Despite concern that a confrontation between rival motorcycle
clubs the Mongols and the Hells Angels might jeopardize the safety
of rally goers over the weekend, nothing materialized and crime was
down compared to past years, according to police.
Hollister – Despite concern that a confrontation between rival motorcycle clubs the Mongols and the Hells Angels might jeopardize the safety of rally goers over the weekend, nothing materialized and crime was down compared to past years, according to police.
Police attributed the largely-peaceful gathering to a visible law enforcement presence, which also resulted in a significant number of people going to jail for driving under the influence. Of the 90 people booked into the San Benito County Jail over the weekend, 44 were there for drinking and driving, according to police.
However, a tense situation Saturday evening had cops out in full force when a group of between 20 to 30 Mongols showed up and walked through the downtown event arena – several hours after nearly 300 Hells Angels rode through town, followed by about the same number of Hells Angels supporters, according to Hollister Police Chief Jeff Miller.
“We didn’t just dodge a bullet, we dodged an atomic bomb,” Miller said. “The potential for violence was extremely high, and had it not been for the presence of the officers, there definitely would have been a confrontation.”
Around 7pm, San Benito County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Pat Turturici, who helped oversee the department’s outlaw motorcycle gang task force, said one of the task force members saw a group of Mongols ride into town, park their motorcycles on Third Street and begin walking toward downtown. He called Hollister Police and the California Highway Patrol, and they escorted the group around downtown.
“As soon as we saw them coming, knowing the bitter rivalry they had and the incident at Laughlin, we immediately had the downtown teams, supported by deputies with the highway patrol, brought in specifically for this situation,” Miller said. “We maintained close surveillance and walked with the Mongols to keep them separated from the Hells Angels.”
After their walk, the Mongols made their way back to their motorcycles on Third Street and left the downtown area, Miller said. This was the first rally where a group of Mongols showed up wearing their club’s colors, and this was the only time during the rally they did so, Miller said.
Animosity between the Mongols and Hells Angels has been growing for years. It climaxed with a riot during the Laughlin River Run motorcycle rally in Nevada in 2002. That incident ended with multiple shootings and stabbings, including three deaths.
Between 40 and 50 police officers wearing helmets and wielding batons flanked the Mongols on both sides as they made their way through downtown. A large group of Hells Angels were congregating on Monterey and Sixth streets, and as the Mongols passed Miller said there was a verbal confrontation between members of the rival groups, but nothing physical.
Miller believes the police presence prevented violence.
“Without a doubt,” he said. “As they (the Mongols) passed by, the Hells Angles were calling out epithets, so there was still the verbal stuff.”
Legendary Hells Angels member Sonny Barger, who spent the majority of his time at the rally signing autographs and talking to fans from the Angels’ tent on Sixth Street, wouldn’t comment much about the rivalry between his club and the Mongols, or the possibility of a fight Saturday evening.
“We don’t have a problem with anybody,” Barger said on Sunday. “I always have a good time here. There’s not gonna be no problems here.”
But he had a definitive opinion about the amount of cops patrolling the event – one of whom gave him a ticket for not yielding the right of way to an officer while riding his motorcycle.
“I think there’s too many cops in the world,” he said.
Although there were a couple scuffles involving the Hells Angles Saturday on San Benito Street – one in front of The Vault Restaurant – there were few fights over the three-day period, Miller said.
Of the hundreds of Hells Angels in attendance, four were arrested. One member went to jail for assault during one of the fights, another for possession of an ice pick, a third for a parole violation and a fourth was cited and released for a peace disturbance, according to sheriff’s Sgt. Mike Rodrigues. Another Hells Angels affiliate was cited for possession of marijuana, a member of the Boozefighters was arrested for possession of a loaded handgun in Johnny’s Bar and a member of the Vagos motorcycle club was arrested for parole violation, Rodrigues said.
On a whole, things were fairly quiet, Miller said. He attributed a peaceful weekend to fewer people and a more apparent police presence. During peak hours, about 90 police officers were deployed within the downtown area, with roughly 60 CHP officers in and around the downtown area. Last year the CHP did not patrol the rally, but because of the heightened concern they agreed to help this year, Miller said. Crowd estimates last year topped 120,000, and while concrete numbers haven’t been tabulated Miller believes attendance dwindled in 2005.
Even with fewer people at the rally, Miller said there were more citations issued this year than last year – the majority for minor infractions. While police won’t have an exact breakdown of crimes and arrests for several days, Miller said auto theft numbers were down and so were traffic collisions.
The total number of people booked into the San Benito County Jail increased slightly from last year. Ninety people made guest appearances this year, while only 84 were booked over the three-day period a year ago, Turturici said. Of those 90, 44 were booked for drinking and driving – 14 more than last year.
“People were drinking and driving, even with all the CHP present,” Turturici said. “Around 8:30pm on Sunday the bars were still packed. The booths were closing down but people were still at the bars. Around 9pm the CHP had cars backed at the jail waiting to book people.”
The CHP did not have arrest or collision numbers available by press time Monday, according to Capt. Bob Davies.
Of the 44 DUIs, only two of those were felonies – the first issued on Thursday night for a Hollister woman who collided head-on with a motorcyclist on Highway 156, killing him. The second was for a man who received his fifth DUI, Turturici said.
Police didn’t have numbers on accidents or those resulting in injuries, except for the motorcyclist killed on Highway 156, and another woman who was sent to the hospital and is in critical condition after a single-motorcycle accident on Highway 25 near Best Road on Saturday.
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
