HELLS ANGELS sergeant at arms

Bandidos sergeant-at-arms arrested over Broadbeach bikie brawl

2014-07-26T17:15:00.001-07:00

DETECTIVES have charged yet another bikie over last year’s infamous Broadbeach brawl. Officers from the crack bikie squad Taskforce Maxima on Saturday arrested the national sergeant-at-arms of the Bandidos at Beenleigh for his role in the now-infamous stoush on September 27 last year. His arrest takes the number charged over the fracas, which saw bikies brawling in the middle of the Broadbeach restaurant precinct in front of stunned tourists before storming Southport Police Station, to 31. The shocking incident was the catalyst for the Newman government’s fierce crackdown on outlaw motorcycle gangs. The 39-year-old Bandido has been charged with one count of rioting and is expected to appear at the Beenleigh Magistrates Court on Monday. Detective Inspector Brendan Smith of Taskforce Maxima said, “Today’s arrest shows we will be relentless in our efforts to investigate all aspects of the Broadbeach incident,” he said. “The passage of time does not affect our resolve.” The other 30 bikies already charged are facing trial on the Gold Coast later this year.

Dream Warrior Recovery: Individual selfhood is expressed in the self's capacity for self-transcendence

2014-07-23T01:40:00.001-07:00

Dream Warrior Recovery: Individual selfhood is expressed in the self's capacity for self-transcendence

Individual selfhood is expressed in the self's capacity for self-transcendence and not in its rational capacity for conceptual and analytic procedures." Reinhold Neibuhr - Theologian/Author of the "Serenity Prayer"

Tramps bikie club loses appeal to get back its guns because of link to Hells Angels Motorcycle Club

2014-07-22T08:14:00.001-07:00

MEMBERS of a small-town motorcycle club linked to the Hells Angels have failed in their appeal to retrieve their confiscated guns. A decision was handed down today by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal upholding a decision to cancel four Tramps bikies’ gun licences because of their membership and social associations with other gangs. The verdict comes almost a year after nine current and former members of the Tramps MC fronted the Firearms Appeal Committee, one of which is a mobile butcher, arguing that Victoria Police had no right cancel their licences. Club head Ronald Harding, who took leave to withdraw, butcher Michael Oxenham, Malcolm Dinsdale and David Windsor are now considering appealing the decision to the appeal court of the Victorian Supreme Court. In August 2012, Chief Commissioner Ken Lay made a controversial decision to seize more than 100 registered guns from members of “outlaw’’ bikie gangs across the state. The VCAT appeal, taken on by four Tramps members, was seen as a test case for other “outlaw’ bikie members who also had their gun licences cancelled. The guns were seized under the test to whether the licence holder was a “fit and proper’’ person.

The Hells Angels bike club locations in Dallas off of Dallas-Spencer Mountain Road and off Linda Drive in southeast York County were raided by the FBI around 12:30 p.m.

2012-06-08T10:25:00.001-07:00

After a two-year investigation, FBI and local authorities raided a popular motorcycle club Thursday afternoon on a variety of drug, money and weapons charges.

The Hells Angels bike club locations in Dallas off of Dallas-Spencer Mountain Road and off Linda Drive in southeast York County were raided by the FBI around 12:30 p.m. Several FBI agents and local officers were seen removing items from the club in Dallas and investigating the area around the club.

The FBI said it charged 19 members from Hells Angels on racketeering conspiracy, money laundering, drugs and fire arm violations. The arrests were served along with the execution of 23 search warrants in North and South Carolina.

Law enforcement seized methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, pills and 100 firearms, including two automatic machine guns, according to the FBI.

Those arrested including one suspect from Charlotte; two from Gastonia; four from Lancaster County; and five from York County. The others were from elsewhere in South Carolina.

Those arrested were:

Daniel Eugene Bifield, a/k/a Diamond Dan (Leesville)

Mark William Baker, a/k/a Lightning (Lancaster)

David Channing Oiler, a/k/a Gravel Dave (Lancaster)

Bruce James Long, a/k/a Bruce-Bruce (West Columbia)

Richard Thrower, a/k/a Little Mark, Rat (Lancaster)

David Pryor, a/k/a Yard Owl (York)

James Frederick Keach, Jr., a/k/a Big Fred (Pelion)

Frank Enriquez, Jr., a/k/a Big Frank (Rock Hill)

Donald Boersma, a/k/a Brooklyn Donnie (Clover)

Lisa Ellen Bifield, a/k/a Lisa Ellen Meyers (Leesville)

Lisa Ellen Stockton (Leesville)

Johanna Looper, a/k/a JoJo (York)

Kerry Chitwood (Gastonia)

Carlos Hernandez (Charlotte)

Ronald Dean Byrum, Jr., a/k/a Big Ron (Gastonia)

Trent Allen Brown (West Columbia)

Bruce Ranson Wilson, a/k/a Diesel (Swansea)

Thomas McManus Plyler, a/k/a Uncle Tom (Rock Hill)

Jamie Hobbs Long (Lancaster)

Washoe prosecutors increase charges in Hells Angels killing

2012-06-04T16:12:00.001-07:00

Washoe County prosecutors have upped the charges against the man accused of killing a rival motorcycle gang member at a Sparks casino based on new evidence that suggests the shooting was deliberate and premeditated. Ernesto Manuel Gonzalez already was charged with second-degree murder in the September shooting of Jeffrey Pettigrew, president of the Hells Angels chapter in San Jose, Calif. Gonzalez, the 53-year-old president of the Vagos' Nicaragua chapter, was arraigned in Washoe District Court again Thursday on additional charges of open murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He pleaded not guilty. Chief Deputy District Attorney Karl Hall says in a new complaint Gonzalez was "lying in wait" for Pettigrew. Hall said he conspired with other Vagos members with the "specific intent" to kill in promotion of their gang.

