"Outlaw Chronicles: Hells Angels" The Angels Code

1 00:00:10,254 --> 00:00:13,290 You hear them before you can see them in the rearview mirror, 2 00:00:13,324 --> 00:00:14,691 engines rumbling, 3 00:00:14,725 --> 00:00:19,096 part myth, part legend, 100% badass. 4 00:00:20,197 --> 00:00:21,532 The Hells Angels are one 5 00:00:21,565 --> 00:00:24,101 of the most well-known organizations in the world, 6 00:00:24,135 --> 00:00:28,472 but what do we really know about this highly secretive group? 7 00:00:28,505 --> 00:00:29,806 What are their origins? 8 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:31,642 Are they criminals 9 00:00:31,675 --> 00:00:33,610 or just motorcycle enthusiasts? 10 00:00:35,546 --> 00:00:37,881 Do you really have to kill a man to join? 11 00:00:40,684 --> 00:00:42,719 Only a few people know the truth, 12 00:00:42,753 --> 00:00:46,089 and no one has broken the club's code of silence 13 00:00:46,123 --> 00:00:47,424 until now. 14 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:51,828 This is George Christie, 15 00:00:51,862 --> 00:00:55,632 the man some have called "The Last American Outlaw"-- 16 00:00:55,666 --> 00:00:57,268 an ex-Marine who turned down 17 00:00:57,301 --> 00:00:59,102 a career in the Department of Defense 18 00:00:59,136 --> 00:01:02,105 to devote his life to the Hells Angels. 19 00:01:02,139 --> 00:01:05,542 He led the Ventura chapter as president for 33 years, 20 00:01:05,576 --> 00:01:07,978 a position that made him one of the most powerful members 21 00:01:08,011 --> 00:01:09,746 of the motorcycle club. 22 00:01:09,780 --> 00:01:12,015 All the Angels respected him. 23 00:01:12,048 --> 00:01:14,618 Some admired and feared him. 24 00:01:14,651 --> 00:01:18,489 Now, after being excommunicated by his former brothers, 25 00:01:18,522 --> 00:01:19,890 persecuted by the law, 26 00:01:19,923 --> 00:01:21,925 and spending time in prison, 27 00:01:21,958 --> 00:01:23,994 George has decided to tell the true story 28 00:01:24,027 --> 00:01:26,463 of the Hells Angels as never heard before 29 00:01:26,497 --> 00:01:28,199 by anyone outside the club... 30 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:32,303 Even if it means risking everything. 31 00:01:34,271 --> 00:01:36,640 This is my story, and I want to tell it my way. 32 00:01:36,673 --> 00:01:38,842 I'm just a guy that, after 40 years, 33 00:01:38,875 --> 00:01:41,645 decided to make a change in his life. 34 00:01:44,047 --> 00:01:46,683 I want to set the record straight once and for all. 35 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:54,074 Watch Online Movies and Series for FREE www.osdb.link/lm 36 00:02:00,697 --> 00:02:02,366 People have a lot of opinions, 37 00:02:02,399 --> 00:02:04,935 and there's a lot of urban legends about the Hells Angels. 38 00:02:04,968 --> 00:02:08,205 It's a very powerful, secretive organization. 39 00:02:08,239 --> 00:02:11,508 Law enforcement, dependent on what agency you talk to, 40 00:02:11,542 --> 00:02:12,976 sees us criminals. 41 00:02:13,009 --> 00:02:15,379 The Hells Angels is a criminal organization, 42 00:02:15,412 --> 00:02:17,381 not just nationally but internationally. 43 00:02:17,414 --> 00:02:20,083 Talk to the feds, we're a criminal enterprise. 44 00:02:20,116 --> 00:02:22,519 Talk to the local cops, we're a street gang. 45 00:02:22,553 --> 00:02:26,590 They have their PhDs in violence and intimidation. 46 00:02:28,859 --> 00:02:32,028 Everyone wants to use us to suit their own needs, 47 00:02:32,062 --> 00:02:34,365 to move their agenda forward. 