Current:Home > MarketsHells Angels club members, supporters indicted in 'vicious' hate crime attack in San Diego-LoTradeCoin
Hells Angels club members, supporters indicted in 'vicious' hate crime attack in San Diego
View Date:2024-12-23 20:39:29
A San Diego County Grand Jury on Monday indicted several members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club and their supporters for hate crimes in what prosecutors call a racially motivated attack on three Black men in a California neighborhood this summer.
The three victims - ages 19, 20 and 21 - were chased and “viciously” attacked in the San Diego neighborhood of Ocean Beach on June 6, according to the county's district attorney’s office. The three men were repeatedly called a racial slur and told they didn’t belong in the neighborhood, according to prosecutors.
In all, 17 people were indicted in the attack. They all entered pleas of not guilty Monday during their arraignments on an array of charges that carry possible sentences ranging from three years to life in prison.
“In San Diego County, we cannot, and will not tolerate violence and racism of any nature, much less crimes like this hateful, vicious, and unprovoked attack,” said San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan in a statement.
Monsters to heros:How popular culture views motorcycle gangs
The three men were attacked “virtually out of nowhere," possibly because one of them spoke to a biker's girlfriend, according to the San Diego County District Attorney's office.
The mob beat one of the victims “all over his body” and knocked him unconscious after sucker-punching him in the head, prosecutors said in a statement. The second man was kicked and punched by multiple attackers. As he lay curled up on the ground, Hells Angels leader Troy Scholder pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the chest, cracking his sternum, according to prosecutors, who added that Scholder “casually” folded up the blade and walked away.
Both of the injured men survived their injuries.
“These disgusting hate-driven attacks have no place in our community,” Police Chief David Nisleit said in a statement. “There is no stronger way to condemn this violence than to hold the perpetrators accountable to the fullest force of the law.”
On Sept. 5, a grand jury issued indictments against 14 people for assault likely to cause great bodily injury and for gang affiliation. Eleven were charged with committing a hate crime. Three more defendants were indicted for helping Scholder flee the scene to the Hells Angels Clubhouse in El Cajon.
All 17 people were arrested on Sept. 21. Police officials said they also seized 42 illegal firearms and illicit drugs.
If convicted, they face a range of three years to life in prison. A hearing is scheduled for Nov. 3 and a trial is set for Nov. 14.
The district attorney’s office described the Hells Angels as an “international outlaw” motorcycle gang with an active chapter in San Diego and all across California. They have at least five support or “puppet clubs” in the region, according to the district attorney's office press statement.
More:7,000 attend funeral for Hells Angels leader Ralph 'Sonny' Barger at California speedway
The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club was founded in 1948 in the Fontana and San Bernardino area of Los Angeles County, according the motorcycle club's website. The club expanded to the East Coast in the early 1960s, and eventually internationally beginning with a chapter in Auckland, New Zealand.
Contributing: Associated Press
veryGood! (6543)
Related
- Inspector general finds no fault in Park Police shooting of Virginia man in 2017
- Fox News sends Tucker Carlson cease-and-desist letter over his new Twitter show
- Rihanna, Kaley Cuoco and More Stars Celebrating Their First Mother's Day in 2023
- Natural Climate Solutions Could Cancel Out a Fifth of U.S. Emissions, Study Finds
- ‘Emilia Pérez’ wouldn’t work without Karla Sofía Gascón. Now, she could make trans history
- What’s Causing Antarctica’s Ocean to Heat Up? New Study Points to 2 Human Sources
- Jason Oppenheim Reacts to Ex Chrishell Stause's Marriage to G Flip
- Supreme Court allows border restrictions for asylum-seekers to continue for now
- NYC bans unusual practice of forcing tenants to pay real estate brokers hired by landlords
- Texas inmate Trent Thompson climbs over fence to escape jail, captured about 250 miles away
Ranking
- It's Red Cup Day at Starbucks: Here's how to get your holiday cup and cash in on deals
- Today’s Climate: September 20, 2010
- Jamie Foxx Is Out of the Hospital Weeks After Health Scare
- Tots on errands, phone mystery, stinky sweat benefits: Our top non-virus global posts
- Dwayne Johnson Admits to Peeing in Bottles on Set After Behavior Controversy
- Native American Pipeline Protest Halts Construction in N. Dakota
- Boat captain twice ambushed by pod of orcas says they knew exactly what they are doing
- I-95 collapse rescue teams find human remains in wreckage of tanker fire disaster in Philadelphia
Recommendation
-
Kansas basketball vs Michigan State live score updates, highlights, how to watch Champions Classic
-
How Medicare Advantage plans dodged auditors and overcharged taxpayers by millions
-
In the hunt for a male contraceptive, scientists look to stop sperm in their tracks
-
Government Delays Pipeline Settlement Following Tribe Complaint
-
Review: 'Emilia Pérez' is the most wildly original film you'll see in 2024
-
Why are Canadian wildfires affecting the U.S.?
-
A riding student is shot by her Olympian trainer. Will he be found not guilty by reason of insanity?
-
Can dogs smell time? Just ask Donut the dog