3rd man arrested in Forest Park shooting linked to rival motorcycle gangs

All three suspects are alleged members of the “Outcast” motorcycle gang, officials have said. They are accused of entering the April event — amid a crowd of nearly 200 — and “attack(ing) a rival gang member‚” the sheriff’s office said Monday.

Forest Park police Chief Brandon Criss said the violence broke out between Outcast, which has ties to Atlanta, and “Wheels of Soul,” which is based in Philadelphia. Both men who died were members of that club.

Wheels of Soul was trying to establish a presence in Georgia, but members of Outcast “don’t want to give up their territory, and that’s kind of what led to this altercation,” Criss told reporters at the time.

The April event was held at an unlicensed Forest Park commercial site on First Street near Jones Road. Officials have not said what type of business was operating at the location, but it has been associated with a towing company, and a sign there advertises an auto shop, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.

Blackwood and McKnight were arrested in early May. Just over a month later, it was “through good old-fashioned police work” that investigators tracked Judge to Butts County, the Clayton sheriff’s office said. He was extradited to Clayton on Friday.

Outcast has a long history in Atlanta dating to the 1960s. After its inception in Detroit, the club’s second chapter was founded in the city and has since spread across Georgia. Over the years, some of its members have been the targets of state and federal investigations, with allegations ranging from murder to aggravated assault.

Blackwood and Judge remain in the Clayton jail without bond, according to online records. McKnight’s booking entry was not immediately available, but the sheriff’s office confirmed he remains in custody.

Attempts to reach the men’s attorneys were unsuccessful.

Preliminary court hearings for each man are scheduled in the coming weeks.