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A bold daytime theft where members of the Hells Angels grabbed vests from rival motorcycle gang members right in downtown Cambridge, Ont., has resulted in charges against five men.
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say four guys have been caught. One is still on the run.
“This is two rival gangs meeting in a public place during the day when public and families and children are around and conducted a violent robbery,” Det. Insp. Scott Wade told Cambridge Chronicle. “It just kind of drives home these are not motorcycle enthusiasts, these are criminal members of biker gangs.”
Wade says it all went down Sept. 21 around 1 p. m. He mentioned OPP teamed up with Waterloo Regional Police Service for the probe, carrying out four search warrants.
From those searches, police took:
17 firearms. A banned item called a “get back whip” – basically a whip with a weight on one end. Ammo and magazines. Several cellphones. Two gun possession licenses linked to two Hells Angels members. Three Hells Angels vests. Some unidentified pills. Stolen goods.
Police say there are 14 charges total against five people involved, who include:
A 34-year-old man from Seaforth facing five charges like robbery, handling stolen property, theft under $5,000, breaking storage rules, and illegal weapon possession. A 39-year-old Kitchener man charged three times including robbery and having stolen property. A 38-year-old guy from Cambridge with three counts including robbery, stolen property possession and theft under $5,000. A 36-year-old Whitby man charged twice for robbery and disguising himself with intent to commit crime. The one still missing is a 29-year-old man from Northumberland County who faces one robbery charge.
Wade said what started this whole thing-the robbery-is “very concerning” because it was violent and happened so openly where anyone could see.
He added that biker gang actions across Ontario keep being an issue but pointed out there’s a big difference between regular bike fans and organized crime groups.
“Harley [Davidson] owner groups, people that get together and ride their Harleys on a Sunday, that’s totally lawful,” he said. “We don’t want to paint everyone with one brush.”
He said these criminal gangs stretch “from Thunder Bay to Ottawa and Ottawa to Windsor.”
“Their numbers are growing,” he said, adding police forces across Ontario work closely together fighting this stuff.
“We investigate outlaw motorcycle gangs and we’re constantly working, collaborating, sharing and improving our investigative tactics.”
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