04:11 PM CDT

https://www.everythinglubbock.com/news/shooting-crash-in-lubbock-possibly-related-to-biker-gang-rivalry-court-records-said/
LUBBOCK, Texas– Joedaniel Herrero,27, and Mark Escobedo Jr., 30, were arrested after they were accused of being connected to a drive-by shooting in South Lubbock over the weekend, according to court documents obtained by EverythingLubbock.com on Tuesday.
Court documents suggested the shooting stemmed from a rivalry between biker gangs “The Bandidos” and “The Mongols.” Court records stated a victim told officers two men on motorcycles, later identified as Herrero and Escobedo Jr., rode past the home of the victims and yelled “f*** you b******, we’re the Bandidos.”
According to court documents, Herrero and Escobedo Jr. “drove to the stop sign … turned around” and started shooting towards the victim. She told police she had no problems with “The Banditos” and didn’t know why her home was targeted.
The boyfriend of the victim told police he believed Herrero and Escobedo Jr. were aiming at him. He also said he began to chase one of the bikers through the parking lot of Jimmy John’s. The chase ended near Frankford Avenue.
According to the warrant, Herrero lost control of his motorcycle during the chase and crashed.
Court records said the boyfriend of the victim was a member of the Mongols Biker Gang. According to the warrant, the victim’s boyfriend “‘talks a lot of crap’ to the Bandidos.” Court records said the Mongols and the Bandidos have had “several incidents in Plainview.”

Mother’s Day bar gunfight involved Kansas motorcycle club
Posted May 20, 2023 10:00 AM
https://hayspost.com/posts/b170f6c6-3de4-484c-91ea-027970684c13
SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities continue investigating a gunfight near a bar early on Mother’s Day that sent a victim to the hospital.
On Friday the Shawnee County Sheriff’s office released additional details on their investigation of events.
Just after 2:15a.m. May 14, deputies with the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call of multiple gunshots in the parking lot of Victoria’s Bar, 5011 SW Topeka Boulevard.
When law enforcement arrived, it was discovered that a 41-year-old man subject had engaged in a verbal altercation in the parking lot with a group of individuals associated with the Hell’s Lovers Motorcycle Club. Several shots were fired.
During the shooting, a vehicle that was arriving at the business to pick up an employee of the business was also fired upon. The driver of the vehicle, a 35-year-old man, was struck multiple times by gunfire, but managed to flee the scene. The vehicle was located a short time later in the 4500 block of SW Topeka Boulevard. The driver was transported to a local hospital where he was treated and released.
In addition, at the time of the shooting, a separate individual that had not been inside the bar and not involved in the original altercation, was sitting in his vehicle in the business parking lot when the shooting began. That individual then exited his vehicle with a firearm and also began shooting at the vehicle that was ultimately located by law enforcement in the 4500 block of SW Topeka Boulevard. That individual was also taken into custody on requested charges of aggravated assault, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal discharge of a firearm.
On Wednesday, the sheriff’s office reported four arrests.
Leon D. Smith-Love I., 28, of Topeka, is being held for aggravated assault, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal discharge of a firearm.
Kathryn R. Hazelwood, 26, of Topeka is being held on requested charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Charles D. Wheat, 42, of Topeka, is in custody on requested charges of aggravated assault and criminal discharge of a firearm.
Jason M. Blenden Sr., 49, of Topeka, was booked in on an arrest warrant and could face additional charges.
On Thursday the sheriff’s office reported the arrest of Storm M. Morgan, 30, of Meriden, on requested charges of criminal discharge of a firearm.
Shawn M. Ray, 39, of Topeka, is in custody on requested charges of criminal discharge of a firearm, aggravated assault and interference with law enforcement.

