Bandido gang members.(Photo: Mark Baker, AP)
A brawl between
rival outlaw gangs Bandidos and Cossacks<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in Waco, Texas, ended with nine people dead, 18 others injured and more than 190 people arrested.
The situation has cast a spotlight on outlaw gang culture in the USA and its impact on society.
Here's what you need to know about the Bandidos:
1. Who are the Bandidos?
They began in San Leon, Texas, in 1966. The Bandidos is one of the largest outlaw motorcycle gangs in the United States, with about 900 members and 93 chapters, according to the FBI. The Bandidos has a membership of 2,000 to 2,500 people in the U.S. and in 13 other countries, according to the
U.S. Department of Justice.
2. How dangerous are the Bandidos?
A state gang threat assessment released last year by the Texas Department of Public Safety ranked the Bandidos as a "Tier 2" gang — or the second-most dangerous classification — alongside the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas and the Partido Revolucionario Mexicano (PRM). The most dangerous outlaw motorcycle gang in the U.S. is considered the Hells Angels from California.
USA TODAY
Gun violence rare for outlaw motorcycle gangs known for drugs, brawls
3. What criminal activity is the gang involved in?
The Bandidos are involved in transporting and distributing cocaine and marijuana and are involved in the production, transportation and distribution of methamphetamine, according to the DOJ.
4. Where are they most prominent?
According to the DOJ, the Bandidos are most active in the Pacific, Southeastern, Southwestern and the West Central regions of the USA. The Bandidos are growing in each of these regions.
5. Who founded the gang?
According to gang legend, Donald Chambers started the Bandidos in March 1966, at 36 years old. He working on the ship docks in Houston, according to
a 2007 profile of the Bandidos by Skip Hollandsworth. The
Bandidos MC Sweden website says Chambers was a war vet from Vietnam. Chambers was disenfranchised by the treatment of troops back from the war.
"The members of the Brotherhood wanted respect, recognition and freedom for their actions. The laws of society had denied exactly these points. As club colors, the colors of the U.S. Marine Corps were selected: Red & Gold," the website says.
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