48 00:02:34,398 --> 00:02:36,533 There's always been the million-dollar question 49 00:02:36,567 --> 00:02:39,336 whether the Hells Angels is a motorcycle club, 50 00:02:39,370 --> 00:02:44,441 or the club exists as some sort of criminal enterprise. 51 00:02:44,475 --> 00:02:45,709 Look. 52 00:02:45,742 --> 00:02:47,778 The Hells Angels do live outside the law, you know? 53 00:02:47,811 --> 00:02:52,215 We don't adhere to all the laws that society throws down to us, 54 00:02:52,249 --> 00:02:56,620 but as an organization, we are not a criminal entity. 55 00:02:56,653 --> 00:02:59,189 Law enforcement makes all these wild accusations, 56 00:02:59,222 --> 00:03:01,425 so I want to tell my story my way 57 00:03:01,458 --> 00:03:03,527 in how I perceived it, because, you know, 58 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:06,363 it's a mighty thin slice of ham that doesn't have two sides. 59 00:03:06,397 --> 00:03:08,699 Well, this is my side. 60 00:03:08,732 --> 00:03:10,467 The key to unlocking the secrets 61 00:03:10,501 --> 00:03:13,704 of the Hells Angels is knowing their code-- 62 00:03:13,737 --> 00:03:17,441 the rules that fueled the club's incredible rise to power. 63 00:03:21,812 --> 00:03:26,149 In the '60s and '70s, being a Hells Angel 64 00:03:26,182 --> 00:03:29,820 was the top rung on the ladder. 65 00:03:29,853 --> 00:03:33,657 Riding around, respected by everyone, 66 00:03:33,690 --> 00:03:37,561 and it all had to do with a code that we had to live by, 67 00:03:37,594 --> 00:03:40,130 and we had to follow. 68 00:03:40,163 --> 00:03:42,733 The number one rule of the Hells Angel code 69 00:03:42,766 --> 00:03:44,901 is always back your brothers. 70 00:03:44,935 --> 00:03:47,638 I learned that before I even became a member. 71 00:03:47,671 --> 00:03:49,706 I'll give you an example. 72 00:03:49,740 --> 00:03:53,610 In 1976, George Christie is 30 years old 73 00:03:53,644 --> 00:03:56,780 and working toward membership in the L.A. charter. 74 00:03:56,813 --> 00:04:00,216 His loyalty to the club and the club's president, John Noble, 75 00:04:00,250 --> 00:04:01,752 known as "Old Man John," 76 00:04:01,785 --> 00:04:03,587 is about to be tested. 77 00:04:03,620 --> 00:04:05,589 One day in the middle of winter, 78 00:04:05,622 --> 00:04:08,158 this guy shows up over at the clubhouse 79 00:04:08,191 --> 00:04:11,061 and has got this black vest on. 80 00:04:11,094 --> 00:04:12,429 In the old days, 81 00:04:12,463 --> 00:04:16,433 if you weren't part of a motorcycle organization, 82 00:04:16,467 --> 00:04:20,170 you couldn't wear a cutoff jacket. 83 00:04:20,203 --> 00:04:21,372 So John asked him, 84 00:04:21,405 --> 00:04:23,273 "Who you hanging around with?" 85 00:04:23,306 --> 00:04:24,808 And this guy was really not 86 00:04:24,841 --> 00:04:26,577 hanging out with anybody-- 87 00:04:26,610 --> 00:04:29,680 not giving the right names, not giving the right answers. 88 00:04:29,713 --> 00:04:31,715 Kind of had a half-ass attitude, 89 00:04:31,748 --> 00:04:33,216 like it was none of John's business, 90 00:04:33,249 --> 00:04:34,851 and out of nowhere, 91 00:04:34,885 --> 00:04:37,888 John just lays into him-- 92 00:04:37,921 --> 00:04:39,322 grabs him by the hair, 93 00:04:39,356 --> 00:04:41,492 pulls out his Bowie knife and puts it to the guy's throat 94 00:04:41,525 --> 00:04:45,996 and says, "I want to know why you're wearing that cutoff." 