Charges dismissed in motorcycle club stabbing after ‘crucial witness’ goes missing
by: Matt Christy FOX59 WXIN-TV Indianapolis, Indiana May 18, 2023

https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/charges-dismissed-in-motorcycle-club-stabbing-after-crucial-witness-goes-missing/
ANDERSON, Ind. — The Madison County Prosecutor’s Office said felony charges against two members of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club have been thrown out after a “crucial witness” has gone missing.
The two members of the motorcycle club were originally accused of taking part in a near-fatal stabbing that occurred in a men’s restroom at Woody’s Tavern in Lapel in April 2021.
Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings previously said that victim of the attempted murder was a Chicago man who stopped at Woody’s Tavern. He had been wearing Outlaws patches but hadn’t been aware that two real Outlaws were in the same tavern.
“They weren’t too happy to find he was a guy wearing the stuff but really wasn’t part of their gang, got into a conflict, he got stabbed several times,” Cummings previously said.
Outlaws Motorcycle Club HQ searched for stabbing evidence
After repeatedly stabbing the man, the Outlaws were accused of taking his colors and his jacket before leaving the bar.
In May 2021, police raided a Outlaws Motorcycle Club headquarters on Anderson’s south side in search of evidence related to the stabbing along with one of the suspects whom police had still been searching for.
Despite the raid and arrests in the case, the prosecutor’s office announced on Thursday that the charges against the two club members were dismissed without prejudice due to the prosecution being unable to locate the crucial witness.
But though the charges are dismissed, the case can still be re-filed if the witness is ever located and decides to cooperate with the prosecution.
Cummings said that the Outlaws presence in Madison County wasn’t anything new, but traditionally the club has kept a low profile.
“There’s been Outlaws here for decades,” he said, “but off-and-on, sometimes they come, sometimes they go, it appears they’re coming back, making an appearance here.”
Indianapolis police sources previously said that the attack on the Chicago man in the small bar just miles from Anderson occurred at the same time as several other Outlaws members were traveling to Indianapolis for a gathering where a ride was planned to New Palestine where some club members are buried.

Two Hells Angels guilty of racketeering crimes, including murder and beatdown, third member found not guilty
Crimes included murder plot where victim was cremated illegally

By NATE GARTRELL | ngartrell@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: May 17, 2023 at 4:47 p.m. | UPDATED: May 18, 2023 at 3:58 a.m.

Two Hells Angels guilty of racketeering crimes, including murder and beatdown, third member found not guilty

SAN FRANCISCO — Two well-known members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club were convicted of racketeering and other federal offenses Wednesday, while a third member has been acquitted of witness intimidation, authorities said.
Raymond “Ray Ray” Foakes, the former president of the Hells Angels’ Sonoma chapter, was convicted of racketeering conspiracy, assault with a deadly weapon and witness intimidation, while Christopher “Rain Man” Ranieri was convicted of involvement in a murder conspiracy and racketeering. Brian Burke was found not guilty of intimidating a woman who alleged that Foakes had sexually assaulted her.
Jurors reached the verdicts after two full days of deliberation that started on Monday. Prosecutors and defense attorneys gave their final pitches to the jury last Friday.

The convictions mark the next major step in an ongoing prosecution of a dozen members and associations of the Sonoma Hells Angels, and the second trial to result in guilty verdicts. Both Ranieri and Foakes face decades in prison, but a sentencing date has not yet been set, according to court records.
Ranieri, the president of the Hells Angels’ Salem/Boston chapter, was convicted of involvement in the conspiracy to murder Joel Silva, a sergeant-at-arms in the Sonoma Hells Angels who prosecutors say was shot in the back of the head, then illegally cremated at a Fresno funeral home. The July 2014 murder went unsolved for years, until a former Richmond Hells Angels came forward with a stunning story that Silva had been killed for increasingly erratic behavior and threatening one of Ranieri’s best friends during a motorcycle event on the East Coast.
Foakes, meanwhile, was convicted of beating a former Sonoma Hells Angel after discovering an affair between the victim and his wife. The man testified that Foakes and others assaulted him for hours inside the Sonoma clubhouse, during which time Foakes allegedly left, sexually assaulted the man’s wife, then returned to continue the beating.
Burke had been charged with intimidating the woman Foakes allegedly sexually assaulted, by making a gesture at her after driving by her on a Sonoma County street. During trial, Burke’s attorney called the case flimsy and propped up by unreliable witness statements.
The charges have been active since 2017, when the FBI conducted a series of raids that resulted in the arrests of a dozen Hells Angels members. Last year, three others — Jonathan “Jon Jon” Nelson, Brian Wendt, and Russel “Rusy” Ott were convicted of playing different roles in Silva’s murder. Nelson of helping plan it, Ott of luring him to Fresno, and Wendt of shooting Silva in the back of the head after he bent down to look at some marijuana inside the Fresno Hells Angels clubhouse.
After the murder, prosecutors say Merl Hefferman, a prominent Fresno Hells Angel, directed a relative and another man to bring Silva’ body to a nearby funeral home and place it into the cremation oven with another person. A second member of the club, Robbie Huff, allegedly drove Silva’s truck to a remote location and set it on fire.

