Tributes Pour in for Hells Angels MC Member

Wallsend, Newcastle, England (April 25, 2025) - A South Shields mum has paid a devastating tribute to her husband, Chris Brown, 37, who tragically died following a motorcycle crash on Stephenson Street in Wallsend on April 7, 2025.

Chris, a father of two and supervisor at Smulders, suffered critical injuries when his Harley-Davidson collided with a van. Despite being rushed to the RVI by air ambulance, Chris passed away three days later. 

 

Image: Northumbria Police

His wife Stacey, speaking with deep emotion, said: “Our kids are not going to see their king again. It broke me in two.” Chris, a proud member of the Hells Angels, was described as “a proper, genuine, nice person” and “a family man who would do anything for anyone.” His passing has shaken the South Tyneside community, with Stacey adding: “Anybody who met him loved him.”

She added: “My brother worked with Chris and was the first on the scene because he was travelling just behind him in the car. “When I got the call from my brother, I knew that something that happened to Chris and my heart just sank. I could tell that it was bad.

“Chris was a very experienced rider – he had ridden bikes since he was around seven years old. You’d never expect something like this to happen to someone who’s so experienced. “He used to have sports bikes when he was younger but as he got older, he got into Harleys and that’s when he joined the Hells Angels.”

In his memory, Stacey is taking on the Three Peaks Challenge on June 21 – the Summer Solstice – a dream they once shared together. Over £13,000 has already been raised for Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Charity through a fundraiser Stacey launched in Chris’s honour.

Chris’s funeral will take place on May 10, 2025 with more than 600 bikes expected to join in tribute. “Please remember to hold your loved ones close,” Stacey says. “You never know what’s around the corner.” A fundraiser has been set up at: gofundme.com/f/chris-last-hike

Co-owner of Poopy's biker bar murdered

Savanna, Illinois, USA (April 23, 2025) - Police in Clinton, Iowa, identified Shelly Leab, co-owner of Poopy’s, the “biggest biker bar in Illinois as the victim in a murder-suicide on Friday. Authorities said Brian Witherspoon, 57, shot Shelly Leab, 52, and then himself. 

Source: Facebook 

The pair was found during a welfare check at a home on Pershing Boulevard, around 12:30 p.m. The family said Leab’s body was found in the home along with her ex-fiancé.

The Iowa medical examiner performed autopsies Monday and said Leab died from multiple gunshot wounds and ruled her death a homicide. Witherspoon died from a single gunshot wound. His death was ruled a suicide.

Alleged Mongols MC Member Charged with Murder

San Bernardino County, California, USA (April 16, 2025) - A alleged member of the Mongols Motorcycle Club was charged Tuesday with murdering a member of the Vagos Motorcycle Club in what federal prosecutors say is an escalating conflict between the two Motorcycle Clubs.

Julian Pulido allegedly shot to death Vicente Sandoval on March 4th at the Firewater Bar in Ontario, according to a complaint unsealed Tuesday and San Bernardino County coroner’s records. A second alleged Mongols MC member, Clifford Lavoy, is accused of choking Sandoval before he was killed. Lavoy pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of assault in aid of racketeering and is being jailed without bond.

 

Sandoval’s killing was the latest flame up in a three-year conflict between the Mongols and the Vagos that, according to court records, included a shooting at a Hooters restaurant, a brawl at a Harley-Davidson store in Marina del Rey and a homicide allegedly committed by a paraplegic Vagos MC member who rode a three-wheeled motorcycle.

The officer wrote in the complaint that Mongols leaders maintain an “arsenal” of assault rifles, handguns, shotguns, knives and bulletproof vests in their downtown Los Angeles headquarters. The Mongols allegedly kept the cache of weapons to use against rivals, including the Hells Angels, Outlaws, Sons of Silence and Vagos.

Prosecutors trace the Mongols’ conflict with the Vagos to December 19, 2021, when the latter club held a memorial for a dead member at a Hooters in Riverside. Some Mongols showed up and a fight broke out, the officer wrote. Shooting erupted from both sides. By the time Riverside police arrived, everyone had fled — but blood on the ground indicated someone had been wounded, the complaint says.

