Charges filed against 170 motorcycle gang members in Texas
(Agencies) Updated: 2015-05-19 16:41
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The Waco Harley-Davidson remains closed following the shooting at the Twin Peaks Restaurant in Waco, Texas, May 18, 2015. The local Harley Davidson dealership was closed, motorcycle riders were asked to stay off the road and police surveyed streets from to rooftops in Waco after a deadly gangland shooting a caused many to cast a colder eye on bikers. [Photo/Agencies] |
Twin Peaks - a national chain that features waitresses in revealing uniforms - on Monday revoked the franchise rights to the restaurant, which opened in August.
Company spokesman Rick Van Warner said in a statement that the management team chose to ignore warnings and advice from the company, and did not establish the "high security standards" that the company requires.
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission on Monday issued a seven-day suspension of the restaurant's liquor license, but owners had the option of reopening to serve meals.
Police and the restaurant operators were aware of Sunday's meeting in advance, and 18 Waco officers in addition to state troopers were outside the restaurant when the fight began, Swanton said.
McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara, whose office is involved in the investigation, said the nine dead were members of the Bandidos and Cossacks gangs. However, Swanton has repeatedly declined to identify which gangs were involved in a fight that began with punches then grew to include chains, knives and then guns.
"I am not about to give them the respect of mentioning their names," Swanton said.
Many men detained in the hours after the shooting were seen wearing leather vests that read Bandidos or Cossacks.
More than 100 motorcycles were in the parking lots around the restaurant Monday, along with an additional 50 to 75 vehicles that probably belong to gang members, Swanton said. Authorities were having them towed from the scene, 95 miles (153 kilometers) south of Dallas.
In a 2014 gang-threat assessment, the Texas Department of Public Safety classified the Bandidos as a "Tier 2" threat, the second highest. Other groups in that tier included the Bloods, Crips and Aryan Brotherhood of Texas.
The Bandidos, formed in the 1960s, are involved in trafficking cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine, according to the US Department of Justice.
The Texas assessment does not mention the Cossacks.
In a bulletin issued May 1, the Texas Joint Information Center run by the DPS warned of increasing violence between the Bandidos and Cossacks. Dallas TV station WFAA obtained the bulletin and reported that it said the conflict could stem from Cossacks refusing to pay dues to the Bandidos for operating in Texas and for wearing a Texas patch on their vests without the Bandidos' approval.
DPS spokesman Tom Vinger declined to comment on the authenticity of the bulletin, citing agency policy.