Huff is now listed as a missing person and his current whereabouts are unknown. Police say he was last seen near the Fresno area.
In both trials, Joseph Hardisty, a former Richmond Hells Angel, testified for the prosecution that he and Silva were close friends until a major motorcycle festival on the East Coast in 2014, when Silva completely alienated himself from the club by using drugs and being obnoxious. He testified that the plot to kill Silva started right after the festival.
After Nelson, Wendt, and Ott were convicted, prosecutors charged a man named Samuel Holquin with witness intimidation for allegedly sending Hardisty pictures of him and his family and making comments about harming them.

Thunderguard with HAMC Iron Range

Three attached Thunderguard members showed up at the HAMC Iron Range party in northern Minnesota.

Requesting ID on the Thunderguard members

Thanks!

Dan Michener

Special Agent, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA)

It is a lesson learned’: Sheriff talks after 2 killed, 4 injured in weekend shooting
https://www.wrdw.com/2023/05/15/watch-sheriff-talks-after-2-killed-10-charged-weekend-shooting/
By Staff Published: May. 15, 2023
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Richmond County Sheriff Richard Roundtree held a news conference after a weekend shooting that left two dead and four others injured Saturday evening.
Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen identified those who died as Keith Coates, 30, of Valdosta, and Germayne Farrell, 51, of Daytona Beach, Fla.
The conference was scheduled to start at 11 a.m. on Monday.
Roundtree confirms that this shooting adds Augusta to the list of over 280 mass shootings we’ve seen so far in 2023.
“Gun violence has risen nationwide this year, and sadly, Augusta is not exempt,” said Roundtree.
Among the things discussed, he confirms a fire vehicle ran over a dead body on the scene. Roundtree reports fire personnel did not see the individual. He says the agency has a traffic report that is not yet available for release.
The shooting occurred at the clubhouse of the Outcast Motorcycle Club. The shooting involved Outcast and the Thug Riders. He says the Outcast building has not been shut down due to the investigation. Roundtree says the city hosted the Augusta Air Show and Mayfest, and that was overshadowed by out-of-town individuals.
He says several Thug Rider members were at MayFest. They then left the area and traveled to the Outcast clubhouse.
“We didn’t know that trouble was coming to our city. We didn’t know that trouble was already in our city,” he said.
Roundtree says 10 suspects were arrested and charged with two counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault. Three are still receiving treatment, including Deja Dotson and Jonathan Keaton. Dotson and Keaton have arrest warrants issued.
Only one suspect has a local address.
• 31-year-old James Bryant of Fayetteville, N.C.
• 39-year-old Freddie Crosson of Saint Marys, GA.
• 38-year-old Tyson Harper of Lumberton, N.C.
• 26-year-old McKayla Rickett of Kingsland, GA.
• 44-year-old Larry Ross of Hephzibah, GA.
• 30-year-old Cory Sapp of Kingsland, GA.
• 30-year-old Jessica Sapp of Kingsland, GA.
• 42-year-old Larry Sutton of Fayetteville, N.C.
• 43-year-old Kenneth Taylor of Boynton Beach, Fla.
• 28-year-old Matthew Willis of Saint Marys, GA.
Four suspects were a part of the Outcast Motorcycle Club, and eight were Thug Riders.
To bring this type of violence to our city, to add us to a national mass shooting list is unconscionable. This is something we will not tolerate here in Richmond County. That is why each individual who is involved or we feel to be involved or has any part in this will face charges,” he said.
He says the issue was not due to a lack of police presence. Roundtree says they had more deputies on the roads because they were leaving those two events. At least 20 officers were on the scene, and he says you could hear gunfire from a few blocks away.
“While this incident of violence is horrific, and many of the other tragic incidents that have occurred in this country and will still occur … my light will continue to push forward in the confidence that I have in the men and women of the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and the citizens of Richmond County,” said Roundtree.
Investigators found more than 150 shell cases on the scene. Roundtree says this was an “extremely large scene”, and kids were playing outside in a neighborhood right down the street.
“With 150 rounds, I’m sure it was more than two individuals,” he said.
When asked how to stop people from coming into Augusta with violence in mind, he says the sheriff’s office has to have good intel and that looking at South Carolina, they can see that crime can cross state lines easily.
“Very rarely do we see Florida to Augusta, but we have to increase our network, and a lot further reach. It is a lesson learned for us that we need to better our network when it comes to gun violence and gang violence that may spill over,” said Roundtree.
Officials believe this was a targeted attack from the individuals from Flordia who traveled three to four hours to engage in gun violence. They believe it stemmed from a recent incident that started in Florida. Additional information was not released regarding the Florida incident.
He says the Thug Riders came to Augusta in retaliation.
He says there was no permit to block off the street for the cookout that deputies learned Outcast was having.
In response to the shooting, regional affiliates with the clubs were mobilizing to retaliate again in Augusta. The sheriff’s office briefed Mayor Garnett Johnson and other city officials about the potential threat of another major shooting. Right now, the sheriff says there’s still an ongoing threat right now, but they’re prepared.

