Australasian biker news

 

AUSTRALASIAN BIKER NEWS

 


 

Bikies 'want blood'
 
26feb06
THE theft of a Hells Angel's "colours" by members of a rival gang, the Rebels, may be the spark that ignites a major bikie gang clash.
 
The Sunday Mail has learnt the theft was the catalyst for the ramming of the Rebels' headquarters at Royal Park last Saturday, less than 24 hours after the colours – the insignia-clad jacket worn by bikies – was stolen.
 
Police have closely monitored the activities of both gangs for the past week amid expectations of more violent retaliation by Hells Angels' members against the Rebels.
 
Several police sources said yesterday they believed there was "little chance" the theft of the colours would be settled with just the ramming of the clubrooms. "For these people, their colours are their life, they are sacrosanct," one senior source said.
 
"It is unlikely they will let it rest. They will want blood for this."
 
While there were no bikie-related incidents last week, a Christies Beach uniform patrol discovered a Rebels associate allegedly carrying an unregistered, loaded handgun.
 
The patrol searched a car in which a Rebels member and the associate were travelling after it was stopped at Hackham at 4am last Saturday.
 
The man, 28, was charged with firearms offences and given police bail to appear in Christies Beach Magistrates Court at a later date.
 
Detective Superintendent Deane Paynter, officer in charge of the Drug and Organisation Crime Investigation Branch – which includes the Avatar anti-motorcycle gang unit – yesterday said police were "aware of the situation and the current tension that exists".
 
"We are well and truly monitoring it with a view to preventing any further escalation of any violence between either gangs or individual members," he said.
 
While refusing to comment on the theft of the colours, Supt Paynter indicated many incidents involving club members were not "sanctioned" by club hierarchy. "The violent nature of bikies and their culture frequently brings them to clash with each other," he said.
 
"But not all of the violent incidents are club sanctioned and sometimes things happen that are not sanctioned. A lot of the violent incidents are never reported to police and the individual retaliations are not reported either.
 
"But we are aware of instances of violence between motorcycle gang members. Sometimes that tension is heightened by individual events and it ebbs and flows."
 
In the latest incident, the colours were taken by two Rebels members after they bashed a Hells Angels gang member in the city on Friday, February 17. The brawl occurred in front of Peter Stevens Motorcycles in Franklin St when the trio encountered one another in a chance meeting.
 
The next morning, a truck rammed the steel gate of the fortified headquarters of the Rebels in Royal Park, ripping the gate from its hinges.
 
Avatar detectives have tried to question numerous gang members over the incident, but have been met with the traditional bikie "code of silence".
 
Parallels have been drawn between this incident and the incident which resulted in three Rebels members being gunned down in Wright St in October 1999 by several Hells Angels members.
 
The catalyst for the Wright St shootout was a brawl in Rundle St between Rebels and Hells Angels members shortly beforehand.
 
Avatar officers are aware many interstate Hells Angels members arrived in Adelaide for a club function at their Ponde property, near Mannum, this weekend.
 
Police were also monitoring a big group of Rebels members who travelled to Whyalla on Friday.
 
 
 

Back

HOME

 

 

 

 

Hit Counter