Cops probe biker war's link to report of gunshots

Police rushed to an east Winnipeg neighbourhood early Thursday after reports of shots being fired, and police are investigating whether it has any ties to the biker feud in the city.

Officers were called about 4:50 a.m. to the area of Simpson and Moncton avenues in East Kildonan, police said. So far, there is no evidence shots were actually fired, police said.

Recent tensions between the Rock Machine and the Hells Angels-affiliated Redlined Support Crew saw more than a dozen shootings and firebombings over a one-month period. Although the conflict has not been in the spotlight for nearly a week — roughly since the arrests of two men with ties to the Rock Machine — police acknowledge the public has a heightened awareness every time shots are fired.

“Until we can decisively say it’s not linked, that’s something we’ll need to explore,” said Const. Natalie Aitken, a Winnipeg police spokeswoman.

No arrests have been made.

Manitoba on verge of Quebec-style biker war, court hears

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.

Winnipeg biker war firebombings net charges

Two men are charged with arson in connection with a firebomb attack on a Winnipeg tattoo parlour that police say is the latest violence in an ongoing biker war.

The Osborne Village tattoo shop, 187 Ink, was targeted Wednesday morning. The damage was minimal and the business opened its doors the same day.

Taylor Brett Morrison, 23, and Shaine Gerald Stodgell, 33, have been charged with arson and possessing an incendiary device.

Morrison has also been charged with possessing explosives while prohibited.

Stodgell is also charged with arson for Sunday's firebomb attack on DC Automotive shop on St. Mary's Road.

The two incidents are part of a wave of violence that police have attributed to a turf war between the Rock Machine and Hells Angels biker gangs.

The attack at DC Automotive was the first of four firebombs between Sunday and Wednesday.

Hours after the auto shop was hit, a residence on Royal Avenue in West Kildonan also was targeted the same day.

Then on Tuesday afternoon, a home on Mighton Avenue in the city's Elmwood neighbourhood was left with scorch marks where a molotov cocktail shattered on the stucco siding. That same house was the target of a police weapons raid last fall.

The Winnipeg Police Service on Wednesday listed 13 recent incidents that are part of the biker war:

Fire – June 14, 1800 block of Logan Avenue.
Shots fired – June 26, 100 block of Mighton Avenue.
Shots fired – June 27, 1500 block of Roy Avenue.
Shots fired – June 28, 100 block of Canberra Road.
Shots fired – June 29, 100 block of Stranmillis Avenue.
Firearm located – June 29, 100 block of Kingston Row.
Male shot – July 4, 100 block of Taft Crescent.
Fire – July 6, 1800 block of Logan Avenue.
Fire – July 10, 200 block St. Mary’s Road.
Fire – July 10, 200 block of Royal Avenue.
Fire – July 11, 1700 block of King Edward Street.
Fire – July 12, 100 block of Mighton Avenue.
Fire – July 13, 100 block of Osborne Street.

The biker conflict is all about a battle for "supremacy" of the local drug trade, said police service spokesman Const. Jason Michalyshen.

Attacks 'personal'

There's a reason certain homes and businesses have been attacked in the past month, a Winnipeg gang expert says.

Melanie Nimmo, a faculty member in the school of justice at the University of Winnipeg, says many of the new members of the Rock Machine in Winnipeg battling with the Red Lined Support Crew, who are affiliated with the Hells Angels, are former Zig Zag members.

"There's some old beefs there … so it's not just business. There's some personal vendettas that may likely be going on," Nimmo said. Because the attacks are targeted at gang members or businesses with connections to gangs, Nimmo said, the general public shouldn't be worried about becoming victims.

But Mayor Sam Katz says people understandably are concerned.

"When you hear it on the radio, see it on TV, read it in the newspaper, you should be concerned," the mayor said Thursday. "And I think it's important to make sure the public is aware."

He said the city is responding to the situation by adding resources to the Winnipeg Police Service's gang unit.

Biker war vigilance urged by Winnipeg police

Jul 15, 2011 12:25 PM CT

Police are stepping up public vigilance of biker violence in Winnipeg by alerting residents who live in a neighbourhood with a known gang member.

They will not identify any specific house, but will tell residents they could see an increase in police patrols.

"Officers will also be asking for the public’s assistance in reporting any suspicious activity in their neighbourhood," spokesman Const. Jason Michalyshen said Friday.

"Our goal is to create a heightened awareness in an effort to combat these recent events."

Michalyshen would not say which neighbourhoods the police are monitoring, noting the violence is not confined to certain areas.

A wave of violence — shootings, firebombings — has erupted in Winnipeg during the past month and police have attributed it to a battle between the Rock Machine and Hells Angels biker gangs for "supremacy" of the local drug trade.

Over the course of four days this week, four firebomb incidents were being investigated by police. Two business and two homes were hit with molotov cocktails but no one was injured.

Meanwhile, CBC News has obtained court documents that provide a little more information on one side of the war: the Redlined Support Crew, a Hells Angels puppet group.

Members of the RSC, the street enforcers for the Hells Angels, operate out of a building in an industrial park on Bowman Avenue in Elmwood, court documents state.