“We continue to monitor this situation in real-time and we will advise the public of any confirmed threat if they develop,” said Roundtree.
He says 13 motorcycles were taken into evidence, along with one car and 10 firearms. Weapons were found inside the clubhouse, vehicles, and nearby businesses from when the suspects fled the scene.
One Richmond County patrol car was also hit in the shooting.
Copyright 2023 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

Ultimate bikie betrayal as former Bandidos boss ‘patches over’ to the world’s most notorious outlaw motorcycle gang amid fears of a major turf war
• Bandido Jason Fahey defects to Hells Angels
• Fears the move could lead to turf war
• Hells Angels also had Rebels chapter join
By DAVID SOUTHWELL FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA | UPDATED: 14 May 2023

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12081841/Ex-Bandidos-bikie-boss-Jason-Fahey-Hells-Angel-amid-fear-turf-war.html
The defection of a high-profile bikie boss to a rival club has fuelled fears of a bloody turf.
Former Bandidos national president Jason Fahey has ‘patched over’ to the Hells Angels who are aggressively expanding their presence in Sydney.

Recently an entire Sydney chapter of Rebels bikies are believed to have defected to the Hells Angels with the outlaw bikie gang taking advantage of rival’s weaknesses to gain a foothold in the city’s south.
After a decade at the top of the Bandidos hierarchy Fahey is considered a major figure in the bikie world and some found it hard to believe when he posted an image of himself arm-in-arm with senior Hells Angels members.
One shocked response was ‘you gone to HA????’.
However, others expressed their delight.
‘Cuzn. About time. welcome to the biggest and best MC worldwide,’ one post said.
Another wrote ‘ready to rumble’.
Fahey has also appeared on the Instagram account of Hells Angeles Liverpool chapter boss Shayan Jaberiyanfar.
‘There will be a lot of guys who will follow him,’ one bikie insider told the Daily Telegraph.
‘He is a big name.’
The major coup comes after the Hells Angels brazenly boasted last month about opening up a new ‘Bayside’ chapter in Brighton-Le-Sands, Sydney’s south, in the heart of rival Comanchero territory.
The bold move was made with a raft of senior leadership within the Comanchero including Allan Meehan, Tarek Zahed, Mick Murray and Mark Buddle are all currently behind bars on remand awaiting trial over separate matters.
Similar weaknesses have also plagued the Bandidos and the Rebels.
The Hells Angels are the world’s largest bikie gang with almost 4000 members across an estimated 475 chapters in more than 60 countries.

