Couple of lawsuits settled in Pagan's and cops brawl

Pittsburgh, PA, USA (January 9, 2025) - The City of Pittsburgh will pay over $170,000 to settle two of four lawsuits from a brawl at Kopy’s bar six years ago between members of the Pagan's Motorcycle Club and several drunk, undercover police officers. 

 

Screenshot of video taken from Kopy's bar on October 12, 2018

The lawsuits include allegations of malicious prosecution and assault and battery, as well as civil rights claims based on the city’s alcohol policy that allowed undercover officers to drink on the job.

The incident began around 12:30 a.m. on October 12, 2018. Earlier that night, four undercover Pittsburgh police officers investigating drug activity entered the Kopy's bar, identified themselves as construction workers and began drinking. Four members of the Pagan's MC, arrived about 11:30 p.m. Within an hour, a brawl had erupted, and the four Pagan's MC members were arrested.

Related | Pagans MC Lawsuit Against Drunk Cops Goes to Trial

The four Pagan's MC members were charged with aggravated assault, conspiracy and riot. The undercover officers, David Honick, Brian Burgunder, Brian Martin and David Lincoln, were supposedly investigating a drug complaint at Kopy's bar the night of the brawl.



According to city’s lawyer's, the officers knew the Pagan's MC members to carry weapons, and they believed that their undercover status had been compromised by the four bikers. According to an affidavit by Stephen Kopy, the now-deceased owner of the bar, the officers told him that night they had issues with the Pagan's MC.

“I was then asked by one of the undercover officers whether I was ‘siding’ with the bikers,” Kopy wrote in the affidavit. “I told them that I was not ‘siding’ with the bikers. I just did not agree with the undercover officers that the bikers were trying to cause trouble.” As the Pagan's MC members got up to leave, he continued, the officers stopped them and spoke with them. 

Related | Bar Owner Sues City And Cops

But his lawsuit said that the officers, who were visibly intoxicated, impeded his exit from the bar, with David Honick repeatedly showing him his loaded handgun in the front band of his pants, not revealing that he or any of the others was a police officer. About a month later, the criminal charges were dropped by the Allegheny County District Attorney’s. The officers were ultimately suspended for five days without pay and reassigned. 

Several Mongols Motorcycle Club Members Arrested

Palm Springs, California, USA (September 23, 2024) - Palm Springs police made around 23 arrests this weekend as over 1,000 members of the Mongols Motorcycle Club visited the city.

The motorcycle club visited Palm Springs for a gathering of its various chapters, for their National Run which it has done several times since 2013. As a result, there was the usual increase in law enforcement presence, including members of California Highway Patrol, monitoring the club.

 

Even though no stories of mayhem or increased crime linked to the Mongols Motorcycle Club can be found locally, law enforcement was still out in force. The exact number of club members who attended is not known.

Lt. Gustavo Araiza, a police spokesperson said the Palm Springs Police Department made 23 different arrests as of Sunday afternoon. Six of the arrests were due to weapons violations, five were due to controlled substance violations, 10 were due to people having warrants, one was due to a parole violation and one was due to a post-release community supervision violation, he said.

He added that Palm Springs patrol staff are still monitoring the situation but most club members had left Palm Springs as of Sunday afternoon.

SOURCE: NBC Palm Springs

Pagan's MC Lawsuit Against Drunk Cops Goes to Trial

Pittsburgh, PA, USA (July 17, 2024) - A bar fight in Pittsburgh between undercover cops and members of the Pagan's Motorcycle Club in 2018 will finally be reviewed in court now that a civil suit brought by the Pagan's MC has been approved by a federal judge. The Pagan's MC are accusing the cops of excessive force, false imprisonment, and malicious prosecution after a confrontation in a bar suddenly degenerated into violence caused by cops who had been drinking for hours.