Police confiscates Inventory of Berlin Hells Angels after ban

2012-06-04T16:11:00.001-07:00

Berlin Police execute a ban of the Berlin Charter of Hells Angels and confiscates the inventory of the Club House, on the grounds that members were suspected of violent crimes as well as weapons and drugs offences.

Dog 'The Bounty Hunter' Chapman's Show Canceled

2012-05-21T23:55:00.001-07:00

Dog "The Bounty Hunter" Chapman will have more time on his hands to catch criminals, because his show on A&E is being canceled ... TMZ has learned. Multiple sources connected with the show tell us ... Dog's people and A&E have been negotiating, but the network has now decided to pull the plug and not do season 9. One source connected with Dog tells us the cancellation is based on "creative differences." But here's the reality ... saying "creative differences" is like breaking up with a girl and saying, "It's not you, it's me."

Shooting a 'warning' from rival bikie gang

2012-04-25T08:55:00.001-07:00

SIMMERING tension between rival bikie gangs exploded on the Gold Coast yesterday with the drive-by shooting of a tattoo parlour in the heart of Bandidos territory. Police fear the attack could be a push for territory by the Hells Angels as the outlaw gang seeks a toehold on the lucrative Glitter Strip. Less than 24 hours after police commissioner Bob Atkinson told the Bulletin that bikie gangs were "one of the greatest challenges to face law enforcement", the Bandido-protected Mermaid Beach tattoo shop was hit by at least four shots in the early hours of yesterday morning. High-ranking police yesterday said it was "inevitable" that the violence that has plagued Sydney would eventually spill across the border. "We do not believe it is directly connected to the war between the Hells Angels and the Nomads that has been unfolding in New South Wales," said police. "But it is a similar style of attack. "We know the Hells Angels have been pushing to establish a chapter on the Gold Coast -- that push is coming from Sydney. "Tradelink Drive is not their most profitable chapter." While detectives have attempted to play down the shooting, police say there is "no doubt" it was intended as a warning. The Bandidos are the largest and one of the most secretive bikie gangs on the Gold Coast. The club has gained strength as its main rival -- the Finks -- have been severely weakened with so many senior members behind bars and Bandido territory stretches south from Broadbeach. Police said last month's Hells Angels National Run was intended as a direct message to all gangs on the Gold Coast. More than 200 patched gang members descended on Surfers Paradise for the run. "These clubs are so well organised, they do nothing without a reason," police said. "You can bet they had some purpose in coming to the Gold Coast. "They taunted the Finks and nothing happened, now the Bandidos tattoo shop is shot up in the same way the gym controlled by the Hells Angels was hit a few months ago. "You join the dots." The shop is owned by a senior member of the outlaw gang who has been a patched member of the Bandidos "for years", police say. In an exclusive interview with the Bulletin, Mr Atkinson said the danger of bikie gangs was "under-rated" by the community. "The outlaw motorcycle gangs nationally present one of the greatest challenges to police. "I think the degree of that challenge and the risk they present to our society is underrated." The Gold Coast has one of the highest populations of bikie gangs in the country. Mr Atkinson said he would not be surprised if the Hells Angels were not considering a move closer to the Glitter Strip. "They are businesses, they look for opportunity so that wouldn't be a surprise," he said. "They market themselves as a group of mature men who have a love and interest in motorbikes and they do that very cleverly. The reality is they are highly sophisticated, well organised criminal enterprises that pose a genuine risk to the community and many are well represented by the finest and best lawyers who they retain to represent them." South East Region Assistant Commissioner Graham Rynders said the gangs were constantly looking to expand. "One of things about OMCGs is they look for opportunity for criminal enterprise," Mr Rynders said. "Throughout Queensland, throughout the country, probably throughout the world they are looking to expand. It is obviously dictated to by territory, depending on who or what other groups exist in what areas."