95 00:04:46,029 --> 00:04:47,097 And then he stopped 96 00:04:47,130 --> 00:04:49,199 and looked at me. 97 00:04:49,232 --> 00:04:54,104 John was testing me as much, if not more, 98 00:04:54,137 --> 00:04:56,106 than he was testing the individual. 99 00:04:56,139 --> 00:04:59,443 John was seeing if George could obey the main rule 100 00:04:59,476 --> 00:05:01,177 of the Angels' code: 101 00:05:01,211 --> 00:05:02,446 "Stand with your brother 102 00:05:02,479 --> 00:05:04,415 "whether you agree with him or not, 103 00:05:04,448 --> 00:05:06,049 no matter the consequences." 104 00:05:06,082 --> 00:05:07,718 John was saying to me, 105 00:05:07,751 --> 00:05:09,386 "Are you gonna stand there and back me 106 00:05:09,420 --> 00:05:10,887 "while I cut this guy's throat? 107 00:05:10,921 --> 00:05:13,457 Or are you gonna turn and run?" 108 00:05:13,490 --> 00:05:14,625 I looked at him, 109 00:05:14,658 --> 00:05:18,562 and I realized I was willing to back John 110 00:05:18,595 --> 00:05:21,297 whether I thought he was right or wrong. 111 00:05:21,331 --> 00:05:24,034 I was waiting for John to make his move, 112 00:05:24,067 --> 00:05:26,036 and when John saw that, he took his knife 113 00:05:26,069 --> 00:05:28,772 and cut the leather vest off with just one tear. 114 00:05:28,805 --> 00:05:30,173 The guy ran out of there crying. 115 00:05:30,206 --> 00:05:31,708 Never saw the guy again. 116 00:05:34,277 --> 00:05:37,948 Back in those days, guys would get dotted lines 117 00:05:37,981 --> 00:05:39,783 on their throat 118 00:05:39,816 --> 00:05:41,985 like "cut here," 119 00:05:42,018 --> 00:05:44,988 and as John sheathed his knife, he goes, "You know, 120 00:05:45,021 --> 00:05:47,157 "if he would have had that dotted line on his throat, 121 00:05:47,190 --> 00:05:50,827 I would have cut it," and I just looked at John, 122 00:05:50,861 --> 00:05:52,395 and I said, "I'm sure you would have." 123 00:05:54,097 --> 00:05:56,132 Loyalty, honor, 124 00:05:56,166 --> 00:05:57,267 courage: 125 00:05:57,300 --> 00:05:58,535 these words of war 126 00:05:58,569 --> 00:06:01,337 are at the heart of the Hells Angels' code. 127 00:06:03,974 --> 00:06:06,610 Throughout human history, soldiers have struggled 128 00:06:06,643 --> 00:06:09,480 to return to the peace and quiet of civilian life 129 00:06:09,513 --> 00:06:11,882 after serving on the front lines. 130 00:06:11,915 --> 00:06:14,585 The end of World War II was no exception 131 00:06:14,618 --> 00:06:16,887 for the Americans who fought overseas, 132 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:19,590 but for the first time, some returning soldiers 133 00:06:19,623 --> 00:06:23,259 refused to go back to the lives they left behind. 134 00:06:23,293 --> 00:06:25,529 Instead, they broke away from society 135 00:06:25,562 --> 00:06:28,098 and embraced an outlaw lifestyle. 136 00:06:28,131 --> 00:06:30,501 These guys coming back from World War II, 137 00:06:30,534 --> 00:06:34,170 who had led probably the most exciting years of their lives, 138 00:06:34,204 --> 00:06:36,540 I think were still looking for that excitement-- 139 00:06:36,573 --> 00:06:37,974 the thrill of the ride. 140 00:06:38,008 --> 00:06:39,576 The contestants start at the bottom, 141 00:06:39,610 --> 00:06:41,678 but where they'll wind up, nobody knows-- 142 00:06:41,712 --> 00:06:43,614 maybe the hospital. 143 00:06:43,647 --> 00:06:46,216 These men founded the first motorcycle clubs 144 00:06:46,249 --> 00:06:48,318 in California. 