Palm Springs police reported no major incidents as a weekend meeting of around 1,000 members of the Mongols Motorcycle Club came to a close in the city.
Police Chief Andrew Mills said Monday that his department made 22 arrests and seized 9 firearms and other weapons specifically related to the event. He had posted on Facebook the Friday before that his department was prepared for the gathering and would “meet the threat head on.”
“When outlaw motorcycle gangs descend on a city while armed illegally, there is always the potential for graphic violence,” Mills said Monday. “Palm Springs police along with support from the CHP, Riverside Sheriff’s Department and others did a marvelous job setting the tone of what is acceptable in our city. We welcome many groups and conventions to our city, rarely do we have to make arrests. The Mongols are the exception.”
The department said in advance of the meeting that other regional law enforcement agencies were also collaborating on routine patrol and traffic duties through the weekend. A department spokesperson noted that they thought it was particularly important to keep the public informed so they didn’t mistake the increased police activity with federal immigration enforcement.
The motorcycle club has held meetings in the city off and on over the last several years, according to the police department and previous reporting. The U.S. Department of Justice lists the group as an outlaw motorcycle gange on its website. And it the group has been accused of being involved in a shooting in July that left multiple people injured in Florida.
Christopher Damien covers public safety and the criminal justice system. He can be reached at christopher.damien@desertsun.com or follow him at @chris_a_damien.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 22 Mongols Motorcycle Club members arrested in Palm Springs, police say
Reporting by Christopher Damien, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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