Surrey, South East England (May 22, 2019) BTN — Up to 3,000 Hells Angels motorcycle club members are expected in East Surrey for a three-day event culminating in a 700 motorcycle ride out to Brighton.
The ride out, which is the culmination of Hells Angels Motorcycle Club's (HAMC) ‘Euro Run’, is expected to cause major disruption in East Surrey and Sussex on Saturday June 1 while police have also warned motorists to expect a large number of bikers in the area for the duration of the event.
It is the first time the three-day event, between May 30 and June 1, has been held in the UK and is being done so to mark the 50th anniversary of the HAMC in the country.
Officers from Surrey Police and Sussex Police have had leave and rest days cancelled to cover the event, and others, in what is set to be an extremely busy week for police.
Assistant Chief Constable Nev Kemp, who is leading policing operations for both Surrey and Sussex during the period, said: “We are approaching an incredibly busy time with lots going on and thousands of visitors expected across both counties.
Plainville, Connecticut, USA (May 22, 2019) BTN — Central Café has been ordered to close indefinitely after police say a fight broke out between two motorcycle clubs, resulting in motorcyclists fleeing the scene in an unsafe manner.
Plainville Police Chief Matthew Catania reported that two similar incidents have occurred at the bar recently and stated that “it is not likely that we have seen the last of this type of behavior at this location,” according to a letter to restaurant permittee Shirley Papallo from Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle Seagull.
“Based upon the foregoing, DCP finds that public health, safety and welfare imperatively requires emergency action … and orders your café liquor permit suspended immediately and premises closed,” Seagull wrote in the letter. Papallo did not immediately respond to email requests for comment.
The incident Catania referred to occurred on May 16, 2019, when police responded to a fight at Central Café, 54 West Main St.
The letter says “Up to twenty motorcyclists were observed fleeing the premises at high rates of speed and driving over lawns, driving down the wrong side of the road, and driving around other vehicles in an unsafe manner, all while disobeying officers’ signals.”
Police noted that some of the individuals were seen wearing leather jackets and vests indicating membership in the two motorcycle clubs the “Diablos MC” and the “Outlaws MC.”
Inside the bar, one patron was found bleeding from a deep laceration on his head and a human bite on his arm. He refused to provide police with information beyond saying he was hanging out before being “jumped.” A second patron police believe to be an associate of the Outlaws MC was bleeding slightly from a head laceration and refused to cooperate with police.
The letter says an anonymous source told police that members of the Outlaws MC were on the outside patio when a “significant number of Diablos MC members” pulled into the parking lot and attacked the Outlaws.
All available officers were called to secure the building, where several Outlaws MC members remained, yelling obscenities at police. Upon more suspected Diablos arriving and watching police from the road, mutual aid from three surrounding towns was requested.
In an email Catania wrote to Town Manager Robert Lee, which is quoted in Seagull’s letter, he wrote, “It is common knowledge at this point that (Central Café manager Robert Papallo) has friends in the Outlaws motorcycle gang. His actual involvement with the gang has yet to be determined.”
Detroit, Michigan, USA (May 21, 2019) BTN — Police are investigating a man's death at a motorcycle club Tuesday morning on Detroit's west side.
Detroit Gentlemen Motorcycle Clubhouse
It was about 10:50 a.m. when the victim, described as "older," was found dead inside Detroit Gentlemen Motorcycle Club on the 14800 block of Grand River, said Latrice Crawford, a Detroit Police Department spokeswoman.
The victim was found with a gunshot wound, lying dead in a pool of blood. A motorcycle believed to have belonged to the victim was found on fire, parked behind the club.
Lisbon, Portugal (May 21, 2019) BTN - Portuguese police arrested 17 members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club on Tuesday on suspicion of organised crime activity, authorities said.
Around 150 officers, including anti-terrorism personnel, took part in raids on homes and commercial establishments across Portugal, the Judiciary Police (PJ) said in a statement.
TV channel SIC reported homes were searched in the capital Lisbon, the country’s north and the Algarve in the south where thousands of bikers gather every year for an international motorcycle event.
Police confirmed 17 men belonging to the Hells Angels and aged between 29 and 52 were detained and expected to appear in court on Wednesday, charged with criminal association - which in Portugal is punishable by up to five years in jail.
One police inquiry has focused on a March 2018 incident in which Hells Angels members allegedly attacked a rival motorcycle club and neo-Nazi associates as part of a turf war for control of illicit weapons and drug trafficking.
Dozens of Hells Angels motorcycle club members were arrested four months later and described by Portuguese police as “extremely dangerous” with long criminal records and involvement in violent organised crime.
