five off duty Seattle cops were attending Sturgis as part of the Iron Pigs Motorcycle Club. the Iron Pigs MC is a national group of bikers that has a number of law enforcement officers in their ranks.

they had an altercation with some members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. Hells Angels are a well known criminal MC gang involved in drug running and prostitution among other things.

at a main bar in Sturgis the two groups collided, and at least one Hells Angels was shot. The shooter, an off duty Seattle copy affiliated with the Iron Pigs MC, is being held in Sturgis.

Quote :

" Around 1 a.m. Saturday, Sturgis police were called to the Loud American Roadhouse in the center of town in response to a report of a fight and shooting, according to press releases issued by Sturgis police and the Meade County Sheriff's Office. As many as 500 people were inside the club when officers from several agencies converged on the popular bar, evacuating patrons and securing the club. Dean Kinney, one of the bar's owners, told the Rapid City Journal in Rapid City, S.D., that workers at the bar noticed several Hell's Angels gathering in and outside the bar, and actually called police prior to the shooting as a precaution. Kinney told the paper that he was told a scuffle broke out before the shots were fired. ... The shooting is being investigated by several agencies. The annual Sturgis rally has a raucous reputation, attracting bikers from around the country, but Saturday's shooting is the first to take place during the rally in nearly 20 years. --http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/374338_sturgis10.html "

shit's gonna go down.

those Hells Angels are going to come looking for these cops. They may wait until they get kicked off the police force

Quote :

"The Seattle Police Department considers this a matter of utmost seriousness," the statement reads. "All five officers will be placed on administrative reassignment (relieved of duty) pending further investigation by the South Dakota authorities."

complicating matters, is that The Bandidos MC has this territory out here, and while they are not LEO-friendly they don't get along with the Hells Angels by any means.




[Edited on August 10, 2008 at 8:50 PM. Reason : ]

8/10/2008 8:46:21 PM

damn

those two gangs really go at it when they're in each other's territories




weird thing is that the Hell's Angels usually carry on their 'business' under wraps. I wonder how they're going to go about getting at an undercover cop without drawing a lot of attention to themselves.

8/10/2008 8:48:32 PM

well, teh cops weren't "undercover" they were off duty... and probably dressed in Iron Pigs MC colors.

apparently the Hells Angels were forming around this bar for some reason, to the extend the owners called local 911 ahead of time

it seems obvious they were looking to get someone.

were they looking for these Iron Pigs MC cops?

or did these cops intervene in what was unfolding to be a crime in progress.

8/10/2008 8:53:58 PM

whoops, I meant to type 'off duty'

I'm willing to bet that there was something else going on at the scene. Probably some words exchanged, etc...

and in the heat of the moment, someone gets shot.

THEN

"oh yeah, I'm an off duty cop"

8/10/2008 8:55:49 PM

internet, serious business

8/10/2008 9:00:47 PM

gangs are fucking dumb

8/10/2008 9:30:55 PM

I agree. Gangs are fucking dumb.
Having said that, I can see the appeal for being a part of a gang if you're individual in a situation where you honestly do need the protection.

*shrug*

8/10/2008 9:34:14 PM

while I understand the protection aspect it takes a certain type of person to join a gang. And that person is normally violent.

[Edited on August 10, 2008 at 10:05 PM. Reason : !]

8/10/2008 10:05:27 PM

that's debatable, in my opinion

yes, I saw what you said before you edited...and I understand why you took it out.



I think that understanding the psyche of gangs is important to bring up. A lot of times, gangs 'recruit' members while they're young and somewhat impressionable. I would argue that a lot of people that join gangs are MADE violent through pressure:
(go shoot this guy, and you'll move up in our ranks)

or through socializing with other violent people
(did you see me beat that guy's ass? that was awesome wasn't it?! WASN'T IT?!)

getting beat up in school? don't feel safe walking around your neighborhood? come and hang out with us, and we'll take care of you


sure, it's not the most intelligent thing to get yourself involved in. but I have a hard time believing that young people that join gangs really know what they're getting themselves into.
for older people that join gangs, I really don't know what to say...

8/10/2008 10:09:22 PM

^ There was a pretty good documentary, I thought, on National Geographic channel that I saw.

Just because someone joins a gang doesn't necessarily mean they're violent. In some places, you HAVE to "join" a gang, there's no choice. And there is a distinction between people who are "gang affiliated" and "gang active." Gang affiliated means you hang out with gang members, but you don't go around defending territory. The gang-active ones are the violent ones that go around shooting people.

And no one ever "needs" protection. The gangs feed off of each other in a cycle of violence that neither side is going to be the first to break.

8/10/2008 11:03:23 PM

Maybe we should start a gang to protect ourselves from bigger forums like anandtech and the fark.com comments section?

8/11/2008 12:12:27 AM

makes me want to read hunter s thompson's book again

8/11/2008 12:26:52 AM

TDub already has a gang

http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_section.aspx?section=13

8/11/2008 12:41:47 AM

the fact that no only was he off duty, but not even in his state of jurisdiction, means, guess what? just a punk ass civilian with a temper on a power trip, i hope he gets ass pounded in county jail

8/11/2008 8:29:20 AM

i want to be in a gang too

8/11/2008 8:35:36 AM

OG biker gang > cop "harley davidson enthusiast" gang

8/11/2008 8:46:36 AM

^^^ he or his friends may have been being attacked?

regardless, people dont get ass-pounded in county jails. although you, apparently, could be a first.

8/11/2008 9:57:13 AM