Gun violence rare for outlaw motorcycle gangs known for drugs, brawls

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[h=4]Gun violence rare for outlaw motorcycle gangs known for drugs, brawls[/h]WACO – When John Conroy heard about the weekend shooting here between rival motorcycle gangs, he was saddened – but not entirely surprised. As a former enforcer and sergeant of arms for the Bandidos Outlaw

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Twin Peaks, the restaurant in Waco, Texas, where several motorcycle gangs were involved in a shootout, is now facing reprimands from the state and the management team of the franchised restaurant. VPC


Law enforcement investigate the melee at the Twin Peaks restaurant May 18, 2015, in Waco, Texas.(Photo: Jerry Larson, AP)


WACO — The shootout between two rival gangs and the police at the Twin Peaks restaurant on Sunday casts a new, frightening light on Texas' outlaw motorcycle gang culture, known for its drug dealings and bar brawls, but rarely for outbreaks of extreme violence.
On Monday, police worked to decipher exactly how the weekend clash between rival motorcycle gangs ended with nine people dead, 18 others injured and more than 190 people arrested.
"We have not seen anything like this ever in Texas," said Todd Harrison, president of the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas.
Sunday's gathering was a Region 1 meeting of the Texas Confederation of Clubs and Independents, which gathers each month in different Texas cities to discuss new memberships, motorcycle rights and legislative bills that impact riders, among other topics.
But a brawl between rival outlaw gangs Bandidos and Cossacks quickly spun out of control, spilling into the parking lot. Law enforcement in the area, including 18 Waco police and four state officers, engaged some of the gang members in gunfire, Waco police spokesman Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton said. The brawl, which eventually involved at least five gangs, ended with 192 people charged with engaging in organized crime resulting in death, a capital offense that could bring the death penalty in Texas. Police recovered nearly 100 weapons from the scene, including brass knuckles, knives and clubs.
Police on Monday barricaded four square blocks of parking lot surrounding the Twin Peaks restaurant as they continued to scour the property for evidence. Groups of agents in tactical vests and toting semi-automatic rifles marched to and from the scene, as patrol cars from several law enforcement agencies surrounded the area.

People stand as officers investigate a shooting in the parking lot of the Twin Peaks restaurant May 17, 2015, in Waco, Texas.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Jerry Larson, AP)

Started 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 group itself boasts of 200 chapters with more than 2,500 members in 16 countries. FBI investigators say the group transports and distributes cocaine and marijuana and is involved in the production, transportation and distribution of methamphetamine.
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).
"Although these gangs vary in size and structure, they are responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime across urban, suburban, and rural areas of Texas," the assessment said.
Law enforcement at all levels were generally aware that tensions were rising in the ranks of the Bandidos and Cossacks groups, a federal law enforcement official said Monday. The official, who is not authorized to comment publicly, said those tensions were related to incidents in the past two months in which members had lashed out against each other in smaller-scale brawls. But the official said there was no indication that the groups were headed to the war that erupted Sunday.
Waco police had heard of the large gathering of different groups at the Twin Peaks and tried to work with the restaurant to restrain the meeting, but the restaurant didn't cooperate, Harrison said.
Over the past decade, the Bandidos had tried to improve its public image by organizing toy drives for needy children, among other things, even as the group continued its illegal activity, he said.
But that public relations drive was shattered Sunday in the Twin Peaks parking lot.
"They're not normally outwardly violent," Harrison said. "That impacts their ability to make money."
Contributing: Greg Toppo and Kevin Johnson

A McLennan County deputy stands guard near a group of bikers in the parking lot of a Twin Peaks restaurant , May 17, 2015, in Waco, Texas. Waco Police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton told KWTX-TV there were "multiple victims" after gunfire erupted between rival biker gangs at the restaurant.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Rod Aydelotte, AP)

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