Street gatherings continued

 

Black and White photo of various motorcycle during an event 

Vice President of Bikers Against Child Abuse Arrested

Buffalo, New York, USA (April 11, 2025) - The vice president of the Buffalo chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA) was arrested Wednesday for sex crimes against children, according to New York State Police. John Todaro, 49, of Amherst, was allegedly found to be in possession of child pornography following an Internet Crimes Against Children investigation. He was also disseminating child pornography, officials said.

 

Police said Todaro would have had opportunities to be around children in his role. The BACA website says at least two members must be present to meet with a child to protect against accusations of child abuse. Background checks are necessary to become members. Todaro was charged with promoting a sexual performance by a child and possessing a sexual performance by a child.



The Buffalo chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse said in a statement it is "deeply troubled" by the charges. "The reported actions represent a serious breach of the values and mission we uphold. Such behavior is unacceptable to our organization and stands in direct violation of our strict code of conduct." the chapter said in a statement. "Upon learning of the allegations, our leadership took immediate and decisive action to permanently remove the individual from our organization."

He was released on his own recognizance and is expected back in court in May.

Biker caught on video in highway drive-by shooting

Tampa, Florida, USA (April 8, 2025) - Troopers are searching for a motorcyclist who fired several shots at a vehicle on westbound I-4 early Sunday morning. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a 34-year-old St. Petersburg man was traveling on I-4 in Tampa around 2:28 a.m. when he spotted several motorcyclists driving erratically with another vehicle west on I-275.

 

When the man began filming the motorcyclists with his phone, one of the motorcyclists rode up next to his car and discharged several rounds from a handgun, troopers said. While several rounds struck the man’s Honda CR-V, he was not injured.



The suspected shooter is described as a white man with a medium build. He was wearing a jacket with the “Outlaws MC” logo, referring to the Outlaws Motorcycle Club.

Ex Hells Angels MC freed from prison

Montreal, Quebec, Canada (January 7, 2025) - In a decision made on Friday, the Parole Board of Canada reinstated Jacques Pelletier’s full parole. The 69-year-old former Hells Angel MC member is serving the life sentence he received in 1986 for his role in the first-degree murders of fellow club members in Lennoxville, carried out inside what was then a bunker used by the club’s Sherbrooke chapter. The slaughter, which came to be known as the Lennoxville Purge.

The ambush was planned by leaders of the Hells Angels MC based in Quebec who felt the club’s Laval chapter had become undisciplined when it came to drug trafficking and that this caused problems with other criminal organizations, including the West End Gang, who supplied them with drugs like cocaine.

 

On March 24, 1985, five Laval Hells Angels MC members were shot to death after they were summoned to a Hells Angels clubhouse in Lennoxville, just outside Sherbrooke. Several Hells Angels MC members were present that day and played a role in the slaughter, but only four, including Pelletier, were convicted of first-degree murder and received life sentences.

Pelletier was granted full parole in 2013, but the release was suspended five times since for different reasons. For example, in October 2017 he was returned to a penitentiary after police noticed his motorcycle parked outside a strip club frequented by known criminals.

 

An undated photo of the Laval chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club

Most recently, his parole was suspended following a collision on October 4. During Pelletier’s hearing on Friday, the parole board members who heard his case were presented with different versions of what actually occurred, including Pelletier’s, and determined they did not have enough information to keep him inside the federal penitentiary where he spent the past three months.

According to a written summary of the decision made last week, Pelletier’s parole was suspended following a collision with another vehicle on October 4 and after he refused to submit to a breathalyzer test.

Outlaws MC club member pleads guilty

Buffalo, New York, USA (January 2, 2025) - An Outlaws MC club member who pleaded guilty to a gun charge has already been in jail for a portion of what federal guidelines suggest for a sentence. Scott Barnes, whom prosecutors have described as a national enforcer for the Outlaws, has been in jail since December 2023.

Federal agents on December 7, 2023, executed a search warrant at the 400 block of Northumberland Avenue, Buffalo, New York. Scott had been living in the upper portion of the building for several weeks before law enforcement searched it.

 

During the search, agents recovered a .40 caliber Glock handgun loaded with 11 rounds of ammunition on an end table near his sleeping area with other personal items. The firearm was reported stolen in 2013 by its owner.

Scott was among nine defendants named in the Pharaoh’s witness retaliation indictment. But his charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and also possessing a stolen Glock .40-caliber pistol were not related to the alleged retaliation against Crystal Quinn, 37, a former exotic dancer who died of a fentanyl overdose in 2023.

