WINNIPEG - Winnipeg police say they are cracking down on an escalating outlaw motorcycle gang turf war after a rash of firebombings and shootings.
Police say rival biker gangs are attempting to corner the Winnipeg drug trade and a 14-year-old boy has already been caught in the crossfire.
"It's about drugs, it's about illegal activity," said Const. Jason Michalyshen. "They are trying to get a foothold on our communities and our city for the sale of those drugs. They are doing everything in their power to intimidate one another."
Police know of seven attempted firebombings in the last few weeks, including a tattoo parlour that was hit early Wednesday morning. Five other homes and businesses have been riddled with bullets. A 14-year-old was injured last week.
Some people have been arrested on lesser charges and two people are in custody for the most recent firebombing, Michalyshen said.
"We are concerned that these incidents are occurring," he said. "We have homes that are being targeted. We have shootings where houses are being struck by numerous bullets ... When we have firearms being discharged in our community, it's putting a lot of people at risk."
Michalyshen wouldn't name the gangs involved, but the conflict is said to involve affiliates of the Rock Machine and the Hells Angels.
Previous crackdowns and mass arrests of gang members in recent years have created a "void" in the city, he said. Police are beefing up resources to quell the violence, even if it means bringing people into custody for minor infractions, he added.
"Despite this violence, we are working hard," Michalyshen said. "We are monitoring these individuals extremely carefully and if we are in a position to make an arrest, as minor as it might be, we will move forward."
Attorney General Andrew Swan said the province is doing whatever it can to make Manitoba a "hostile environment" for biker gangs.
"It is a constant fight in Manitoba, as it is in other provinces, to take on organized crime and make sure that crime does not pay," he said. "It's a concern when events like this are happening. People are entitled to be safe in their homes, in their neighbourhoods, in their businesses and in their communities."
In 2009, police agencies from Manitoba and British Columbia made sweeping arrests following drug-related raids in Winnipeg and elsewhere in the province, including a Hells Angels clubhouse. Some 31 people were arrested as part of the long-term investigation into organized crime called Project Divide.
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