 

The city of Pittsburgh wanted the lawsuit completely shut down, and argued for its dismissal. However, surveillance footage that captured the fight convinced a federal judge that the Pagan's MC had a valid point. In a video, a member of the Pagan's MC, Frank Deluca, can be seen arguing with one of the cops. Words are exchanged, there is no audio and Deluca pushes the undercover cop. The other three cops leap into the fray, and hold Deluca against the bar while another man repeatedly beats him and punches him in the face.

Deluca was punched 26 times in the two minute fight and suffered facial and cranial trauma as well as a dislocated elbow. He was then arrested. A month after the fight, the Allegheny District Attorney's Office announced it was dropping its charges against the Pagan's, citing new evidence, the bar's surveillance footage. According to the court documents, earlier in the evening four undercover Pittsburgh cops — Detectives David Honick, Brian Burgunder, David Lincoln and Brian Martin — were drinking at Kopy's Bar on the city's South Side while conducting surveillance on a suspected drug dealer.

RELATED | Bar Owner Sues City And Cops

After the target of their investigation left, the cops began pounding drinks; one officer had 15 doubles of liquor, and the other three had 20, 15, and nine drinks, respectively, according to the lawsuit. “When they determined that the subject was not going to return to the bar because he had left, the officers should have just gotten up and left. They didn’t,” Beth Pittinger of the Pittsburgh Citizens Police Review Board said. “They were preparing to leave, but the members of the Pagan's Motorcycle Club walked in, so they decided to stay.”



According to the lawsuit, the cops and the bikers were initially getting along well, and one of the cops even bought shots for two of the bikers. At some point during the evening, the cops began to suspect that their cover had been blown, which allegedly put them all on edge. According to Pittinger, it is unclear why the cops came to that belief. “There was an assumption made that one of the patrons had or I don't even know if this is accurate, it's still a bit elusive to me that a patron had disclosed to the Pagan's MC that the four detectives were actually police officers,” she said.

According to both the testimony of those involved in the brawl and a criminal complaint filed after the fight, Martins revealed that he and his other companions were police. A report from the Pittsburgh Citizens Police Review Board released in 2021 theorized that Martin may have been trying to deescalate a conflict between the bikers and the police by telling the men they were actually law enforcement. Dietz said that city's lack of guidelines regarding undercover police alcohol consumption will be a major issue at the trial. No start date has been set.

Cops issue hundreds of tickets at HAMC event

Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada (July 15, 2024) - The Lethbridge Police Service issued 194 tickets and made a dozen arrests in response to a couple of events that brought an influx of people and vehicles into Lethbridge over the weekend.

 

One of those was a gathering of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club and many of their supporters, who were in town to celebrate the opening of a new Lethbridge clubhouse. The other was the annual Street Machine Weekend, a celebration of cars and car culture.

RELATED | Local police warns public of Hells Angels MC arrival

Police monitoring of the Street Machine event resulted in 10 arrests, and a another two people were arrested at the Hells Angels gathering. Police issued 154 tickets, mostly for stunting and equipment violations, at the Street Machine event, while 40 tickets, most for careless driving, speeding and failing to stop at stop signs or red lights, were written in relation to the Hells Angels MC gathering.



Five impaired drivers were removed from the road and two roadside sanctions were given to drivers with a blood-alcohol level above .05 at the Street Machine event. Fifty Hells Angels MC members or their associates were removed from licensed establishments under the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Act.

HAMC member at Berkeley protest in 1965

Photo of Michael H. Walter dated October 16, 1965. Michael was a member of the Oakland charter of the Hells Angels motorcycle club. Michael was taken into custody by Berkeley police officers after breaking through police lines.

 

He reportedly tore down a placard and battled some of the Vietnam protest marchers in Berkeley. A police officer was seriously injured in the melee and Michael was jailed.
Photograph: Anonymous

Local police warns public of Hells Angels MC arrival

Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada (July 11, 2024) - The Lethbridge Police Service will be joined by officers from law enforcement agencies across Alberta and Canada as members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club come to the city. It is expected that a large number of Hells Angels MC members and their supporters will arrive in the city on July 12. The police is asking the public to be aware of the significant increase in motorcycle traffic and share the road safely.