Among the other defendants in the retaliation case are four people accused of participating in a witness-tampering and retaliation conspiracy targeting Quinn. At the time of her death, Quinn had entered into a formal cooperation agreement with federal prosecutors to testify in Gerace’s bribery, sex- and drug-trafficking trial.

Armond Edward Bletcher

Armond Bletcher was born on November 14, 1942, in Alameda County, California, USA. His father, Edward E. Bletcher, was a decorated United States Navy veteran who served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Edward's military service deeply influenced Armond's upbringing, instilling in him values of resilience and strength.

 

Standing somewhere between 6 foot 3 and 6 feet 8 inches tall and tipping the scales around 350 pounds, he faced relentless bullying due to his size, which had a lasting impact on his life. Determined to change his circumstances, Armond dedicated himself to weightlifting and reportedly used horse steroids to build his physique. This transformation from a bullied victim to a formidable force allowed him to confront his past tormentors and establish himself as a powerful figure.

 

Armond Bletcher’s prized motorcycle and car, ca. 1963

His reputation only grew as he became involved with the mafia and worked as a bodyguard for the legendary singer Frank Sinatra. These connections solidified his standing as a man not to be trifled with and added to his mystique. As a friend of the Fresno Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, and a feature favorite with the staff at Easyriders magazine, Armond was literally a giant among men and a controversial figure to this day.

 

1976 Easyriders magazine

Despite his tough exterior, family was always important to Armond. The values instilled in him by his father played a crucial role in shaping his character and the path he chose. Edward E. Bletcher's final resting place at Belmont Memorial Park in Fresno, California, serves as a poignant reminder of the lasting impact of family on Armond's life.

 

Armond flexing his bicep among his friends in an undated photo

His resilience and capacity to endure physical harm without flinching earned him immense respect from his peers. This unyielding toughness, combined with his steadfast loyalty, made him an influential force within the organization.

 

1976 Easyriders magazine

He tragically met his match at the wrong end of a .357 when a baseball bat beating couldn’t diffuse his anger, just pissed him off more. He was dead at 33 yrs old. Armond had allegedly gone after his cousins to “mess them up” when they refused to put him on their shop payroll, which he desperately needed to show an honest source of income while being investigated by the Feds for numerous illegal activities. Having his personal lifestyle and exploits plastered on the pages of Easyriders magazine probably didn’t help matters much.

 

Armond's gravesite at Belmont Memorial Park Fresno, Fresno County, California, USA

“Hell’s Angels love to fistfight. There’s never a shortage of drunks or fools willing to take us on, and a lot of times we’ll take on each other. Armond Bletcher stood 6″8″ and weighed 350 lbs. He was so strong he could pick up a couple motorcycles and put them on the back of a pickup truck. In the early 70's Armond could bench 705 lbs., but he had to arch his back to do it. He was never in competition, but he took steroids and was unbelievably big.” ~Ralph “Sonny” Barger

Mask 1985 - Red's Funeral

This is one of the deleted scenes from the 1985 biker movie "Mask" showing Red's funeral.

 

This clip is where they bury him with his Harley.


Mask starred: Sam Elliott, Eric Stoltz, Harry Carey, Jr., Laura Dern, Dennis Burkley, and more.

Outlaws MC leave for a funeral

Accompanying note with photograph: "A group of Outlaws leave their campsite at Woodville, Fla., early Wednesday afternoon, and begin their journey at Bristol, Fla., where funeral services for slain member Leonard Henderson, 29, better known as "Terry the Terrible," will be held Wednesday at 4:00PM."

Leonard "Terry the Terrible" Henderson was murdered with several others on July 4, 1979 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Outlaws MC welcomed in Vermont city for gathering

Rutland, Vermont, USA (July 14, 2024) - Rutland, a small city in Vermont with less than 20,000 people is preparing for a visit from the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. City officials say the Outlaws MC is holding its national meet at the Vermont state fair grounds starting Thursday.

 

While the local news is pushing that the Outlaws MC is on multiple Federal watchlists with ties to organized crime, Rutland’s mayor doesn’t believe any issues will come up during the group’s time in the Marble City, he says it’s better to be prepared.



