Date: Wed. Jul. 13 2011 7:55 PM ET
Hours after yet another suspected firebombing of a Winnipeg business, city police announced Wednesday they are cracking down on violence they blame on a war between rival motorcycle gangs.
Police said they have linked 13 separate violent incidents, including seven firebombings and a rash of shootings, to outlaw biker gangs in Manitoba's capital.
Const. Jason Michalyshen, speaking to reporters at a news conference, would not name the gangs. However, it is believed the battle is between the Rock Machine and the Hells Angels' Redlined Support Crew over control of the city's drug trade.
"I don't think it's a secret. It's about money, it's about drugs, it's about illegal activity," Michalyshen said. "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."
The latest incident occurred Wednesday morning, when a tattoo parlour on Osborne Street was hit by a suspected firebombing. Two men are in custody in connection with the incident.
In addition to the firebombings, five homes and businesses have been targeted by gunfire in recent weeks. In the early morning hours of July 4, a 14-year-old male was shot when bullets were fired into a home in the Lord Roberts neighbourhood.
Biker expert and author Yves Lavigne says the bikers in Winnipeg can be deadly to innocent bystanders because they are indiscriminate in their actions.
"You are not looking at the brightest people in the biker underworld," Lavigne said. "They are even dumber than the Maritime Canada Hells Angels.
"These are the kind of people that when throwing a Molotov cocktail, will stop to read a text and burn themselves."
Michalyshen said Wednesday police are ramping up their efforts to get a handle on the violence, which has plagued the city since mid-June.
"Our goal is to monitor very closely individuals involved in this type of criminal behaviour who have associations with gangs in our city such as outlaw motorcycle gangs," Michalyshen said. "And we're not going to let up in any way, shape or form."
So far, police have made 15 arrests in connection with the incidents.
Police brass have directed the organized crime unit, drug unit and street crime unit to divert resources to investigating and solving the crimes.
Attorney General Andrew Swan said the province will also ramp up efforts to make Manitoba a "hostile environment" for motorcycle 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," Swan 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."
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