145 00:06:48,351 --> 00:06:51,722 There was the Galloping Goose in Los Angeles, 146 00:06:51,755 --> 00:06:54,357 the Straight Satans in Venice, 147 00:06:54,390 --> 00:06:57,260 the Question Marks in Oxnard, 148 00:06:57,293 --> 00:06:59,462 the Satan's Slaves in San Fernando Valley, 149 00:06:59,496 --> 00:07:00,731 and then there was the P.O.B.O.B.s 150 00:07:00,764 --> 00:07:02,198 out in San Bernardino-- 151 00:07:02,232 --> 00:07:04,535 Pissed Off Bastards from Bloomington. 152 00:07:05,569 --> 00:07:09,005 And in 1948, a guy named Otto Friedli 153 00:07:09,039 --> 00:07:13,243 broke off from them and started what today is the Hells Angels. 154 00:07:15,278 --> 00:07:17,914 One of Otto's buddies had led a fighter squadron 155 00:07:17,948 --> 00:07:20,416 known for its daring top-secret missions 156 00:07:20,450 --> 00:07:24,320 against the Japanese during World War II. 157 00:07:24,354 --> 00:07:27,223 This squadron was called "The Hells Angels." 158 00:07:27,257 --> 00:07:29,225 Hells Angels raise the very devil 159 00:07:29,259 --> 00:07:32,095 on 48 different bombing missions. 160 00:07:32,128 --> 00:07:33,797 Otto liked the sound of the name 161 00:07:33,830 --> 00:07:36,366 and took it for his own club. 162 00:07:36,399 --> 00:07:39,803 It quickly attracted more would-be outlaws. 163 00:07:39,836 --> 00:07:43,239 And to this day, the Hells Angels has always attracted 164 00:07:43,273 --> 00:07:47,711 those that want to feel good about doing something bad. 165 00:07:49,212 --> 00:07:50,847 Ultimately, the Hells Angels 166 00:07:50,881 --> 00:07:54,250 were drawing more and more people to them. 167 00:07:54,284 --> 00:07:56,920 From San Bernardino, they went to San Francisco, 168 00:07:56,953 --> 00:07:59,455 from San Francisco to Oakland and beyond. 169 00:07:59,489 --> 00:08:00,891 By 1966, 170 00:08:00,924 --> 00:08:03,560 the Hells Angels nearly doubled in size, 171 00:08:03,594 --> 00:08:06,930 adding five new chapters to the existing six chapters 172 00:08:06,963 --> 00:08:09,365 and expanding into Nebraska, Ohio, 173 00:08:09,399 --> 00:08:10,834 and Massachusetts. 174 00:08:10,867 --> 00:08:15,438 They become the biggest motorcycle club in the world... 175 00:08:15,471 --> 00:08:17,941 and for a young man from Ventura, California, 176 00:08:17,974 --> 00:08:20,076 role models he had always wanted. 177 00:08:20,110 --> 00:08:24,615 In 1966, I had come out of the Marine Corps, 178 00:08:24,648 --> 00:08:27,417 and I became a communications troubleshooter 179 00:08:27,450 --> 00:08:29,152 for the Department of Defense. 180 00:08:31,187 --> 00:08:32,322 It was a great job-- 181 00:08:32,355 --> 00:08:35,458 had terrific benefits, retirement, medical, 182 00:08:35,491 --> 00:08:37,093 but it was just a job. 183 00:08:37,127 --> 00:08:39,596 So when I thought about staying with the DoD 184 00:08:39,630 --> 00:08:42,899 and slinging cable for them for the next 20 years, 185 00:08:42,933 --> 00:08:45,101 I think I would have rather shot myself in the head. 186 00:08:47,537 --> 00:08:50,206 I started riding motorcycles, 187 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:55,211 and I started gravitating towards the outlaw bike culture. 188 00:08:58,715 --> 00:09:00,984 I knew if I wanted to become a bike club member, 189 00:09:01,017 --> 00:09:04,087 I'd have to own an American-made motorcycle-- 190 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:05,856 either an Indian 191 00:09:05,889 --> 00:09:07,724 or a Harley Davidson. 192 00:09:07,758 --> 00:09:11,995 That's the premise that brings all the Hells Angels together-- 193 00:09:12,028 --> 00:09:15,598 it's their love for motorcycles and riding motorcycles. 