Waco on high alert in wake of gang shootings

WACO: The local Harley-Davidson dealership was closed, motorcycle riders were asked to stay off the roads and police snipers took to rooftops to watch Waco streets after a deadly gangland shooting caused many to cast a wary eye on bikers.

Police did not say how long this would last.

Meanwhile, riders asked the public to take a breath, relax and realise criminality was the rare exception for members of motorcycle clubs.

Police said they had been threatened by motorcycle gangs after the Sunday shootout among rivals at a Twin Peaks restaurant that left nine dead and 18 injured. They asked bikers to stay off the streets because it was difficult to distinguish between lawabiding riders and those bent on criminality.

Charity

Members and supporters of the riding community took to social media in defence of motorcycle clubs, mentioning charity work by organisations such as Bikers Against Child Abuse, who attend court appearances in support of child abuse victims.

“There are biker clubs out there that are not criminal. Not everyone who looks ‘bad’ is bad. And not everyone who looks ‘good’ is good,” wrote Waco resident Jennifer Parsons on the police department’s Facebook page.

Harley-Davidson-Waco, 1km from the crime scene, was closed indefinitely at the request of police, according to its Facebook page.

One of the groups involved in the Texas shooting, the Bandidos, is listed by the US Justice Department as an outlaw motorcycle gang which produces and peddles drugs.

Twin Peaks, known for its scantily clad waitresses, said it would suspend all “bike nights” at its corporate-owned locations and would encourage franchises to do the same during the investigation. Several branches in Texas announced they were postponing Monday’s planned bikini contest.

Finding motorcycles at downtown Waco shops proved difficult. The most obvious ones were the 100 or so in the Twin Peaks parking lot belonging to the 170 people who were arrested after Sunday’s violent fight.

And those bikes were being taken away yesterday. – Reuters