12 charged in deadly Augusta shootout between rival biker gangs

12 charged in deadly Augusta shootout between rival biker gangs

Greg Rickabaugh Augusta Press May 14, 2023
Authorities are filing double-murder charges against 12 people after Saturday’s shootout in Augusta between rival motorcycle gangs left two people dead and three injured.
The shootout reportedly involved members of the black motorcycle gang, Outcast Motorcycle Club, and a mixed-race biker gang, Thug Riders MC. Only one of the suspects is from Augusta.
Outcast has their clubhouse on East Boundary and was hosting a gathering, according to witnesses. An argument between the groups led to a shootout around 7 p.m. Saturday near the clubhouse and along Sand Bar Ferry Road, killing 30-year-old Keith Coates of Valdosta, Ga., and 51-year-old Germayne Farrell of Daytona Beach, Florida.
Authorities said no one was cooperating in the investigation, leaving them to charge a dozen of those connected to the shootout with two counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault.

They include:
James Bryant, 31, of Fayetteville, N.C., B/M
Larry Sutton, 42, of Fayetteville, N.C., B/M
Tysen Darrell Harper, 38, of Lumberton, N.C., B/M
Jonathan Keaton, 32, of St. Marys, Georgia., B/M
Larry Ross, 44, of Augusta, Ga., B/M
Deja Dotson, 30, of St. Marys, Georgia, B/M
Cory Sapp, 30, of Kingsland, Ga., W/M
Jessica Sapp, 30, of Kingsland, Georgia, W/F
McKayla Renee Rickett, 26, of Kingsland, Georgia., W/F
Matthew Perry Willis, 28, of St. Mary’s, Georgia, W/M
Freddie Wallace Crosson, 39, of St. Mary’s, Georgia, W/M
Kenneth Lamar Taylor, 43, of Boynton Beach, Florida, B/M
Cory Sapp, 30, of Kingsland, Ga., W/M
Three of those facing charges were shot, including critical injuries to Jonathan Keaton and less serious injuries to Larry Ross and Deja Dotson. Jailers at the Charles B. Webster Detention Center were working through Sunday morning to book many of the suspects into the jail.
As previously reported, the number of people who were shot instantly landed Augusta on the national list of mass shootings that has plagued the United States. The national number hit 260 on Saturday, with a “mass shooting” defined as “an incident of violence in which 4 or more people are shot.”
Complicating Saturday’s investigation are reports that a fire official ran over one of the bodies with his city vehicle, with a witness video showing the incident as it happened live. Several local residents reacted in shock. “That man on the ground dead and the EMS truck just ran him over y’all,” the Facebook user says.

How a Cold War Between Rival Biker Gangs on Cape Cod Turned Red Hot
A bloody brawl last year between the Hells Angels and the Pagans was just the latest conflict in a long-simmering feud between the two criminal organizations.