 

Police are informing the public that members of a new Hells Angels charter in Lethbridge, their support clubs and others, are holding a grand opening party and are anticipated to ride during various events over the weekend. LPS Acting Inspector Pete Christos says as many as 200-300 members are expected to take part in this weekend’s events, but most are from out of town and will likely leave afterward.



LPS will be joined by the RCMP, ALERT Integrated Gang Enforcement Team, Calgary Police Service, Edmonton Police Service, Medicine Hat Police Service, Taber Police Service, Camrose Police Service and other Canadian police agencies for the day. 

Christos says, “It has been well documented that many outlaw motorcycle gang members, their friends and associates, are involved in criminal activity, we will be working with our policing partners to monitor their presence, deter illegal activity and maintain public safety through an overt police presence.” He is telling the public to enjoy their weekend as normal, but if you encounter a member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, do not engage with them. 

Alleged One Order MC member faces gun charges

Toronto, Ontario, Canada (July 10, 2024) - A man and a woman are facing more than a dozen firearms-related charges each after investigators executed a search warrant last month. The OPP-led Biker Enforcement Unit (BEU) seized ammunition, two firearms, One Order Motorcycle Club vests and two cellphones on June 21.

 

Police said one of the individuals arrested is a member of the One Order Motorcycle Club. The One Order Motorcycle Club includes former street gang members and has had a close association with the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, Det. Insp. Scott Wade from the BEU said.

The BEU, a joint forces unit led by the OPP’s organized crime bureau, says its mandate is to “disrupt and dismantle organized crime groups” and to lessen the criminal activities of what they call “Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs.” Police say motorcycle gang members often take part in illegal, profit-driven activities like drug trafficking, extortion, intimidation and murder.

The 49-year-old man and a 46-year-old woman from Etobicoke are each facing 15 charges, including unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose and possession of a firearm obtained by crime. They are both scheduled to appear in court next month and have been released from custody.

Government goes after Bandidos Motorcycle Club

Copenhagen, Denmark (April 10, 2024) Today, Denmark’s government said that it wants a court to formally dissolve the Danish chapter of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, because of violence. Under Denmark’s constitution, an organization that promotes or incites violence can be dissolved by court order, meaning that it would be illegal for the group to have clubhouses, hold meetings or wear their insignias.

“The freedom of association was not created to protect vicious criminals,” Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard said at a news conference Wednesday, adding that the Bandidos had engaged in especially “brutal behavior.”

 

The Danish chapter of the Bandidos MC was created in 1993. Three years later, a feud between them and the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club broke out in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark, ending with 11 dead and nearly 100 wounded. In recent years, members of the Bandidos MC in Denmark have been jailed for murder, attempted murder, assault and drug-related crimes. On Tuesday, two members of the Bandidos MC were sentenced to 13 years each for a murder south of Copenhagen. Three other people linked were sentenced up to two years for gross violence in connection with the assault.

Hummelgaard said the government would seek a dissolution order against the Bandidos MC and that other similar organized groups could also face dissolution. “I would like to have them all banned if it is legally possible,” he said. The head of the Danish police’s National Special Crime Unit, Lasse Boye, told broadcaster DR that the Bandidos were the largest and “most violent” group in Denmark, and that the group has been "expanding very significantly in recent years.”

Former Hells Angels MC clubhouse demolished

Nanaimo, B.C., Canada (November, 16, 2023) - A clubhouse that once belonged to the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club is now demolished, just weeks after a court ruling confirmed the British Columbia government has the right to seize the property. Mike Farnworth, minister of public safety and solicitor general, says in a statement that the clubhouse in Nanaimo, is coming down immediately.

 

In February, the appeal court ordered the forfeiture of three properties and the province became the registered owner of the properties. However, Angel Acres Recreation and Festival Property Ltd. and all others interested in the properties appealed. They sought a restraining order to prevent the province from disposing of the land pending a decision from the high court in Ottawa.

