Police in Waco, Texas arrested 170 people for engaging in organised crime after a violent confrontation between rival motorcycle gangs on Sunday afternoon at a restaurant in the city left nine dead and 18 injured.
The violence began with a row and fistfight in the toilet of the Twin Peaks restaurant on the south side of Waco that spilled into the bar and car park and escalated into a brawl and, ultimately, a shootout.
At least five gangs met at the restaurant, reportedly to settle disputes over territory and recruitment, the authorities said.
Complete chaos
Shots were fired inside and outside the restaurant. All nine fatalities were members of the Bandidos or Cossacks biker gangs and the injured suffered stab or gunshot wounds and, in some cases, both.
No police were injured in the shootout. Almost 100 weapons, including knives, brass knuckles and clubs were recovered at the scene.
“In 34 years of law enforcement, this is the worst crime scene, the most violent crime scene I have ever been involved in,” said Waco police spokesman Sergeant W Patrick Swanton. “There is blood everywhere. It was complete chaos.”
The number of people to be charged with engaging in organised crime was originally said to be 192 but police later reduced the figure.
Some of those killed were shot by law enforcement officers who were on the scene in anticipation of trouble.
“They started shooting at our officers and our officers returned fire,” said Sergeant Swanton.
Police said that, contrary to a statement from the owners of the Twin Peaks restaurant, they did not receive co-operation from the chain in advance of Sunday’s clash, despite seeking their assistance.
The Bandidos motorcycle gang, the dominant biker gang in Texas, is said to have been recently challenged by another club, the Cossacks.
Territorial aggression
The
Wall Street Journal
reported that tensions rose recently when Cossacks members started wearing a patch with the word “Texas” at the bottom of their biker jackets and vests, known as “bottom rocker” patches – a move that was seen as an act of territorial aggression to the larger Bandidos gang, which has a history of criminal activity.
Outlaw motorcycle gangs, as criminal biker gangs are officially classified, represent about 2.5 per cent of gang members in the US, according to the 2013 National Gang Report compiled by law enforcement agencies including the FBI.