Chris Hippensteel Daily Beast May. 12, 2023

A newly unsealed FBI search warrant reveals how a turf war between rival biker gangs in Southern Massachusetts sparked a bloody 50-man street brawl, which resulted in several gang members being stabbed and bludgeoned.
The heavily redacted warrant, which was filed by an FBI task force officer and unsealed Thursday, details how the Hells Angels motorcycle gang and their supporters came to blows with a rival club called the Pagans in May 2022 over the latter’s encroachment on their territory.
Both the Hells Angels and Pagans are well-established outlaw motorcycle gangs, with a history of crimes across the country ranging from narcotics trafficking to racketeering. They also can’t stand each other, harboring a long-simmering feud that occasionally flares up into open violence.
According to the warrant, tensions boiled over between the gangs in April 2022, as the Pagans, who were new in the region, opened a chapter in Fall River. The small city is located on the Southern Massachusetts coast near the Rhode Island border, in an area where the Hells Angels long held sway.
But the Hells Angels had been neglecting the area of late, the warrant states—they’d allowed a chapter in the area to lie dormant for over a decade.
That left room for the Pagans to expand. They quickly moved into nearby Fall River. The Hells Angels, taking notice of this encroachment, reestablished their presence in Cape Cod, putting up a sign outside their newly christened clubhouse to announce their return.
“It was apparent from this change, that the HAMC was intending to reassert its dominance in South Coastal Massachusetts,” the warrant said.
Around the same time, the Hells Angels put out a nationwide “green light” order against the Pagans, the warrant said, citing minutes recently seized from a Hells Angels meeting. The “green light” gave Hells Angels members the go-ahead to “attack on sight” any Pagans members, according to the court document.”

The confrontation came soon after.
On the morning of May 14, more than 100 Hells Angels riders gathered at a rest stop in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, to fuel their bikes en route to the Pagans clubhouse in Fall River. Their ranks included the Hells Angel Salem chapter, which a confidential informant told the task force is a power-player among the gang’s Massachusetts chapters, the warrant said. Local allies of the group, including the Sidewinders motorcycle gang, offered backup.
Gang members talked, bought snacks and snapped pictures for social media before embarking on a ride that would end with several people stabbed and beaten on the street.
Cameras operated by the Fall River Police Department tracked the 100-strong group of bikers as they rode to Fall River and carried out the attack.. According to the document, a faction of about 40 Hells Angels broke off from the main group and rode by the Pagans’ stronghold. Pagans’ members, along with their girlfriends and wives, gathered inside and outside the clubhouse as they passed.
The Hells Angels returned a few minutes later from the opposite direction, the warrant said. This time, about 25 riders stopped their bikes, dismounted and descended on the Pagans gathered outside with knives, hammers and clubs.
“An additional dozen or more HAMC members and associates were present at the scene and provided support by blocking traffic and serving as lookouts during the attack,” the warrant said.
According to the warrant, the sidewalk outside the clubhouse became a battlefield, as the two dozen Hells Angels swarmed six or seven Pagans targets.
One Pagan member “was impaled with a dagger which was still protruding from his upper body” when police made it to the scene. Several others sustained injuries including stabbings and blunt force trauma. Several Hells Angels brandished ballpeen hammers, a signature weapon of the gang, the warrant said.
When the attack was over, “notable amounts of victims’ blood” has been splattered on both sidewalks, the sides of nearby cars and buildings, and one motorcycle visor recovered from the scene, the warrant said. The bloody melee lasted just a few minutes.
All in all, seven victims were transported to regional hospitals.
When it was over, the warrant said, authorities suspect the Hells Angels retreated to their reclaimed Cape Cod clubhouse. Investigators surveilling the property watched as cars and motorcycles sped away from the gated stronghold. Their drivers scattered in various directions, wearing different clothes.
“The presence of many HAMC members in Westport also suggests that weapons and other incriminating items from the crime scene could have been concealed at the clubhouse shortly after the attack,” the warrant read.
In the days following the incident, a confidential informant told investigators that the Hells Angels planned the attack “because PMC members had disrespected the HAMC,” and the latter needed to reassert their dominance.
It wasn’t Fall River’s first biker gang clash. In 2019, members of Hells Angels ally Sidewinders club engaged in a gunfight with the Outlaws motorcycle gang, The Fall River Herald News reported.
After the 2022 attack, the city of Fall River closed down the Pagans’ former club house and moved ahead with plans to revitalize the neighborhood.
In July of that year, the FBI raided multiple Hell’s Angels properties, including the reestablished club house where the gang put up a sign to advertise its return to the region.
It doesn’t appear the two groups have come to public blows since the massive Fall River brawl, but a confidential informant still cautioned the task force “that further violence against the PMC would likely follow.”