Hells Angels members gathered in Langley on Saturday, July 22 for one of the gang’s biggest gatherings of the past decade, and police say the event was a chance to gather intelligence about the group.
Several hundred members of the Hells Angels and various “support clubs” rolled through B.C. on their motorcycles over several days before a Saturday night party at the White Rock chapter’s clubhouse, which despite it’s name has been located in rural Langley for years. The event was to mark the 40th anniversary of the gang’s presence in B.C.
Police were on hand in the 21700 block of 61st Avenue at the clubhouse to watch as the various club members arrived over the course of the day, said S/Sgt. Lindsey Houghton, of the B.C. Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, an anti-gang police squad.
Langley RCMP, CFSEU members, and organized crime-focused police from B.C. and across Canada came for what Houghton said would likely be the biggest motorcycle gang gathering in B.C. for years. Bikers from across the country, including Ontario and from every Quebec Hells Angels chapter, were present.
“It allows us to see who in the outlaw motorcycle landscape is being promoted, who’s being demoted,” Houghton noted.
The position of various support clubs can be judged by how events are organized, said Houghton.
Support clubs, also known as puppet clubs, are outlaw biker gangs that are affiliated with the Hells Angels, but have other names.
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Typically, support clubs do the grunt work at large Hells Angels gatherings, and several members of one such club were visible on Saturday manning the gates at the clubhouse property. They are also used to drive shuttle vehicles, guard motorcycles, or bring in food and drinks.
When members of a support club are released from doing such work, it means they’re moving up within the larger gang hierarchy.
Houghton said police are also watching for changes in the crests and logos on the back of the vests and jackets worn by Hells Angels and their puppet clubs. Another sign that a support club is being promoted is that they have more elements on their vests.
Police are also watching for which Hells Angels are interacting with each other.
“It’s their way of interacting to do business,” Houghton said.
Canadian police agencies and the courts have repeatedly said that the Hells Angels are a criminal organization, involved in drug trafficking, weapons, and fraud.
There were only a few incidents around the Lower Mainland related to the Hells Angels and support club members over the weekend, Houghton said.
In Langley, a group of about eight to 10 Hells Angels members from Quebec and Ontario allegedly refused to pay a bill at a local establishment, and police were called to calm things down.
There were also incidents around the region of bikers being refused service at restaurants and bars because they were wearing their vests. Many bars in B.C. are members of Barwatch or the Inadmissible Patrons Program, which exclude known gang members or people wearing gang colours.
Houghton said it seemed some of the Hells Angels from Ontario and other parts of the country were not familiar with the B.C.-based programs.
The Hells Angels draw a significant amount of support on social media, and Houghton noted the gang has done a good job over the past decades of cultivating public sympathy.
That’s motivation for the CFSEU to continue educating the public and demystifying the gang, he said.
PREVIOUSLY: Hundreds of Hells Angels bikers to descend on Langley, Maple Ridge this weekend
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