Jury hears grisly details about murder scene

2012-04-25T08:50:00.001-07:00

Police discovered a grisly scene on Sept. 10, 2000, when they entered a Cogmagun Road home in Hants County. “It was a very brutal scene,” Cpl. Shawn Sweeney, who was a constable with the Windsor rural RCMP detachment that day, testified Tuesday in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Kentville. It was the second day of trial for Leslie Douglas Greenwood, 42, who is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of Barry Kirk Mersereau, 48, and his wife, Nancy Paula Christensen, 47. Sweeney, a Crown witness, testified that he and four other police officers who responded to a 911 call found Christensen sitting upright in a chair in the living room of her Centre Burlington home with a bullet wound in her left cheek, under her glasses. She had a cup of tea in her hand and a small dog was sitting in her lap. There were several bullet casings and lead fragments scattered on the floor. Mersereau was lying face down, with pools of blood around his head and body. Another dog, believed to be a German shepherd-Rottweiler mix, was hiding under covers on the bed in the master bedroom. A third dog was tied to the front porch and another had run off into the woods. Sweeney told Chief Justice Joseph Kennedy and the seven-woman, five-man jury hearing the case that the house appeared to be neat and orderly, with no signs of struggle. “It didn’t appear to be a house that was rifled through or things thrown around,” Sweeney testified. Const. Glenn Bonvie told the court it was immediately obvious that Mersereau and Christensen were dead. “There was no movement. There was no doubt that they were deceased.” Crown witness Ronald Connors owned a hunting cabin in the woods about half a kilometre away from the couple’s house. He testifed that he heard several shots at about 8:15 p.m. on Sept. 9. Connors said he heard six shots fired in quick succession, followed by a pause and a couple more shots. Moments later, there were more shots. He said he thought at first someone might be jacking deer, but Connors concluded that the shots didn’t sound like those from a high-powered hunting rifle. The jury was shown a video of the two bodies as they were found. Former RCMP officer David Clace, then in charge of the RCMP’s forensics identification unit in New Minas, said a large amount of money was found in plastic bags in a gym bag in one of the bedroom closets. The bag was later determined to contain about $65,000 in cash. Crown attorney Peter Craig has told the court that the victims were shot to death in their home in an execution-style killing as part of a Hells Angels-ordered killing. “They were killed in their home in a quiet community, with a teapot on the stove, with no signs of struggle and their baby in the next room,” Craig told the jury. He said evidence presented by as many as 40 Crown witnesses will show that Michael Lawrence and Greenwood murdered the couple on the orders of Jeffrey Lynds, a former Hells Angels operative who died recently in a Montreal jail of an apparent suicide. Lawrence, who owed Lynds money, pleaded guilty last January to three charges of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years. Also killed that day, by Lawrence, was Charles Maddison, an innocent man who picked Lawrence up hitchhiking. Lawrence shot him to take his truck to commit a planned robbery. Craig said Lawrence, expected to be a crucial Crown witness, will testify that he and Greenwood shot the couple, one with a .357 Magnum, the other with a 32-calibre handgun, in what he called “planned and deliberate” killings. The couple’s 18-month-old baby boy was safely recovered from the house by neighbour Ruby McKenzie, who went to the victim’s home the day after the shootings. McKenzie said she brought the baby back to her mobile home and called police. Greenwood sat quietly during the proceedings, occasionally exchanging comments with his lawyer, Alain Begin. Begin is expected to argue that Greenwood went to the Mersereau house the day of the shootings to buy drugs, and that Lawrence shot the couple while Greenwood was waiting outside. Also charged with first-degree murder in the killings is Curtis Blair Lynds, 36, who is serving time in a federal prison for drug trafficking. A preliminary inquiry in his case is scheduled to begin July 16.

Man with ties to slain drug dealer leaves DND

2012-03-29T15:15:00.001-07:00

A man with ties to a convicted drug dealer killed in an execution-style shooting in Gloucester last October is no longer working for the Department of National Defence. Joey Medaglia worked with a secret security clearance - the second highest - as an administrative assistant to the Royal Canadian Navy commander, Vice-Admiral Paul Maddison, since February 2009. Medaglia is godfather to the Graham Thomas's 19-month-old twins. Thomas, 35, a convicted drug dealer who had alleged ties to the Hells Angels and the Rizzuto crime family in Montreal, was killed in a shooting at his tanning salon Oct. 26. A second man, Jason Chapman, was also shot to death. There have been no arrests. Military Police launched an investigation into Medaglia after the killing. In an email to the Citizen Tuesday, DND said Medaglia had left the department. "Mr. Medaglia no longer occupies a position with the Department of National Defence as of 27 March 2012," wrote Cmdr. Hubert Genest, director of public affairs for the navy. "While Mr. Medaglia no longer works for the Department of National Defence, he is free to apply for other jobs within the federal public service. No other information can be shared about Mr. Medaglia for privacy reasons." Medaglia handled the vice-admirals's internal and external correspondence, made entries in his calendar and processed internal files and had access to sensitive information. All top secret information was handled by employees with a higher security clearance. Security clearance reviews include routine checks, credit checks, criminal record checks and inquiries with police. Medaglia was reassigned to a new job at DND after the shooting. Thomas was arrested in 2000 and later sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for his role in one of the region's most prolific supply chains for cocaine and other drugs.

Sheriff testifies regarding involvement in Hells Angels fight case

2012-03-29T15:14:00.001-07:00

Lake County’s sheriff was called to the witness stand Wednesday morning on the first day of a preliminary hearing for three members of the Sonoma County chapter of the Hells Angels, who are alleged to have been involved in a fight at a local casino last June. Nicolas Carrillo, 33; Timothy Bianchi, 34; and 36-year-old Josh Johnson were in Judge Andrew Blum’s court for the hearing on charges stemming from the incident on June 4, 2011, in which they were alleged to have fought with Michael Burns, a validated Vagos motorcycle gang member, and Kristopher Perkin. Sheriff Frank Rivero was questioned about how he obtained surveillance video of the fight from Konocti Vista Casino near Lakeport after officials at the casino had reportedly rebuffed attempts by his deputies to collect the evidence. Bianchi, who the prosecution alleges threw the first blow in the Saturday afternoon fight, is facing felony counts of participation in a criminal street gang, assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm, and misdemeanor counts of disturbing the peace and battery, according to court records. Johnson and Carrillo also are facing the street gang participation and disturbing the peace charges, along with two misdemeanor battery counts each. A fourth man alleged to have been involved, David Dabbs, has remained at large since last summer. Carrillo’s attorney, Michael Clough, would press Rivero on whether his pursuit of the case against the three men had a connection to his response nearly a month earlier to reports that 150 Hells Angels were coming to the county. In that case, Rivero ordered deputies to create a roadblock at the county’s southern entrance near Middletown. Clough also questioned Rivero about the District Attorney’s Office’s investigation into a February 2008 shooting in which Rivero shot at a man and later gave investigators conflicting stories about what happened. On the stand Rivero denied lying in the shooting investigation.