 

RELATED | Hells Angels MC Clubhouses Seized by Court

 
"After more than a decade of legal action, government is now in legal possession of three properties previously used as Hells Angels' clubhouses in Nanaimo, Kelowna and East Vancouver to coordinate criminal activities, and today we will be demolishing the clubhouse in Nanaimo,” Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth said.



A Supreme Court of Canada ruling upheld a British Columbia court's decision finding an "inescapable" inference that the Nanaimo clubhouse and other Hells Angels properties in Kelowna and east Vancouver were used for criminal activity.

Hells Angels MC Members Arrested

Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain (November 14, 2023) - The National Police have arrested six people in different locations in Tenerife for their involvement in crimes including belonging to a criminal organization, damages, serious threats, and coercion. The detainees are members of the Canary Islands charter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.

 

The police investigation, conducted jointly by the General Information Commissioner and the Provincial Information Brigade of Tenerife, began three years ago when it was discovered that the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club intended to expand its influence to the island of Tenerife.

The expansion of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club in Spain has been gradual, with an increasing number of members across the country, especially in recent years, targeting strategic points for organized crime, such as the Costa del Sol, the entire Levantine Coast, the Costa Brava, and the Canary Islands.



The operation carried out by the National Police is part of the European police forces' fight against the establishment of these "outlaw" motorcycle clubs linked to organized crime, led by Europol through the (AP) Monitor Project.

Various police operations have already been conducted against different chapters of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) in Spain, for crimes including belonging to a criminal organization, drug trafficking, coercion, extortion, violent robbery, and illegal possession of weapons.

No police escort for annual Christmas toy run

Fairfield, California, USA (November 9, 2023) - Police Chief Dan Marshall said he would quit his job if the city forces his police officers to assist with a Christmas toy run, all because the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club are involved.

 

Photo: Operating Engineers Local 3

Over the decades-long Samoa Mission Christmas Toy Run, hundreds of motorcyclists, including Santa, parade down Fairfield streets. Fairfield police have served as an escort in the past. The chief says no more.



Community members asked Police Chief Dan Marshall to reconsider his stand. He stood firm, saying he doesn't want to put his officers in harm's way. The past two years Hell's Angels have participated, he said. "We do not support any criminal organization," he said during public comments at Tuesday night's city council meeting.

Toy Run will continue despite no police escort

The event is nearing its 20th anniversary. Last year, more than 400 toys were distributed, Gene Ahu, of Mission Samoa, said. Past toy runs have been done without a permit as a favor, Marshall said. He emphasized as long as the bikers follow the rules of the road, there should not be an issue. "I'm glad they are doing it," Marshall said.



Mayor Catherine "Cat" Moy and councilmembers Scott Tonnesen and Rick Vaccaro praised the event and offered their support for Marshall's decision. Many bikers involved in the ride stood in the council chamber's entryway during the discussion. The Toy Run is sponsored by Bad Boyz MC, Operating Engineers Local No. 3 and Mission Samoa.

Florida sheriff warns public about MC toy runs

Key West, Florida, USA (October 25, 2023) - Rick Ramsay, Monroe County Sheriff is urging the public to be aware of holiday toy drives that are being hosted by the Pagan's Motorcycle Club.

 

The sheriff seen an ad in the local paper for the "End of the Road Toy Run" by the PMC and LMC - The Pagan's Motorcycle Club and the Legend Motorcycle Club. Ramsey said that both clubs are criminal, outlaw motorcycle gangs that are involved in crime involving drugs, guns and violence in the community.

An important message from Sheriff Rick Ramsay: pic.twitter.com/VOAfHZUhyC

— Florida Keys Sheriff (@keyssheriff) October 24, 2023

In his social media message, Sheriff Ramsay says the Department of Justice has labeled the Pagan's as a criminal outlaw gang. Ramsay ended the video by saying “there are great organizations that people can team up with, but PMC is not one of them.”