“Any motorcycle club coming to Rutland to celebrate, to do something at the fair grounds, I think that’s awesome,” Rutland mayor Mike Doenges said. “I think its great that people want to participate. You look at things like Daytona Bike Week or Laconia and those are great economic drivers for those communities."

"Those communities are prepared for those things though, this is the first time we’ve had something like this in Rutland of this size.” Mayor Doenges says the city is looking at additional law enforcement staffing from July 18th to the 20th.

Motorcycle Club Runs Continued

 

Large group of Motorcycle Club members rolling down the road  

Vagos Motorcycle Club

 

Undated photo of unidentified members of the Vagos Motorcycle Club

Matilda's Bar on Route 66

Originating as the McCook Outlaws MC, the club was founded by Electro-Motive Company employees at Matilda's Bar on Route 66 in the southwestern Chicago suburb of McCook, Illinois in 1935​.

Photo: M. S. 

John Davis was reportedly the founder of the club. Although inactive during World War II, the Outlaws reformed afterwards and attended the first major post-war motorcycle rally, held at Soldier Field in Chicago in May 1946.

Mongols MC members shot at while riding

Tippecanoe County, Indiana, USA (September 21, 2023) - A man riding a motorcycle, later identified as Keylin Holly pulled out a handgun and allegedly shot at two other motorcyclist at an intersection. The victims reportedly told the man to stop following them when they stopped at the intersection the shooting took place, according to a probable cause affidavit filed Wednesday.

 

When police were on their way, they received more calls of shots fired in the area. According to an officer in the area at the time, Holly was wearing a denim vest with “Abolafia” in red and white lettering. Holly was riding his motorcycle behind two older men on motorcycles. The officer said he heard the two men tell Holly to stop following them.

When the bikers approached the intersection of 18th Street and Everett Street, the officer saw what looked like Holly shooting at the two motorcycles in front of him. According to Tippecanoe County Prosecutor's Office, Holly is a known member of the Abolafia Motorcycle Club. The people he's accused of shooting at are members of the Mongols Motorcycle Club.



Holly is charged with four counts each of attempted murder, aggravated battery and attempted battery with a deadly weapon, as well as unlawful carrying of a handgun, criminal recklessness and criminal organization activity.

He is being held in the Tippecanoe County Jail with $210,000 in bonds as of Wednesday evening, according to jail logs.

Feds want the Grim Reapers MC clubhouse

Evansville, Indiana USA (September 20, 2023) - After indicting and sentencing more than a dozen members of the Grim Reapers Motorcycle Club, the federal government is wanting to seize the MC's clubhouse. United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Zach Myers, filed a formal civil complaint in December, 2022 asking a judge to forfeit the building at located 1104 East Diamond Avenue in Evansville, Indiana “to the United States of America.”

 

The civil case, featured an amended complaint and the dropping of a defendant, is still working it's way through court system. The newest filing came on September 5, 2023. The amended complaint, issued in late June, says the building is “subject to forfeiture because it was used, or intended to be used, to commit, or to facilitate, the commission of drug-trafficking offenses.”

It’s the culmination of years of investigation. The feds kicked off the criminal portion of the case in November 2019, when members of the FBI, Drug Enforcement Agency, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, among others obtained a search warrant and knocked down the Motorcycle Club’s front door.

RELATED | Former Grim Reapers MC Prez Sentenced

They reportedly seized 10 pounds of meth, 23 guns, $35,000 in cash and a couple of motorcycles. The dope alone reportedly had an estimated street value of more than $250,000. What followed next was a bunch of indictments over the coming months and now years. The latest sentence was handed down in February of this year.

Besides going after the Grim Reapers MC, the main defendant in the civil side of the case is former Grim Rreapers MC leader Gary Wayne Forston. He was sentenced in October to 16-and-a-half years in prison after he plead guilty to four of the 12 counts against him. He’s currently serving his sentence in Texarkana, Texas.

As part of Wayne's plea deal that he signed in July 2022 “Forston agreed that the defendant property was subject to forfeiture and consented to the forfeiture of his interest in the defendant property,” the amended complaint says. Prosecutors accuse Forston of living at the clubhouse while the dope ring was doing business. The feds want the court to block Grime Reapers MC members from using the building and ultimately hand it over to the U.S. government.

