Dealership firebombed Sunday Posted: 07/12/2011 1:00 AM
The owner of a Winnipeg used-car dealership says his firebombed business and personal reputation are both casualties of a biker war being fought across the city.
Svenn Tergesen, owner of DC Automotive on St. Mary's Road for 17 years, told the Free Press he's been inaccurately linked with the Hells Angels.
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"I'm being crucified as being a biker, which I've never been (in) my entire life," Tergesen, 53, said Monday. He called the suggestion he's a biker "ridiculous."
"I'm the one that's getting the bad name. I'm the one that's getting my business destroyed that I've worked my entire life for, for something that I'm not part of," he said. "I've never owned a Harley-Davidson, don't want to."
A Winnipeg Police Service spokeswoman said Monday there have been no arrests made in connection with the blaze, which broke out just after midnight Sunday. Witnesses parked at a convenience store across the street from DC Automotive said two men wearing bandanas ran by with "fireballs" in their hands. One man threw a Molotov cocktail though the dealership's office windows, while the other threw one at a door, and it bounced off.
The arson strike force and organized crime unit are also investigating a fire that happened Sunday at about 4:20 p.m. at a home on Royal Avenue in West Kildonan. A police source told the Free Press the home is linked to a member of the Redlined Support Crew, who are affiliates of the Hells Angels.
The two attacks are the latest in a string of crimes including shootings and fire-bombings that police say are part of an ongoing turf war between the Hells Angels and Rock Machine gangs. The president of the Rock Machine had his home shot up last month, as did another full-patch member of the gang. A Redlined member had a flare shot through his window, and a Logan Avenue business that employs several Hells associates was firebombed.
In the most serious incident to date, a 14-year-old boy was wounded by gunfire last week when a townhouse on Taft Crescent in Lord Roberts was sprayed with gunfire. Police said the boy, who may have been an innocent bystander, is lucky to be alive. There were nine people inside the residence at the time, including a baby. Sources said the home was targeted as part of the ongoing gang hostilities.
Tergesen's business made headlines in January 2010 when a member of the Rock Machine was beaten at the dealership, allegedly by members of the Redlined Support Crew. Tergesen said police tried to speak with him about that incident, but he refused.
"It's something I don't want to talk about because I value my life," he said Monday. The victim of the attack suffered extensive injuries but has also refused to co-operate with police.
Tergesen said police tried to "squeeze" him for information after the beating at his dealership -- an event he said was a "chance deal" where the parties ran into each other.
"The police kept coming after me and after me as if I had done something. I had never done anything, and I don't know what I would gain from it," he said. "Even one of the officers that had been here a couple times, said to me... 'I wouldn't say a damn thing either.' "
Tergesen said he's dealt with clients from different walks of life, including bikers he considers friends. Tergesen said he doesn't hang out with the bikers but they're customers who appreciate his "honest" approach.
"The same way Autopac sells them insurance, I sell them parts," he said.
Tergesen said police haven't told him who's responsible for the fire this weekend, but he turned over camera footage to police in hopes it could crack the case. He estimated the fire caused about $200,000 damage to his business and he believes it's connected to a gang.
"(The police) said 'You can probably figure out who did this,' " he said.
Police released a prepared statement about the investigation into the St. Mary's Road and Royal Avenue fires.
They did not provide an interview.
"We believe that the two incidents... are connected, and are connected with the current conflict between the rival groups," said the statement by Insp. Rick Guyader of the Winnipeg Police Service. "(The) organized crime unit and arson strike force unit are investigating."
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