(Facebook)
Members of the Scimitars Motorcycle Club were among five gangs involved in a violent brawl and shootout outside a Waco, Texas restaurant that left at least 9 dead and 18 wounded.
Police said Monday morning that 170 people were arrested in connection with the shooting and will all face engaging in organized crime charges. The investigation is continuing.
Here’s what you need to know about the Scimitars and the shootout:
1. The Scimitars Are Aligned With the Cossacks
Part of a Scimitars leather shows a “We Support Cossacks M.C.” patch.
The Scimitars are aligned with the Cossacks Motorcycle Club, which have been feuding with the the Bandidos Motorcycle Club.
Photos on Facebook pages belonging to members of the Cossacks in west Texas show the two clubs together.
2. The Club Is Based in Texas
The Scimitars Motorcycle Club is based in Texas and appears to be a smaller club than the Bandidos and Cossacks.
A May 2014 story in the Odessa American shows members of the Cossacks and Scimitars volunteering to build a playground.
3. The Waco Shootout Was Called ‘One of the Worst Gun Fights’ in the City’s History
A Waco police officer leads a biker away from the scene of a shooting that left at least 9 dead and several others wounded. (Waco Police photo)
One officer called the shootout between the rival gangs “one of the worst gun fights that we’ve had in the city limits of Waco.”
Police told KXXV-TV that all of the victims were gang members who had gathered at the Twin Peaks restaurant. At least 18 others were, also all bikers, were injured. The extent of those injuries wasn’t immediately released.
Sgt. Patrick Swanton said innocent bystanders and officers somehow managed to escape injury, including a restaurant full of families just feet away from the one where the shooting started.
“Let’s just say it’s Sunday and someone was looking out for us,” Swanton said. “There were so many rounds fired from bad guy weapons here.”
Police said there were at least 100 bikers at the scene and at least five gangs involved. Swanton said the argument started over a parking issue.
More than 100 weapons were recovered at the scene.
“We were in marked cars. They knew we were here, they knew that we’ve been here at their past events. And it mattered not to them,” Swanton said at a news conference, which was posted online by KXXV. “That tells you the kind of level of people we’re dealing with.”
4. Police Say the Restaurant Management Was at Least Partially at Fault for the Shooting
Police said the business could have done more to prevent the violence.
Waco Police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton told the Waco Tribune, “Management knew that there were issues, and we were here, but they continued to let those groups of people into their business.”
“Apparently the management wanted them here, so we didn’t have any say so on whether they could be here or not,” Swanton said.
“A lot of innocent people could have been injured today,” Swanton said. “These are very dangerous, hostile criminal biker gangs.”
Local District Attorney Abel Reyna told KWTX about two weeks ago that trouble between rival bikers had been brewing at Twin Peaks for some time. He said police were on heightened alert because of incidents during Biker Night on Thursdays.
He said two local motorcycle gangs were feuding and it spilled over as others from the Dallas-Fort Worth area came to Waco to support the local gangs.
The operating partner for the restaurant, Jay Patel, posted a statement on Facebook:
We are horrified by the criminal, violent acts that occurred outside of our Waco restaurant today. We share in the community’s trauma. Our priority is to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for our customers and employees, and we consider the police our partners in doing so. Our management team has had ongoing and positive communications with the police and we will continue to work with them as we all want to keep violent crime out of our businesses and community. We will continue to cooperate with the police as they investigate this terrible crime.
The restaurant’s corporate Twitter account posted after the shooting:
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and victims of the tragedy at franchise partner’s restaurant in Waco.
5. Police Said the Gangs Wanted to ‘Instill Violence Into Our Community’
A screengrab from KWTX shows the scene of a shooting in Waco that left at least 9 dead. (KWTX)
The police department’s spokesman, Sgt. Patrick Swanton, was clear about who the bikers are after a reporter said one of the bikers claimed that they are clubs, not gangs.
“They are a biker gang. We know exactly who they are,” Swanton said at a televised news conference. “A bunch of criminal element biker members that came to Waco and tried to instill violence into our community and unfortunately did just that.”
“This is not a bunch of doctors and dentists and lawyers riding Harleys,” he said. “These are criminals on Harley-Davidsons.”