Four Gang Members Arrested for Firing at Trooper

2012-03-29T15:11:00.001-07:00

State Police have confirmed the identities of the four men involved in the incident: Clyde Frank of Harper, Delmer Cozart of Beckley, James Morris of Eccles and Thomas Speck of Michigan have all been detained. Police confirm that Speck was the shooter. Investigators say a state trooper tried to pull the men over after they were making threatening gestures towards him. Speck then fired at the trooper and all of the men took off. The four men were arrested a short time later at a home on Circleview Drive off of Harper Road. The full text of a press release issued Thursday by Sergeant Rick Baylous follows: "On Wednesday, March 28, 2012, at approximately 1505 hours, three Troopers assigned to the Bureau of Criminal Investigations were conducting surveillance on four members of the Avengers Motorcycle Gang. The BCI members were traveling west on WV Route 3 near Harper, Raleigh county, when the members of the motorcycle gang began to follow them. The suspects began making threatening hand gestures, and brandished a handgun. The plain clothed Troopers pulled off of WV 3, exited their vehicle and identified themselves as members of the WVSP when the motorcycles drove by. One of the suspects began shooting back toward the Troopers. The suspect then collided into the other motorcycles and crashed. The suspect got up and jumped onto the back of one of the other motorcycles and all three motorcycles drove off, traveling west on WV 3. The BCI units began searching the wrecked motorcycle for evidence of the men's identities. While doing so, they observed two men, in a truck traveling East on WV 3 back towards them. They recognized the men to be two of the Avenger members that had fled from them. The men were identified as Delmer Lee Cozart (51 years of age, from Beckley, West Virginia) and Clyde Frank (55 years of age, from Harper, West Virginia). Both were taken into custody by the BCI units. BCI units, uniformed members, FBI, and the Raleigh County Sheriff's Dept. began searching the Harper area for the remaining two men. A short time later, James Morris, Jr. (32 years of age, from Eccles, West Virginia) and the shooter, Thomas Speck (35 years of age, from Lapeer, Michigan), were captured in a neighboring residence. Delmer Cozart was charged with being an accessory after the fact to wanton endangerment. Clyde Frank was charged with being an accessory after the fact to wanton endangerment. Thomas Speck was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, wanton endangerment x3, fleeing on a vehicle, and being a fugitive from justice. James Morris, Jr. was charged with being an accessory to wanton endangerment, carrying a concealed weapon, and fleeing on a vehicle. All suspects were lodged in the Southern Regional Jail to await arraignment in Raleigh County Magistrate Court. Further charges may be forthcoming."

Wheels of Soul outlaw motorcycle gang member pleads guilty

2012-03-06T13:22:00.001-08:00

Allan "Dog" Hunter, 33, of Chicago, was present during the March 6, 2011, shooting death of Javell T. Thornton, 32, also of Chicago, at 126 South Main St. according to a federal indictment. As part of his plea, Hunter, a member of the Wheels of Soul outlaw motorcycle gang, admitted Thursday in federal court that he conspired with other members of the gang to dispose of several firearms after the shooting. WOS was in Marion for a meeting at a private motorcycle club. In the early morning hours of March 6, a fight at the gang's after-hours party spilled onto the sidewalk on South Main Street. When the dust settled, three men were injured with stab and gunshot wounds, and Thornton was dead. The federal indictment states that Anthony R. Robinson shot three victims in the back as they fled the party, killing Thornton and seriously injuring another. Hunter reportedly fired a handgun indiscriminately into the crowd while wearing a bulletproof vest. Robinson has been indicted on one count of murder in aid of racketeering activity and one count of attempt to commit murder in aid of racketeering, along with other federal charges for murder and racketeering activities in other states, according to the federal indictment. Eighteen members of the WOS were indicted on federal charges June 9, 2011. One member allegedly stabbed another person in the head during a fight at a Chicago motorcycle club, then shot another in the stomach. The indictment says gang members are required to carry weapons - mostly guns, but also hammers, knives and other weapons.

