Washington bike show canceled after local bar says they were targeted and attacked by motorcycle club
By Megan Shinn
Updated on: August 19, 2025 / 12:32 PM EDT / CBS Pittsburgh
https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/washington-rally-on-main-canceled-bar-attacked-motorcycle-club/
The City of Washington’s Rally on Main bike show has been canceled after a local bar says it was targeted and attacked by a motorcycle club.
The city announced Monday afternoon that this year’s event, which was set to feature live music, food trucks, vendors, and a best of show motorcycle competition, has been canceled and said it was “due to an unfortunate event that occurred in Washington County over the weekend.”
Forty Bar & Grille later said on social media that their establishment was targeted in a “brutal and unprovoked attack” at the hands of an area motorcycle club on Saturday night.
The bar said the violent act was traumatic and caused several bartenders and guests to hide in the basement while the attack was going on.
“We want to make it absolutely clear: our bar had no affiliation, engagement, or prior dealings with this motorcycle club,” the bar said. “We were victims of their intimidation and violence. Our only priority in that moment was protecting the people inside our establishment.
The bar said that the aftermath of the attack has left the community shaken and that, as a result of the weekend’s events, this year’s Rally on Main cannot move forward.
“To our loyal patrons, our incredible staff, and the greater Washington community: please know that your safety will always remain our top priority,” the bar said. “We are cooperating fully with law enforcement to ensure justice is served and that those responsible are held accountable.”
The mayor of the neighboring city of Washington, Jojo Burgess, said he knows the business well.
“I go there, I eat, they have good food, they do different things and stuff like that, so it’s just unfortunate what happened,” Burgess said.
Now, state police are leading the investigation into what exactly happened.
Burgess said he talked to his city’s police department about information on how “one biker group and another biker group got into a fight, there were gunshots.”
“Whenever our officers that were assisting state police got on scene, I know that there was shell casings, blood at the scene,” he said.
It’s an unnerving situation that took place just days before the event.
“It was a very nice event that we really like here in the city, and it also generates revenue for our downtown businesses because of the foot traffic that’s there, so that’s why this was a tough decision to make,” said Burgess.
After this shooting, though, Burgess said he and others wanted more security present.
“We can’t force and mandate officers to stay for a festival or an event,” said Burgess. He said the city of Washington’s police chief even reached out to other agencies, which faced the same staffing issues.
“I know that nine times out of 10 things don’t happen, but what about that one time when it does? I would’ve felt real bad if we didn’t have protection down there and something would’ve happened, and we didn’t take this action,” Burgess said.
KDKA has reached out to the Washington County District Attorney’s Office and the Pennsylvania State Police for more information about the alleged attack.
The City of Washington says Rally on Main will return next August.
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Update: Washington PA Biker Gang Fight Had War Dogs MC Member Victim
Washington County bartender recounts how biker group “brutally and savagely” beat patron
By Jennifer Borrasso
Updated on: August 20, 2025 / 4:07 AM EDT / CBS Pittsburgh
Employees at a Washington County bar are on edge after they were attacked by a big group of bikers.
The violent scene unfolded at Forty Bar and Grille in Washington County over the weekend. The bar’s owner said she believes it was a targeted attack, and sources said the victim may have been in a different biker group.
“They had clubs, bats, knives, guns, I’m assuming,” bartender Julia Quartur said.
Quartur recounts the terrifying moments she witnessed early Sunday morning. She said dozens of motorcycle club members known as the War Dogs targeted one of the bar’s regulars, beating him under this booth.
“They all just jumped on him and beat him so brutally and savagely. Like probably 15, 20 of them. They beat him until he literally was not moving on the ground,” Quartur said.
What did you do?” KDKA-TV’s Jen Borrasso asked.
“I’m screaming, me and my other bartender behind the bar, screaming on the top of our lungs to stop, stop, please stop, and just feeling absolutely helpless,” she said.
Quartur says she, her coworkers and a handful of customers were so scared, they scrambled for shelter in the basement.
“I almost felt just frozen in fear and I’ve never had such a sense of helplessness in my entire life,” she said.
“They just started destroying everything on the back deck, throwing bottles, throwing chairs through the doors, shattered everything,” she added.
At one point, sources said gunshots were fired outside of the bar. No one was hit.
The bar’s co-owner, Cheyenne Dennison, called 911 and rushed to help her employees.
“I’m screaming for (the bartenders), trying to get their attention, I’m screaming for them to get out of here,” Dennison said.
“They finally came creeping up the steps. I knew they were OK. That was my number one thing coming here, is I wanted to make sure my employees were OK,” she added.
Dennison says the motorcyle club members were gone when police arrived, and so was the victim.
“I don’t know what caused this. I don’t know what would cause anybody to act the way they did,” she said.
Pennsylvania State Police troopers are investigating the incident.
That attack is prompting local leaders to cancel an upcoming motorcycle event in the nearby city of Washington. Rally on Main had been scheduled for Saturday. City leaders say that will no longer happen, but they plan to bring it back next year.
****************** Posible motive for the gang fight
PAGANS MC ATTACKED IN MASSIVE INCIDENT AT BAR
One response to “PAGANS MC ATTACKED IN MASSIVE INCIDENT AT BAR”
1.
Dave Wayne
August 20, 2025 at 12:09 pm
At first I felt bad for the owners of the bar, but the owner is dating a Pagan and allowing the Pagans to use her bar like a club house. It seems the War Dogs came looking for payback about two of their guys being beaten at The Old Trails Cafe a while back. By hanging out in that bar they are putting the owner and the civilians there at risk. If they would do their drinking at their own clubhouse this wouldn’t have happened. When I lived in Washington County the Independent bikers like me kept the clubs out of our biker bars for the fact that we didn’t want them claiming the bar as their bar, or inviting trouble from clubs they had a beef with. They were allowed to come in and have a couple drinks (without colors on) but they were not allowed to take control of the joint. Bike clubs were a good thing back in the 40’s and 50’s. It helped a biker avoid so much police harassment, and bullshit from groups of biker hating assholes who would try to cause shit with them when they had them outnumbered. Today they are mostly nothing more than drug cartels and a place for cowards to roost who have no balls and can’t stand on their own two feet.
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