Hells Angels MC Clubhouses Seized by Court

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (October 13, 2023) - The Supreme Court of Canada says it will not hear an appeal from the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club over properties the province of British Columbia seized from the club in Kelowna, Nanaimo and Vancouver.

On Thursday, the country's highest court dismissed a leave to appeal from Angel Acres Recreation and Festival Property Ltd. that sought to challenge a decision by a lower court in British Columbia, that said the clubhouses would likely be used for criminal activity in the future.

 

The Supreme Court gave the go-ahead for the province to sell the three properties, which were seized outright and the locks changed in April. Thursday's ruling ends a 16-year legal saga regarding the clubhouses.

Lawyers representing the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club went to court to stop the province from selling the properties, which it is allowed to do under the Civil Forfeiture Act. The act came into place in British Columbia in 2006 and is meant to "ensure that people cannot profit from unlawful activity or use property in a way that may harm other persons."

The British Columbia's forfeiture office first made a move to seize the Nanaimo clubhouse in 2007, and then  attempted the same with the Kelowna and Vancouver clubhouses in 2012. The properties are located at 805 Victoria Road in Nanaimo, 837 Ellis Street in Kelowna and 3598 East Georgia Street in Vancouver.



In its attempt to stop the seizures, the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club initially won a decision in British Columbia Supreme Court in 2020. But, that was overturned in February by the British Columbia Appeal Court, which found there was little evidence the club would have suffered "irreparable harm" if the properties were sold.

At the time, the civil forfeiture office said it would return the contents and belongings in the three clubhouses, as those were not subject to forfeiture. It would then sell the properties.

Police raid Mongols MC clubhouse

Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia (October 9, 2023) - A Mongols Motorcycle Club clubhouse has been raided ahead of the group's national run this week. Police searched an industrial complex at Blacktown in Sydney's west on Friday night and said they seized several items "consistent with the illegal sale and supply of alcohol". This included bar stools, lounges, fridges, and alcohol.

 

@State of NSW

The Mongols MC is preparing for its national run in Victoria, which will run from Wednesday to Saturday this week. Detective Acting Superintendent Stuart Gordon said NSW Police will work with Victoria Police to ensure riders comply with the law and road rules.



"We have assigned a significant number of resources to join our southern counterparts in policing the run, including officers attached to the southern region and traffic and highway patrol command," Gordon said. 

"No illegal behaviour will be tolerated – either on or off the road – and, as well as minimising the impact of the ride to other motorists, police will be targeting any anti-social behaviour."

SOURCES: Police.nsw.gov.au - Spaces.hightail.com

Bandidos MC member shot during run

Ballarat, Victoria, Australia (October 1, 2023) - A member of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club was reportedly shot near a clubhouse during the MC's annual run to regional Victoria. The 29-year-old man was admitted to Ballarat hospital shortly after 1:00 A.M. on Sunday with non-life-threatening injuries from a gunshot wound.

 

Police believe the Bandidos MC member was in the area of the Bandidos clubhouse when the shooting took place. This comes as members of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club descended on Ballarat and nearby Buninyong for their national run. Victoria Police’s Echo and VIPER Taskforce, supported by local police monitored the event to ensure public safety.

RELATED | Bandidos MC gather for national run

Detectives attached to Echo Taskforce took over the investigation into the shooting in Ballarat.

Bandidos MC gather for national run

Ballarat, Victoria, Australia (September 29, 2023) - Hundreds of members of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club from around Australia gathered on Friday in Ballarat for the their national run event. The Bandidos MC members are expected to travel to nearby Buninyong before returning over the weekend.

 

In a statement, Victoria Police said on Thursday that officers were “aware” of the national run. “Echo and VIPER taskforces, with local police and specialist units, will be closely monitoring to ensure the safety of all road users,” they said. 

“There will be an increased police presence in the Ballarat area over the weekend before members are expected to depart on Sunday. “Police will be ready to take swift action in the event any Bandidos MC members involved commit criminal, road safety or public order offences.”