Request for more documents denied

2012-03-06T01:37:00.001-08:00

Missing Women inquiry commissioner Wally Oppal has rejected an application by lawyers representing the families of missing and murdered women for disclosure of more police documents. In a written decision dated Friday, Oppal said it was unnecessary for him to order more disclosure because documents continue to be disclosed, and in some cases, the documents requested are irrelevant to the inquiry's purpose. The inquiry is probing why serial killer Robert (Willie) Pickton wasn't caught sooner. Oppal also noted that some documents no longer exist and other documents requested have already been produced among 170,000 pages already disclosed. "I am satisfied that all concerned parties have acted in good faith and have made best efforts to produce all relevant documents and other materials," Oppal said in his decision. "The disclosure process is ongoing and I fully anticipate that all participants will continue to disclose documents as they are identified through the hearing process or come to their attention by other means." Lawyers Neil Chantler and Cameron Ward had sought more documents from the Vancouver police department, RCMP, and the province's criminal justice branch. The lawyers had also requested records of investigations of the now-defunct Organized Crime Agency of B.C. and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, including records of investigations into Pickton, his brother Dave, members of the Hells Angels associated with the Picktons and a party place near the Pickton farm known as Piggy's Pal-ace. (Dave Pickton's nick-name was Piggy.) Oppal said there was no evidence of a connection between Dave Pickton, the Hells Angels and Piggy's Palace that fit with the man-date of the inquiry.

Rapper Young Buck -- Shot at 11 Times in Attempted Drive-by

2012-03-04T23:59:00.001-08:00

A woman riding in the passenger seat of an SUV driven by Young Buck was shot in the shoulder early this morning when another car drove alongside and opened fire, but the rapper was unharmed ... this according to a local report. The woman was treated and released according to WSMV in Nashville, TN. There was a third passenger in the vehicle who was also not injured. The shooting occurred at approximately 3:30 AM, police told the television station. Young Buck is from the area and was reportedly back in town for a music project.

Hells Angels bikie war will explode in Kings Cross.

2012-03-04T05:17:00.001-08:00

POLICE investigating the Hells Angels have launched a new taskforce amid fears a full-blown bikie war will explode in Kings Cross. The Sunday Telegraph can reveal the operation, code-named Strike Force Cheviot, was set up after 40 to 50 members of the Hells Angels descended on the red-light district last month. Police believe the "unprecedented" act may have been designed to send a message to rival bikie group Nomads, which have long controlled security in the area. Detective Superintendent Arthur Katsogiannis, commander of the NSW Gangs Squad, said police had been watching the situation closely since the February 5 incident. "Yes, we are aware and monitoring the situation with what happened at Kings Cross that night with the Hells Angels", Mr Katsogiannis told The Sunday Telegraph. "It was an unprecedented act from the Hells Angels and that's why it's important the Gangs Squad involved ourselves from the beginning. "Safety of the community is our top priority and we will not be allowing any OMCGs (outlaw motorcycle gangs) to carry on with that type of behaviour". Police are investigating a possible outbreak of violence between the Nomads and the Hells Angels, who have been on an expansion and recruitment drive for months around Sydney. It is one of several lines of inquiry being probed by Cheviot detectives. They are also looking at a credible allegation that Hells Angels members went to Kings Cross to confront a member of the Nomads clan who works in the area. The man, who for legal reasons cannot be named, was formerly a member of the Hells Angels but "patched over" several months ago. Since then he has been performing unofficial security tasks for nightclub premises in Kings Cross, including venues aligned with local identity John Ibrahim. Law enforcement sources said when the Hells Angels descended on the nightspot they arranged themselves across the road from a club where the man was believed to be working, and demanded he come outside. "That forms part of several lines of inquiry we are looking at," Mr Katsogiannis said, adding that officers from Strike Force Raptor were patrolling Kings Cross on the night of the incident and quelled the situation. "If they (Raptor police) didn't intervene at the time, it could have been a lot worse". Police have connected the Nomads member with some of the recent shootings across southwestern Sydney, all of which are under investigation. In November, The Sunday Telegraph revealed the individual was the target of a drive-by attack at an Oporto restaurant in Merrylands, which occurred two days after he was released from custody. Mr Katsogiannis said Strike Force Cheviot officers, would continue weekend patrols of Kings Cross to prevent any outbreaks of violence for "as long as it takes".

Hells Angel arrested in killing of fellow gang member

2012-02-27T14:40:00.001-08:00

Ending a four-month-long manhunt, San Jose police arrested -- without incident -- a Hells Angel wanted for the murder of a fellow Angel in the middle of a funeral. The 38-year-old suspect, Steve Ruiz, is suspected of shooting fellow Angel Steve Tausan to death Oct. 15 at San Jose's Oak Hill Cemetery. Ruiz, who had been on the run for months, was caught Saturday evening at a motel in Fremont. "We're relieved to have him off the streets," said Sgt. Jason Dwyer during a Sunday news conference at police headquarters. "This was a difficult case for investigators to solve." Ruiz's arrest is the latest chapter in a series of bizarre and violent chain-reaction episodes involving the Hells Angels, a legendary outlaw motorcycle gang originally formed in 1948 in Fontana. In September, San Jose Hells Angels President Jeff "Jethro" Pettigrew was shot and killed in a Nevada casino, allegedly by a member of the rival Vagos motorcycle gang. Pettigrew and Tausan were close friends. More than 3,000 members of various motorcycle clubs gathered in October at Oak Hill to pay their respects to Pettigrew. Sources have said a fistfight erupted between Tausan and Ruiz, and during the fight, Ruiz drew a handgun, shot Tausan and fled during the melee that ensued. Tausan was a Hells Angels legend, an ex-boxer who beat a man to death at the Pink Poodle strip club in 1997, only to have a jury acquit him after he claimed self-defense. His funeral Advertisement also was held at Oak Hill. For months, San Jose police have been trying to find Ruiz. Dwyer said that Ruiz had been moving around from place to place and was known by authorities to have stayed briefly in the Stockton and Sacramento areas. A fresh tip to detectives indicated that Ruiz was in Fremont, and more than a dozen officers moved quickly Saturday to surround the Days Inn motel at 46101 Warm Springs Blvd. Ruiz, who was believed to be armed and dangerous, apparently was alone and surrendered to police about 7:30 p.m. without incident. He spoke to detectives and was booked at the Santa Clara County main jail. "We don't believe that he'd been there for very long," said Dwyer of the Fremont motel. "We had a small window of opportunity to capture him. The fact that he surrendered peacefully was fortunate." San Jose police stressed that the Hells Angel murder, which has received national publicity, was one of 39 homicides in San Jose last year and that detectives worked the case like any other, putting in long hours as they juggled a heavy caseload. They also said that Ruiz had a lot of help eluding law enforcement in the four months since the funeral. "If someone helped him evade capture, we're going to come after them," Dwyer said.