Suspected leader of Pagan's MC chapter sentenced

Providence, Rhode Island, USA (October 29, 2022) - The suspected leader of the Pagans Motorcycle Club in Rhode Island has been sentenced to serve 10 years in prison on illegal gun and drug charges. Deric “Tuna” McGuire, 38, of Burrillville, entered a plea of "nolo contendere" to multiple felony charges stemming from an investigation by the Rhode Island State Police in 2017 and 2018 into outlaw motorcycle gangs, known as “Operation Patched Out.”

McGuire will also forfeit $80,229 and six cars in connection to the “criminal activity.”

 

According to Attorney General Peter Neronha, McGuire participated in a “criminal enterprise involving illegal possession and distribution of narcotics, illegal possession and sale of firearms, and illegal possession and theft of stolen property.” On May 23, 2018, investigators executed multiple search warrants at locations in Burrillville, Woonsocket, and North Smithfield.

RELATED | Pagan's MC: Ruling could toss out evidence in case

From McGuire’s Burrillville home and a garage bay next to the Pagans clubhouse in Woonsocket, investigators seized roughly 327 grams of cocaine, about $29,800 in cash, and eight guns. McGuire was prohibited from purchasing the gun after being convicted of assault with a dangerous weapon in 2014.

State police said McGuire conspired to distribute significant amounts of cocaine and marijuana, sell firearms and to steal a Bobcat loader. He also conspired to provide a letter to the Rhode Island Parole Board stating that an incarcerated associate had secured employment in an effort to get him parole, state police said.



Additionally, he provided a false statement inflating his annual income in order to secure financing for the purchase of a motorcycle. In total, 61 people were arrested as a result of the investigation. Additionally, the defendant conspired to provide a letter to the Rhode Island Parole Board stating that an incarcerated associate had secured employment in an effort to convince the Parole Board to grant him parole.

Hells Angels Motorcycle Club Hold Food Drive

Owensboro, Kentucky USA (October 16, 2022) - Members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, Nomads Kentucky held their fifth annual food drive at Owensboro’s American Legion Saturday. As folks ate and drank in the American Legion’s bar area, Hells Angels prospects sold club merchandise at tables in a separate room. 

Out front, full patched members stood by a trailer where people could drop off their food items which will all be donated to the Help Office of Owensboro, according to a Hells Angels MC spokesman.

 

Photo by Greg Eans, Messenger-Inquirer

Many people need the proceeds of the Hells Angels food drive now more than ever, he said. “A lot of people are having hard times right now. Everybody knows the prices of everything are going up,” the spokesman said. The club’s reputation as an outlaw gang isn’t representative of what it is today. 

“In the 1970's, I was one-year old. I could go back and look at how the military or any organization was in the 1970's compared to what it is today,” he said. “People are going to think what they think. People who know us and have been around, know how we are and who we are.”

American Legion manager Laura Morris said it’s always a pleasure to have the bikers hold the event there. “For them to help us and help out in the community, I just can’t say enough good things about them,” said Morris.

Source: Messenger-Inquirer  

Police raid Rock Machine MC clubhouse

Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada (July 19, 2022) - Regina police say they have arrested and charged multiple people believed to be members of a motorcycle club while a another investigation netted a large quantity of drugs. 

Over the course of a couple of weeks, police executed nine search warrants in Regina, including the Rock Machine MC clubhouse, as part of an investigation led by the unit.

 

Police seized $12,700 cash, seven firearms and ammunition, 320 grams of cocaine, 19 grams of meth, six motorcycles, five vehicles, one heavy equipment skid steer loader, multiple cellular devices and evidence supporting vehicle thefts and fraudulent processes for changing VIN numbers. 

Multiple charges were laid against six people, including three “Members of the Rock Machine” according to police. The three men all made their first appearance in Regina Provincial Court.

Gang Unit Investigation Leads To Seizure of Drugs/Property and Charges Laid https://t.co/UhruCOCecK

— Regina Police (@reginapolice) July 18, 2022

In a separate investigation led by the Regina Police Service’s drug unit, officers seized 10 kilograms of cocaine, six kilograms of methamphetamine, $155,000 cash and  “other proceeds of crime, including motorcycles” after searching several addresses in the city. Three men are facing multiple charges, including a member of the Silent Soldiers MC.