About 30 people were arrested in connection to a shooting that occurred between two rival motorcycle gangs during Bike Week, according to Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
At a 3 p.m. multi-agency press conference involving the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, the FBI and the 7th Circuit State Attorney’s Office, Sheriff Mike Chitwood revealed that 28 people were in custody and 30 handguns and 15 long guns were recovered.
The March 8 shooting took place between the Mongols and Warlocks at a RaceTrac gas station in New Smyrna Beach.
Following the Bike Week shooting, John Scaduto, the Southwest Florida regional director of the Florida Gang Investigators Association, spoke with The Daytona Beach News-Journal about these MCs, or motorcycle clubs. Here’s what to know.
What is the Mongols biker gang?
The Mongols Motorcycle Club is an international motorcycle gang inspired by Genghis Khan and the Mongolian empire. The club was originally founded in Montebello, California, in December 1969, according to one-percenter bikers.
New chapters have expanded throughout the United States, including states like Florida, and across different countries such as Australia, Germany and Thailand.
The Mongols wear a vest with an emblem of Genghis Khan and their club colors are black and white, according to Scaduto.
Who was arrested Wednesday, July 2, in connection to New Smyrna Beach biker shooting?
Twenty-eight members of the Mongols motorcycle gang were taken into custody today in a multi-agency operation between the FBI Jacksonville Division, Volusia Sheriff’s Office and the Seventh Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office, according to the FBI. Three additional arrest warrants were issued for Mongols gang members.
The individuals were charged with aggravated rioting related to the March 8 gas station shooting in New Smyrna Beach during Bike Week.
The FBI and partners executed 14 search warrants at the Mongols Clubhouse in Edgewater; four homes in Volusia County; three homes in Brevard County; two homes in Miami-Dade County; a home in Chesterfield County, Virginia; a home in Palm Beach County; and two homes in Polk County.
Aggravated rioting is a second-degree felony and punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Where is the Mongols motorcycle club in Florida located?
The affidavit on the March 8 New Smyrna Beach shooting stated that the Mongols have a clubhouse on Cow Creek Road in Edgewater.
Who are the Warlocks? Behind the Orlando motorcycle gang
The Warlocks MC were founded in Orlando, Florida, in 1967, according to one-percenter bikers.
The mother chapter still exists there, and at one point was a “pretty large club” in Florida that battled the Outlaws, Scaduto said in March.
There are two different types of Warlocks, with the other founded in Philadelphia in 1967. The club based in Florida is the “Phoenix, or bird,” Warlocks, with red, orange and gold as their colors, according to one-percenter.com. The latter Warlocks MC feature a harpy on their logo.
Have the Mongols MC and Warlocks MC had altercations before?
Motorcycle gangs have been expanding their presence in Florida over the last several years, according to Scaduto of the Florida Gang Investigators Association, which provides training and advice for law enforcement agencies.
In the last several years, at least two outlaw motorcycle clubs have moved into Florida: the Mongols and the Pagans.
“There’s more of an expansion of the clubs that have moved into the state and they are establishing new clubhouses, chapters, territories, so to speak, within the state, and that is encroaching upon each other,” Scaduto said.
On March 8, New Smyrna Beach Police investigated a New Smyrna Beach shooting believed to be between the rival motorcycle gangs, Mongols MC and Warlocks MC, at the RaceTrac on State Road 44 during Bike Week. Bystanders took video of the incident.
Other motorcycle gang-related incidents in Florida
Some incidents locally and throughout the state involving motorcycle gangs:
What is the biggest biker gang in Florida? Outlaws motorcycle gang
The Outlaws Motorcycle Club was the dominant club in Florida until about seven years ago, according to Scaduto.
Outlaws, Mongols, Pagans, Warlocks and their support clubs are the most active outlaw motorcycle clubs in Florida, Scaduto said. The main “super clubs” in the United States are the Hells Angels, Pagans, Outlaws, Mongols, Bandidos, Sons of Silence, Vagos and Iron Horsemen.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: 28 members of Mongols gang arrested in connection to Bike Week shooting. What to know
Reporting by Ashley Ferrer and Frank Fernandez, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