Gang Member Pleads Not Guilty In Stabbing Death

2012-02-24T21:55:00.001-08:00

documented gang member accused of stabbing a transient 19 times after the defendant issued a gang challenge to the victim pleaded not guilty Thursday to a murder charge. Josue Hernandez Gutierrez, 20, was ordered held in lieu of $1 million bail in connection with the slaying of 48-year-old Emiliano Cortez of San Diego. Gutierrez was arrested Monday outside a friend's College area home. Deputy District Attorney Kristian Trocha told Judge David Szumowski that Gutierrez and a 14-year-old boy attacked Cortez about 4:45 a.m. Saturday as he was walking in the 3700 block of T Street, about a half-mile from the home where the victim lived with relatives. Gutierrez issued a gang challenge, and for some reason, the victim responded that he was from a rival gang, the prosecutor said. The defendant then stabbed the victim 19 times, including 10 to the back, Trocha said. Cortez died Saturday night, according to the prosecutor. The 14-year-old was arrested Tuesday at a Chula Vista residence. His case is being handled in Juvenile Court. Police disclosed no suspected motive for the slaying, except that it was believed to be gang-related. There was no evidence that a robbery or other crime was involved, San Diego police Lt. Kevin Rooney said. Residents of the area where the killing happened told investigators a loud argument and a man's screams prompted them to look outside, at which point they saw someone lying on a sidewalk and two people running off to the east. It was unclear why Cortez was walking through the inner-city neighborhood just east of downtown San Diego, though he apparently was not on his way home. Gutierrez was charged with murder, a gang allegation and the use of a knife. He faces 26 years to life in prison if convicted. A status conference was set for March 1 and a preliminary hearing for March 7.

Mongols Motorcycle Gang Member Convicted of Murdering President of San Francisco Hells Angels

2012-02-24T21:48:00.001-08:00

federal jury found Christopher Bryan Ablett, a/k/a “Stoney,” a member of the Modesto Chapter of the Mongols outlaw motorcycle gang, guilty of all four felonies with which he was charged including murder in aid of racketeering, assault with a deadly weapon in aid of racketeering, using a firearm during a crime of violence, and using a firearm causing murder during a crime of violence, United States Attorney Melinda Haag announced. The charges stemmed from the defendant’s gang-related murder of Mark “Papa” Guardado, the president of the San Francisco Chapter of the Hells Angels, on September 2, 2008, at 24th Street and Treat Avenue in the Mission District of San Francisco. Evidence at trial showed that Ablett traveled to San Francisco to visit a friend. He was armed with a foot-long military knife and a .357 magnum revolver. Ablett brought with him a Mongols full-patch vest and t-shirt that only a full member of the Mongols is allowed to wear. According to testimony from Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) gang expert Special Agent John Ciccone, and former Mongols undercover ATF Special Agent Darrin Kozlowski who infiltrated the gang, the Mongols are an organized criminal motorcycle gang whose primary rival is the Hells Angels motorcycle gang. When word traveled to Guardado that the defendant was wearing a Mongols patch shirt in a bar in the Mission, Guardado went to the street outside the bar and approached Ablett. A fight broke out during which Ablett stabbed Guardado four times and shot him twice, killing him. According to the testimony of FBI Special Agent Jacob Millspaugh, the case agent, the defendant’s phone records showed that he spent the next several hours calling people who were identified as members of the Mongols—showing that he was reaching out as part of the Mongols communication network. The jury rejected the defendant’s defenses of self-defense, defense of his friends, and heat of passion after the defendant took the stand and testified. The jury also found that the defendant murdered Guardado to maintain or increase his position in the Mongols gang, and that the Mongols engaged in racketeering activity. Ablett is scheduled to be sentenced on May 15, 2012. He faces a possible sentence of three terms of life in prison plus 10 mandatory consecutive years, a $1 million fine, and five years of supervised release. Specifically, for the charge of murder in aid of racketeering, in violation of 18 United StatesC. § 1959, Ablett faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life without parole. For the charge of assault with a deadly weapon in aid of racketeering, in violation of 18 United StatesC. § 1959, Ablett faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. For the charge of using a firearm during a crime of violence, in violation of 18 United StatesC. § 924(c), Ablett faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. And for the charge of using a firearm causing murder during a crime of violence, in violation of 18 United StatesC. § 924(j), Ablett faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the United States Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 United StatesC. § 3553. The case was prosecuted by former Assistant United States Attorney Christine Wong, Assistant United States Attorneys Kathryn Haun, Wilson Leung and William Frentzen, paralegal specialist Lili ArauzHaase, legal techs Marina Ponomarchuk, Daniel Charlier-Smith, and Ponly Tu, all of the Organized Crime Strike Force and Violent Crime Section of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, and the San Francisco Police Department.

