Court records show the two motorcycle clubs police say were involved in a shooting in Leesburg over the weekend have been tied to serious crimes in Florida and around the nation, including murder, drug trafficking and fraud.
Two men — one who police say has ties to the Outlaws Motorcycle Club and the other to the Kingsmen Motorcycle Club — were injured in the gunfire Saturday.
The clubs’ websites and Facebook pages brag about their members in prison with nicknames such as “Big Jim,” “Cowboy” and “Crazy Joe.”
They call themselves “one percenters,” meaning they think 99 percent of motorcycle clubs are law-abiding but do not consider themselves subject to the law. According to the FBI, the Outlaws have 1,700 members and about 180 chapters worldwide, including in Orlando and Osceola County.
The group, which started in a Chicago suburb in 1935 and branched out to Florida in 1967, also is tied to extortion, kidnapping and money-laundering, federal agents say.
They consider members in prison “POWs in the government’s attempt to destroy America’s motorcycle clubs,” according to their website. The Kingsmen, founded in 1958 in Lockport, N.Y., east of Niagara Falls, have two high-ranking members who live in Lake County, according to federal court documents. They also have DeLand and Volusia County chapters.
Lake residents David Pirk, 66, the national president, and Timothy Enix, 57, the president of the Florida and Tennessee chapters, were arrested last year and charged with various crimes, including racketeering and using a firearm for drug trafficking.
Pirk decided at Bike Week in Daytona Beach in 2013 to become a “1% biker club,” according to the indictment. In, 2014, members used the club in Leesburg to plan crimes against rival members, federal court documents state. The only new information released Monday about Saturday’s shooting was that Leesburg detectives have identified a suspect. The person had not been arrested, and police said they were looking for others who were involved.
An officer who arrived about 8:05 p.m., shortly after the shooting, saw three motorcyclists matching the description of the suspects leaving the scene. Two stopped for police, but one kept going, according to a report.
David Donovan, 40, and Marc Knotts, 48, of West Virginia were shot several times during an argument between the two clubs at a Circle K gas station at 3300 W. Main St. One of the men was wearing a bulletproof vest, investigators said.
Both were in stable condition Monday.
Two handguns were recovered from the scene, and several witnesses were interviewed, according to a heavily redacted police report.
The shooting happened about three miles from Leesburg Bikefest, which ended Sunday, but was not related to the annual event, police said.
USA - BN.
Two men — one who police say has ties to the Outlaws Motorcycle Club and the other to the Kingsmen Motorcycle Club — were injured in the gunfire Saturday.
The clubs’ websites and Facebook pages brag about their members in prison with nicknames such as “Big Jim,” “Cowboy” and “Crazy Joe.”
They call themselves “one percenters,” meaning they think 99 percent of motorcycle clubs are law-abiding but do not consider themselves subject to the law. According to the FBI, the Outlaws have 1,700 members and about 180 chapters worldwide, including in Orlando and Osceola County.
The group, which started in a Chicago suburb in 1935 and branched out to Florida in 1967, also is tied to extortion, kidnapping and money-laundering, federal agents say.
They consider members in prison “POWs in the government’s attempt to destroy America’s motorcycle clubs,” according to their website. The Kingsmen, founded in 1958 in Lockport, N.Y., east of Niagara Falls, have two high-ranking members who live in Lake County, according to federal court documents. They also have DeLand and Volusia County chapters.
Lake residents David Pirk, 66, the national president, and Timothy Enix, 57, the president of the Florida and Tennessee chapters, were arrested last year and charged with various crimes, including racketeering and using a firearm for drug trafficking.
Pirk decided at Bike Week in Daytona Beach in 2013 to become a “1% biker club,” according to the indictment. In, 2014, members used the club in Leesburg to plan crimes against rival members, federal court documents state. The only new information released Monday about Saturday’s shooting was that Leesburg detectives have identified a suspect. The person had not been arrested, and police said they were looking for others who were involved.
An officer who arrived about 8:05 p.m., shortly after the shooting, saw three motorcyclists matching the description of the suspects leaving the scene. Two stopped for police, but one kept going, according to a report.
David Donovan, 40, and Marc Knotts, 48, of West Virginia were shot several times during an argument between the two clubs at a Circle K gas station at 3300 W. Main St. One of the men was wearing a bulletproof vest, investigators said.
Both were in stable condition Monday.
Two handguns were recovered from the scene, and several witnesses were interviewed, according to a heavily redacted police report.
The shooting happened about three miles from Leesburg Bikefest, which ended Sunday, but was not related to the annual event, police said.
USA - BN.
Comments
Post a Comment