A composite image of handout booking images made available this week by the McLennan County Sheriff's Department shows scores of men arrested and charged with crimes stemming from a large shootout and fight among biker gangs outside the Twin Peaks bar and restaurant in Waco, Texas.
(McLennan County Sheriff / EPA)
contact the reporter-May 21, 2015
Police in Waco, Texas, have sharply revised downward the number of weapons seized after a deadly brawl in a shopping center parking lot that left nine people dead, 18 wounded and 177 facing criminal charges of engaging in an organized criminal activity.
Police said earlier this week they expected to recover 1,000 weapons but now put the number at about 320.
“I have asked the Crime Scene Supervisor to give me a more firm count of weapons discovered from the Twin Peaks Restaurant so far,” police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton said in a posting on Facebook.
He described the 1,000 figure as “a best-guess estimate from looking at the overall crime scene and was over estimated. My apologies for the confusion and I should have waited to release a more specific count not estimate.”
According to the statement, the total was 318 weapons “and still counting. We do expect the numbers to continue to rise.”
The weapons recovered include 118 handguns, 157 knives and 43 others, which includes brass knuckles and chains. Some weapons had been quickly stashed -- under seat cushions and even in a toilet. Police also said an AK-47 assault rifle was recovered.
Swanton blamed the complexity of the crime scene for some of the confusion about the number of weapons.
On Sunday, members of five motorcycle gangs met at the Twin Peaks restaurant in a shopping center in Waco for what participants have said was a previously scheduled meeting to discuss common issues, such as pending motorcycle safety legislation.
Police have said that an uninvited gang attended and have blamed the subsequent violence on a rivalry between the Bandidos, the state’s largest motorcycle group, and the Cossacks, an up-and-coming group. Police have said the two were going to discuss turf issues.
According to police, one of the motorcyclists had an accident in the parking lot, running over the foot of another biker. There was also a confrontation in a bathroom inside the restaurant, police have said.
The fight, which began with fists and chains, escalated to knives and guns in the parking lot, where 18 Waco police and four state cops were stationed. The police rushed to the shooting in less than a minute and at least four officers fired weapons.
Preliminary autopsy findings show the nine dead men ranged in age from 27 to 65. All died from gunshot wounds, mainly in the head, neck or torso.
Three of the dead were found in the parking lot just outside of the Twin Peaks restaurant, four were found in front of the building and one had been dragged behind a neighboring restaurant, Sgt. Swanton said on Monday. The ninth person died at the hospital.
Officials are awaiting forensic tests on the recovered weapons before they can decide who fired the fatal shots.
Police have arrested 177 people in connection with the shootings. All face a charge of engaging in an organized criminal enterprise -- the fatal shootings. No one has yet been charged with capital murder, though officials have said such a charge is possible.
All of the defendants are being held in lieu of $1 million bond. At least one person has posted bond and was released; a second person is expected to be released, according to jail officials. There have been at least eight requests for bond reduction hearings and all have been scheduled for early June.
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