Western Region Superintendent Frank Sells said that police would not be intimidated and their presence would be increased. Ballarat has hosted the Bandidos several times before, with the annual general meeting held last year at popular local restaurant Lazy Moe’s.

Mongols MC affiliates crash going to national event

Amberley, New Zeland (September 15, 2023) - Two people affiliated with the Mongols MC crashed on their way to Christchurch for a planned event. Detective Inspector Joel Syme said police were aware of a planned event in Christchurch this weekend involving members and associates of the Mongols MC.

On Friday morning, police were called to a crash involving two motorcycles travelling to the event. The crash on State Highway 1, north of Amberley, was reported to Police at 11:25 AM. “Nobody was injured and the road was not blocked.”



Syme said additional police staff would be deployed in the city over the weekend to “closely monitor the behaviour” of those attending the event. “Our expectations around these types of events are very clear and I can assure the community that we will have resources in place to respond to reports of unlawful behaviour.

Hells Angels MC Banned from Ponde Compound

South Australia (September 14, 2023) - Hells Angels members will be barred from a regular meeting place after state parliament passed a law designating the property a prescribed place. The Ponde compound, about 100km east of Adelaide, was home to a rock music festival until 2002 but will now be off bounds to club members after the government's latest move to block its use by the bikie gang.

 

"We do not want to see outlaw motorcycle gangs getting a hold back in South Australia," Attorney-General Kyam Maher told reporters on Thursday. "We will do everything that is in our power to make South Australians safer and that includes changing the law very quickly when we need to."

The High Court in August invalidated an attempt by the previous Liberal government to ban the bikies from Ponde, but Mr Maher was adamant his law would face no such obstacles as it amended the legislation itself and was not just a regulation. "What we've done through the passage of this legislation in parliament, is to make it as bulletproof as possible," he said.



The declaration of the site as a prescribed place means any members of a listed criminal organisation cannot visit. But the Law Society of South Australia criticised the bill, arguing it was based on a flawed regime. In a submission to Mr Maher, the society's president James Marsh said the law increased the risk that individuals could have their property unjustly confiscated.

"The society queries the justification in abrogating any citizen's right to procedural fairness," he wrote. Mr Maher said the society's representations "fell on deaf ears." "We will do absolutely everything we can to make sure bikies have as little influence in this state as possible," he said.

In 2019, police found a burnt-out car on the property that had been linked to a bashing murder. At one stage the government tried to seize the land as a criminal asset but later dropped that bid.

Outlaws MC Member Accused of Fleeing Deputies

Daytona, Florida, USA (October 25, 2022) - A member of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club faces seven charges after a deputy sheriff spotted him going over 100 miles per hour on a motorcycle in Flagler County after fleeing a traffic stop in Ormond Beach.

 

Among the new charges are two felony counts of fleeing and eluding with disregard of safety to persons or property. He’s also received seven traffic citations in connection to this incident, including reckless driving, failing to obey law enforcement and knowingly driving with a suspended license.

The Ormond Beach Police Department (OBPD) also filed fleeing and eluding charges against Wilson and his motorcycle was seized by FCSO.

With #Biketoberfest 2022 in full swing, we arrested a motorcycle gang member for speeding, a Palatka man who wrecked his vehicle while fleeing a traffic stop and a convicted felon with fentanyl in one of his socks.

MORE: https://t.co/aA69nea6DD#GotYa #FlaglerCounty #FCSO pic.twitter.com/uvzUSlg88W

— FlaglerSheriff (@FlaglerSheriff) October 18, 2022

Source: Flagler County Sheriff's Office

Hells Angels MC on the move in Toronto

On The Road (July 20, 2022) - A large procession of up to 1,000 Hells Angels members has left Newmarket, Ontario and is now headed for Toronto's east end. The ride is in honor of long-time Toronto Hells Angels member, Donny Peterson, who died at 74 of natural causes.