Officials reported Monday that 170 bikers had been charged in connection with a bloody gunfight Sunday in Waco, Texas; hundreds of shots were fired, nine bikers died and several others were injured. (Source: statesman.com)
On Monday, dozens of suspects from several biker gangs — including the two believed to be at the center of the territorial conflict, the Bandidos and the Cossacks — were charged with engaging in organized criminal activity. Bail was set as high as $1 million for each one, as authorities considered pressing capital murder charges against them. Police said they expect to make more arrests in the coming days.
The Bandidos were listed as a “Tier 2” gang in a Texas Department of Public Safety report on gang activity in Texas. They are known to operate in the Waco area as well as Williamson County, the report states.
DPS did not list the Cossacks in the 2014 report.
>> Read more: Waco shootout puts spotlight on motorcycle club culture
Statistics: Gangs and violence
Outlaw motorcycle gangs have the fewest members of U.S. gangs …
U.S. gang members, by type
Street gangs: 88%
Prison gangs: 9.5%
Outlaw motorcycle gangs: 2.5%
… but they are more violent than their numbers indicate.
Most violent gangs, by type:
Neighborhood-based street gangs: 54%
National-level street gangs: 26%
Outlaw motorcycle gangs: 11%
Prison gangs: 9%
Source: FBI’s 2013 National Gang Survey, which surveyed 631 U.S. law enforcement agencies
Gangs in Waco shootout
Texas authorities said up to five biker gangs were involved in the Waco shootout. They identified two:
Bandidos
• 2,000-2,500 members in the U.S. and more than 20 countries.
• Involved in cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine trafficking.
• Most active in the Pacific, Southeastern, Southwestern and West Central regions of the U.S.
• Expand by forming additional chapters and allowing members of supporting clubs to join.
• Membership is for life.
Cossacks
• Established in Texas in 1969.
• Motto: “We take care of our own.”
• Regarded as much smaller group than the Bandidos.
• Members claim factions in Australia and the southern U.S.
• Named after Russian warrior class.
Sources: U.S. Department of Justice, “The One Percenter Encyclopedia: The World of Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs” and other published reports
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