Members of Los Zeta cartel are among the 30 convicts who escaped from a prison in the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon

2012-02-22T00:40:00.001-08:00

Members of Los Zeta cartel are among the 30 convicts who escaped from a prison in the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon, it was reported on Tuesday. Among the fugitives are former officials, ex corrupt police officers and drug distributors from that dangerous criminal gang, whose captures were considered important achievements by federal forces at the time. Bosses Oscar Manuel Bernal Soriano, known as La Araña, and Rogelio Chacha Quintanilla, aka El Yeyo, are included in that group, the newspaper Milenio reported. Also on the list are Hector Rousvel Huerta, known as El Chester, accused of collecting prohibited weapons and drug trafficking, and Francisco Javier Puente, known as El Choco, former chief of Los Zetas hired assassin group. The mass escape from the prison of Apodaca, near the city of Monterrey, took place after a fight in which 44 inmates were killed. The fight was caused to cover the prison break. Prison security agents are involved in those events, which occurred at daybreak on Sunday, according to the investigations.

Gunmen Kill 5 Taxi Drivers in Northern Mexico

2012-02-22T00:37:00.001-08:00

Gunmen killed five taxi drivers Tuesday in the streets of the northern Mexican industrial city of Monterrey, the Nuevo Leon state Security Council said. “The attack happened at around 10:00 a.m. in the Solidaridad neighborhood” in the northern part of Monterrey, a council spokesman told Efe. Several men aboard an SUV opened fire on a taxi stand at a busy shopping center located at the intersection of Cabezada and Luis Donaldo Colosio avenues. The gunmen managed to get away, leaving the streets covered with bodies. The security forces cordoned off the area, with soldiers guarding the crime scene investigators sent to gather evidence. The shootings occurred just hours after three suspected Gulf cartel members – two men and a woman – were murdered at Monterrey’s Topo Chico prison by two killers from the rival Zetas drug cartel. On Sunday, Zetas gunmen massacred 44 Gulf cartel members imprisoned at the penitentiary in Apodaca, a city in the Monterrey metropolitan area, while 30 Zetas members escaped with the assistance of several guards. Monterrey and its suburbs have been battered by a wave of drug-related violence that has left about 2,500 people dead since March 2010. Los Zetas has been battling an alliance of the Gulf, Sinaloa and La Familia drug cartels, known as the Nueva Federacion, for control of the Monterrey metropolitan area and smuggling routes into the United States. Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano, known as “El Lazca,” deserted from the Mexican army in 1999 and formed Los Zetas with three other soldiers, all members of an elite special operations unit, becoming the armed wing of the Gulf drug cartel. After several years on the payroll of the Gulf cartel, Los Zetas, considered Mexico’s most violent criminal organization, went into the drug business on their own account and now control several lucrative territories. Mexico’s drug war death toll stood at 47,515 from December 2006 to Sept. 30. The murder total has grown every year of President Felipe Calderon’s military offensive against the well-funded, heavily armed drug cartels. Unofficial tallies published in December by independent daily La Jornada put the death toll from Mexico’s drug war at more than 50,000

13 Zetas Members Arrested in Western Mexico

2012-02-22T00:35:00.001-08:00

A total of 13 suspected members of the Los Zetas drug cartel were arrested in the western Mexican state of Jalisco, officials said. The suspects, two of whom are women, were detained Monday morning in Tlajomulco, a city located about 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco, after several business owners complained about an extortion racket, the Public Safety Secretariat said. The group was recruited by a “Zetas boss,” known only as “Don Jose,” who took them to the city a few months ago to “execute some criminal activities,” Alfredo Vazquez, identified as the cell’s leader, told investigators. The cartel provided between 100,000 pesos and 150,000 pesos ($7,000 and $11,000) every two weeks to cover the payroll, Vazquez said. Seven of the suspects are from the central state of Guanajuato, four are from the northern state of Durango and two are from Jalisco, the secretariat said, adding that some of them have prior criminal records. State police seized an AR-15 assault rifle, five handguns and two SUVs with Durango tags in the raid, the secretariat said. Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano, known as “El Lazca,” deserted from the Mexican army in 1999 and formed Los Zetas with three other soldiers, all members of an elite special operations unit, becoming the armed wing of the Gulf drug cartel. After several years on the payroll of the Gulf cartel, Los Zetas, considered Mexico’s most violent criminal organization, went into the drug business on their own account and now control several lucrative territories. Los Zetas has been blamed for several massacres in recent years. The cartel was accused of being behind the Aug. 23, 2010, massacre of 72 migrants, the majority of them from Latin America, at a ranch outside San Fernando, a city in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas. Los Zetas has also been blamed for the massacre of 27 peasants in May at a ranch in Guatemala’s Peten province, which borders Mexico and Belize. Zetas gunmen set fire to the Casino Royale in Monterrey, the capital of Nuevo Leon, on Aug. 25, killing 52 gamblers and employees trapped inside, most of whom died of smoke inhalation.

