July 05, 2011
WINNIPEG - Justice officials have publicly admitted for the first time what has become obvious to many - tensions are high on Winnipeg's biker front.
``There's a gang war going on,'' Crown attorney Mike Desautels told provincial court Associate Chief Judge Mary Kate Harvie on Monday. ``It has reached a fever pitch.''
Desautels made his candid comments during a bail hearing for a high-ranking member of the Rock Machine. He also shed new light on a wave of recent shootings in Winnipeg.
Jean Paul Beaumont was arrested late last week by police officers who had been conducting video surveillance of his home through a camera they had secretly installed in early May, court was told. Beaumont, the sergeant-at-arms of the Rock Machine, has a long criminal record and has been charged with repeatedly breaching conditions of his previous bail and probation, including a curfew and a driving prohibition.
The authorities claim Beaumont was caught on the hidden camera leaving his home and driving away in a vehicle on several occasions.
The Crown is fighting to keep Beaumont in custody, citing the ongoing battle between the Rock Machine and their rivals, the Redlined Support Crew.
Desautels filed a detailed report on the city's gang situation, authored by members of the Winnipeg police organized crime unit, to boost his argument that public safety is at stake. He told court police have been closely monitoring Beaumont, along with other gang members, because of the ongoing tensions in the biker world.
Beaumont's bail hearing was adjourned until Tuesday to allow the judge to read the report.
There was no publication ban on the proceedings.
The Hells Angels created the Redlined Support Crew last year to stand up to other criminal networks that might muscle in on their former drug turf after many of their members were arrested and jailed following a recent trio of undercover police operations. At the top of that list was the Rock Machine, which waged war with the Hells Angels in Quebec during the 1990s but has never had much of a presence in Manitoba until recently.
Multiple sources have told the Free Press the Rock Machine slowly has gained power in Manitoba, with some former Hells Angels associates even joining its ranks in recent months. Just recently, a founding member of the ``Game Tight Soldiers'' gang in British Columbia moved to Winnipeg and joined the Rock Machine ranks, according to a source.
Desautels told court Monday how Joseph Strachan, the Rock Machine president, had his Winnipeg home shot up last week. A home in Winnipeg's St. Vital neighbourhood belonging to Strachan's parents was then hit with gunfire and Molotov cocktails the following night. There were no injuries in either incident, and no arrests have been made.
Desautels said a member of the Redlined gang was also targeted last week when a ``flare'' was shot through the window of his home.
Police also are investigating whether two other recent shootings are linked to the ongoing hostilities. A 14-year-old boy was wounded early Monday morning after a townhouse was sprayed with gunfire. Police said the boy is lucky to be alive and may have been an innocent bystander. There were eight people inside the residence at the time, including a baby. No arrests have been made. Members of the organized crime unit are continuing to investigate.
Sources told the Free Press on Monday there may be other recent incidents that either haven't been reported to police or haven't been released to the public.
Last November, a former high-ranging associate of the Hells Angels was shot ``execution-style'' inside his own home.
No arrests have been made in the slaying of Daniel Kachkan, which was believed to have been connected to Kachkan's alleged role in a previous homicide. However, police distributed an internal memo around the time of the killing, warning that members of the Rock Machine motorcycle gang are believed to be armed and may be planning attacks against those affiliated with the Hells Angels.
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