Members from five different biker gangs have been arrested and charged with engaging in organized crime. Between 150 and 200 bikers had gathered at the Twin Peaks restaurant for a ‘Bike Night’ event on Sunday.
(Updates are Central Time)
1:25 p.m. update: Gov. Greg Abbott has released a statement Monday afternoon in response to the fatal shooting that left nine members of rival biker gangs dead at a Waco restaurant.
“Texas will not stand for the type of lawlessness we witnessed in Waco yesterday. My office, along with law enforcement agencies at the local, state and federal levels, is committed to providing any and all resources needed to support the Waco Police Department and the local community,” the statement said. “I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the first responders who put themselves in harm’s way to protect innocent lives.”
12:20 p.m. update: Police say several tactical officers and Department of Public Safety troopers had been near the Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco monitoring activity before the shootout started.
“We were well seen,” Swanton said.
After the fighting surged into the parking lot, 18 Waco police officers and four DPS troopers were involved in the shooting, Swanton said.
The nine victims killed in a shootout Sunday at the restaurant belong to two bike gangs, police said.
Police say at least three people were found dead in the parking lot, four in front of the restaurant and one had been dragged close to another building. The names of the victims have not been released Monday.
As many as 19 others were treated for injuries sustained during the disturbance, but no bystanders or police were injured, Swanton said.
11:55 a.m. update: Police say a total of 170 people were arrested in connection with a fatal shooting involving to rival bike gangs in Waco.
Those have been charged with engaging in organized crime and could face additional charges, Waco police Sgt. Patrick Swanton said.
Swanton said the FBI and several other law enforcement agencies are assisting local police to process the crime scene. The investigation will likely continue Monday afternoon and overnight, Swanton said.
11:10 a.m. update: Twin Peaks Corp. has revoked the franchise agreement to their location in Waco after a fatal shooting between rival biker gangs on Sunday, according to statement released by the company.
“Unfortunately the management team of the franchised restaurant in Waco chose to ignore the warnings and advice from both the police and our company, and did not uphold the high security standards we have in place to ensure everyone is safe at our restaurants,” the statement said.
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission also had issued a seven-day suspension to the Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco at the request of the police department.
The TABC has launched an investigation to determine whether any operational or management policies were violated that contributed to the shooting, a spokesman said.
“Our investigators will continue to work with the Waco Police Department to collect statements from any party involved, especially the restaurant staff,” said Maj. Victor Kuykendoll, TABC District 2 regional commander. “We will continue to investigate the operations of the restaurant to determine if they failed to properly manage the folks on the premises and enabled this event to take place.”
9 a.m. update: Police have revised their number of arrests following fatal shootings in Waco on Sunday.
Police said about 160 people have been arrested since Sunday in connection with a shooting between rival biker gangs that left nine dead and 18 people injured in Waco.
A Waco police spokesman had said they estimated that close to 200 people were arrested Sunday but have lowered the number.
Earlier: A total of 192 people were arrested Sunday after ashootout between rival biker gangs at a Waco restaurant that left nine dead on Sunday, police said.
Members of at least five different biker gangs have been arrested and charged with engaging in organized crime, said Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton.
Between 150 and 200 bikers had gathered at the Twin Peaks restaurant for a “Bike Night” event on Sunday when a disturbance inside the restaurant at 12:15 p.m. erupted. It quickly escalated from fist fights to a stabbing and into shots being fired on the parking lot of the restaurant, police said.
Several law enforcement agencies are assisting the Waco Police Department as bullets, blood and other evidence on the parking lot of the restaurant have yet to be processed Monday morning.
The restaurant will remain closed for at least another seven days, authorities said.
“This is not a punitive action on the TABC’s (Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission) part but done due to the ongoing danger it presents to our community,” Swanton said.
Police have been monitoring biker activities at Twin Peaks for about two months and have reached out to the restaurant’s management to shut down the event.
“They were aware that there were issues here, it was local management here. We told them of the issues, we tried to get assistance in reference to dealing with these crowds but they would not cooperate,” Swanton said.
A statement from a Twin Peaks restaurant official said the restaurant cooperated with police, but Swanton called it an "absolute fabrication."
“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,” Waco Twin Peaks operating partner Jay Patel in the statement. “We will continue to cooperate with the police as they investigate this terrible crime.”
McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara had confirmed that two of the rival gangs involved in the Sunday shooting were the Bandidos and the Cossacks.
The Bandidos were listed as a "Tier 2" gang in a Texas Department of Public Safety report on gang activity in Texas. The report states they are known to operate in the Waco area as well as in Williamson County.
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