A Hells Angels member and a man said to be a gang associate were arrested and charged with knowingly taking part in the manufacture of a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug.

2012-02-22T00:30:00.001-08:00

CAMDEN police and special units have seized 7.5 kilograms of the drug ice estimated to be worth $1 million from a Narellan property. Officers executed search warrants on Tuesday, February 14. A Hells Angels member and a man said to be a gang associate were arrested and charged with knowingly taking part in the manufacture of a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug. The two, a Narellan man, 36, and a Catherine Field man, 41, faced Campbelltown Court last week. A Narellan woman, 30, was charged with two counts of possessing a prohibited drug in relation to cannabis and amphetamines found at the Narellan property. She will appear in Camden Court on March 12. Detective Chief Inspector Andy Richmond said two sophisticated laboratories had been found. "The two clandestine laboratories shut down by police this week were sophisticated and capable of making large quantities of prohibited drugs [methylamphetamine]," Chief Inspector Richmond said. "Those drugs will no longer be making their way to local streets and causing harm to members of the community." Large quantities of chemicals were also found and members of the Drug Squad's chemical operation team dismantled the laboratories.

Hells Angels member has sentencing moved

2012-02-22T00:27:00.001-08:00

Mark Duclos, 48, of Fairbanks, Ala., had his sentencing moved to coincide with fellow Hells Angels club member George Caruso, 58, of Shirley, Mass. Duclos and Caruso were involved in a stabbing that took place during last year's Sturgis motorcycle rally. Duclos, who was found guilty of aggravated assault, was scheduled to be sentenced today, Feb. 21, though his sentencing was moved to March 5 at 10:45 a.m. along with Caruso. The pair were involved in a fight between the Hells Angels and the Mongols motorcycle club on Aug. 10, which resulted in a stabbing, sending a Mongols member and a Hells Angels member to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Aggravated assault is a class three felony and carries a maximum punishment of up to 15 years in prison and up to a $30,000 fine. Simple assault is a class one misdemeanor and carries a maximum punishment of up to one year in jail and up to a $2,000 fine.

Dartmouth shooting victim connected to Hells Angels

2012-02-22T00:24:00.001-08:00

A man found dead on a Halifax-area road Sunday night had a Hells Angels connection and was shot in the back of the head, thechronicleherald.ca has learned. Halifax RCMP identified James Alexander (Sandy) Lyle, 55, as the victim and have declared his death a homicide. It’s Halifax's second homicide this year. “He died of a gunshot wound and a weapon has been recovered,” Halifax RCMP spokeswoman Const. Tammy Lobb said Tuesday afternoon. “I’m not revealing where it was recovered because that’s part of the investigation." Lobb said police will analyze and trace the gun. Two separate sources told thechronicleherald.ca that Lyle was shot in the back of the head. Lobb would not talk about any possible motive or suspects in the killing. She said no arrests had been made by late Tuesday afternoon. Lyle had a long history of drug dealing and was arrested in a major operation against the now-defunct Halifax chapter of the Hells Angels. That Dec. 4, 2001 sweep, called Operation Hammer, took in half of the membership of the Halifax chapter, which ended up closing as a result. About 200 police officers took part in the raid, in which police stormed the gang’s Dutch Village Road clubhouse, plus other sites in Halifax, Kings County, Bible Hill and Sherbrooke, Que. They arrested a trio of Hells Angels – Clay Gordon MacRae, Jeffrey Albert Lynds and Arthur Daine Harrie – along with Lyle, well-known criminal James Melvin Sr., and 15 others. Lyle was charged with trafficking marijuana. Harrie was arrested in Quebec on the day of that raid. Lynds was found dead of an apparent suicide in his Montreal jail cell last month. He was awaiting trial for two murders in that province in 2010. In March 1991, Lyle received a five-year sentence – his only federal stint - for running a cocaine operation from his Maple Street home with his younger brother Martin Ellsworth Lyle. Lyle was also found guilty of possessing a loaded .45 calibre handgun. Martin Lyle was given three years. Around 10:45 p.m. on Sunday, a passing motorist saw a body on the side of Montague Road in Montague Gold Mines and called police. Emergency Health Services were called to the scene and tried unsuccessfully to revive the victim, Lobb said. On Monday morning, a number of police investigators went to a home on Dartmouth’s Cannon Terrace and confirmed it was connected to the suspicious death. Police were still at the home Tuesday. Provincial records name James Lyle and Carla Balsor as the home’s owners. Officers were seen working inside a garage at 14 Cannon Terrace and later removed a Honda SUV from the scene. Lobb said there were no drugs in the home, which has been searched since the killing. Neighbours said the home has a surprising amount of security, which includes surveillance cameras, frosted windows and an intercom at the front door. Lyle and Balsor used to live on nearby Sea King Drive, but sold that house in 2007. Balsor is the owner of the Rodeo Lounge and Restaurant in Burnside. The Mounties are asking anyone who may have seen suspicious activity in Montague Gold Mines or around the house on Cannon Terrace on Sunday to contact them. Lobb would not say if Lyle was at his home before he was found on Montague Road.