People who work in the area are reluctant to talk about their neighbours but told CBC News there is always a lot of action around the club, and plenty of police presence.

Security cameras monitor the doors of the clubhouse, which share space with auto shops and small warehouses.

Biker war brews in Winnipeg 2

Monday, July 11, 2011 3:11:48 EDT

WINNIPEG - A biker war is brewing in Winnipeg and is about to boil over as the Rock Machine attempts to take over turf once dominated by the Hells Angels, sources and experts say.

The street-level enforcers of the outlaw motorcycle gangs are suspected over the past two weeks in a series of firebombings and shootings, including one that put an innocent 14-year-old boy in hospital with gunshot wounds, sources say.

“Bikers are very territorial and when their territory is breached, that’s when violence happens,” Det.-Sgt. Len Isnor, with the Ontario Provincial Police biker enforcement unit, said.

The Rock Machine and Hells Angels clashed in a drug-trade feud in Quebec during the 1990s that left about 160 people dead.

When the original Rock Machine folded in 2000, most remaining members moved over to the Bandidos, but some defected to the Hells Angels.

In 2008, Sean “Dog” Brown relaunched the Rock Machine, using the same eagle-head logo but different colours.

At the time, Brown claimed the group is no threat to any other gang, particularly the Hells Angels, and was reportedly staying clear of drugs and Quebec. He was ousted in November and has reportedly joined the Vagos, a biker gang that’s relatively new to Canada.

In Winnipeg, the Rock Machine has operated quietly for several years, suspected of having a small presence as it was in start up stages in 2008, moving in to fill the vacuum left by the demise of the Bandidos and a series of police projects that jailed dozens of Hells Angels associates, a source said.

The Rock Machine flew under the radar, for the most part, until a then-member was lured to a south Winnipeg auto body shop in January 2010, and badly beaten by members of the Redlined Support Crew and prospects of the Hells Angels.

Recently, the Rock Machine has been growing its ranks, say sources and online postings.

“The last little while, they’ve expanded and they were feeling very comfortable,” another source said.

Some of the latest Rock Machine additions include former members of the Zig Zag Crew and individuals formerly aligned with the Hells Angels. That means for some members, the problems with the Hells Angels are “personal,” the source said.

Not unlike the Rock Machine’s former leader, the local chapter is going to pains to deny involvement with the recent violence. The lawyer for Jean Paul (J.P.) Beaumont, an alleged Rock Machine member, told QMI Agency his client is “disgusted” that children and women have been put at risk — a reference to a shooting in which bullets ended up hitting a 14-year-old boy and sailing right past the bed of a sleeping mother of two.

“He completely denies the Rock Machine motorcycle club’s involvement. In fact, he also feels the Rock Machine have been targets, as opposed to the aggressors,” Eric Wach said earlier this week.

In a rare move, members also spoke this week to a local TV station and echoed the sentiments.

“We want to ride our bikes and wear our patches. We don’t want our kids walking down our front lawn and taking a bullet,” CTV quoted a Rock Machine spokesman as saying.

Recent violence in the feud between the Rock Machine and the Redlined Support Crew

JULY 4

A 14-year-old boy is shot inside a townhouse. He survives but spends days in hospital. The bullets spray a second property, flying through the wall right next to a bed where a mother of two was fast asleep.

JUNE 29

A St. Vital home connected to reputed Rock Machine president Joseph “Jay” Strachan is shot up and firembombed. No one is hurt.

JUNE 28

A Windsor Park home is struck by bullets. No injuries were reported.

JUNE 27

A flare is shot through the window of an Elmwood home belonging to a Redlined member, possibly in a bid to burn the place down.

Sources say there are other violent acts — including shootings and firebombings — that police have not made public.

I'm a victim of biker war: shop owner

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."

Biker war wracking Winnipeg

Wed Jul 13 2011

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 they worry there will be more innocent victims after a 14-year-old boy was injured recently in crossfire.

“It’s about drugs, it’s about illegal activity,” Const. Jason Michalyshen said Wednesday.

“They are trying to get a foothold in 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 — five in the last four days — including a tattoo parlour that was hit Tuesday morning. Five other homes and businesses have been riddled with bullets.

Some people have been arrested on lesser charges and two people are in custody for the most recent attempted 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 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.

Attorney General Andrew Swan said the province is doing whatever it can to make Manitoba a hostile environment for biker gangs. The NDP has made it possible for the province to seize the homes and cars bought from the proceeds of organized crime, he said.

“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.

Those convicted in the sweep now face a total of 160 years in jail, Swan said.

“We’ve taken all the measures we can do to try to deal with organized crime,” he said. “But we know there is always more to do.”

With an election looming in October, the Progressive Conservative opposition is expected to make crime and gang violence a ballot box issue. Leader Hugh McFadyen said it’s a blight on the NDP record that Winnipeg is still the violent crime capital of Canada.

Although some are sounding the alarm again about escalating organized crime, not everyone has noticed a change.

David Moxley, who owns a business in the same building as the tattoo parlour that was vandalized Tuesday, said the area is home to several raucous bars, so some overnight violence is not unheard of.

“There’s a few nasty people doing some nasty things,” he said. “There’s a small element of people intent on doing things that cause trouble.”