Police thwart showdown of Hells Angels and Bandidos at Fitzroy nightclub
- Herald Sun
- June 21, 2013
Toby Mitchell of the Bandidos bikie gang. Picture: Nicole Garmston Source: Herald Sun
A POTENTIALLY violent confrontation
was thwarted by police after dozens of Hells Angels
descended on an inner-city Bandidos-linked nightspot in a
suspected bid to find the culprits who shot up their new
clubhouse.
The Herald Sun understands between 30 and 50 Hells Angels wearing colours arrived at a Fitzroy nightclub last Saturday night, less than 48 hours after the HQ of their new Darkside chapter in Seaford had been riddled with up to 30 bullets, fired from a high-calibre weapon.
But urgent calls from the public almost certainly thwarted a brutal "run through" of the club.
Police sources say there are suspicions the Angels were looking for Bandidos boss Toby Mitchell.
The anti-bikie Echo Taskforce is investigating both incidents.
There have been clear signs that tensions remain high between the gangs in the aftermath of an ambush on Bandidos by Hells Angels in Melton on March 1, leaving Mitchell and another member with bullet wounds.
The escalation comes as the Hells Angels prepare to host an opening party with its feeder club the Red Devils to officially mark its turf on the Mornington Peninsula.
Darkside, the Hells Angels' fourth Victorian chapter, will be supported by the Red Devils' Frankston chapter.
Victoria Police are aware of the June 29 party, which is likely to attract hundreds of bikies and associates from Victoria and across the nation. The force says it will have a large presence on the night to monitor the outlaw bikies, which is set to include members from other affiliated clubs.
The Angels have been on a recruiting drive and Darkside has several prospects yet to get their "colours".
It will be Australia's 19th Hells Angels chapter and the first opened in Victoria since East County in Campbellfield in 2003.