194 00:09:16,900 --> 00:09:20,570 It's a very exhilarating feeling. 195 00:09:20,603 --> 00:09:21,838 There's nothing around you. 196 00:09:21,872 --> 00:09:24,140 It's just you and the atmosphere 197 00:09:24,174 --> 00:09:26,276 and hard ground underneath your wheels. 198 00:09:28,712 --> 00:09:30,113 But George's superiors 199 00:09:30,146 --> 00:09:34,050 were very concerned about his lifestyle choice. 200 00:09:34,084 --> 00:09:36,820 They said, "You know, George, you need to make a decision. 201 00:09:36,853 --> 00:09:38,855 "Do you want to work for the Department of Defense, 202 00:09:38,889 --> 00:09:40,423 or do you want to be an outlaw?" 203 00:09:40,456 --> 00:09:42,058 For me, there was no question about it. 204 00:09:44,627 --> 00:09:46,062 These other individuals 205 00:09:46,096 --> 00:09:48,665 that I was running with were living a lifestyle. 206 00:09:48,699 --> 00:09:49,933 They were together all the time. 207 00:09:49,966 --> 00:09:52,368 They were backing each other's play. 208 00:09:52,402 --> 00:09:55,538 When they walked into the bar, everyone stepped aside. 209 00:09:55,571 --> 00:09:58,141 They were treated with respect. 210 00:09:58,174 --> 00:10:01,011 For George, the choice was simple, 211 00:10:01,044 --> 00:10:03,513 but joining the club is a long process 212 00:10:03,546 --> 00:10:04,748 with many rites of passage 213 00:10:04,781 --> 00:10:07,183 that introduce potential members to the code 214 00:10:07,217 --> 00:10:09,619 and test their ability to obey it. 215 00:10:11,321 --> 00:10:16,359 The Hells Angels are harder to join than the LAPD. 216 00:10:16,392 --> 00:10:18,461 You have to show your sympathies, 217 00:10:18,494 --> 00:10:23,934 and if they decide you might be of some potential use to them, 218 00:10:23,967 --> 00:10:25,168 you become what's known 219 00:10:25,201 --> 00:10:27,971 as a "hang-around"-- basically a gofer. 220 00:10:32,242 --> 00:10:36,579 A "hang-around" is deciding if club life is for him, 221 00:10:36,612 --> 00:10:41,017 and the club is deciding if this guy has the right stuff 222 00:10:41,051 --> 00:10:43,754 to earn the right to wear the Hells Angel death head. 223 00:10:45,355 --> 00:10:47,490 I was hanging around with the Hells Angels 224 00:10:47,523 --> 00:10:49,259 from Los Angeles, 225 00:10:49,292 --> 00:10:51,527 and in that group of Hells Angels, 226 00:10:51,561 --> 00:10:54,798 there was a guy named "Tall Paul." 227 00:10:54,831 --> 00:10:57,533 Tall Paul asked me to come back to the Glendale clubhouse 228 00:10:57,567 --> 00:10:59,035 with him. 229 00:10:59,069 --> 00:11:02,338 He had a bad habit of drinking and riding his bike. 230 00:11:03,874 --> 00:11:05,876 So this particular night, we're riding back, 231 00:11:05,909 --> 00:11:08,478 and Paul started drifting into the road divider. 232 00:11:11,782 --> 00:11:13,850 I reached over. I grabbed him in the middle, 233 00:11:13,884 --> 00:11:16,987 and I pulled him back into the lane. 234 00:11:17,020 --> 00:11:18,688 He looked over at me and smiled, 235 00:11:18,721 --> 00:11:22,225 and he gave me a little salute. 236 00:11:22,258 --> 00:11:25,395 When we got back to the Hells Angel clubhouse in Glendale. 237 00:11:25,428 --> 00:11:28,031 He was ranting and raving how great I was. 238 00:11:28,064 --> 00:11:30,666 And then everybody jumped up-- 239 00:11:30,700 --> 00:11:32,836 you know, people socking me in the stomach, 240 00:11:32,869 --> 00:11:34,570 socking me in the arm. 241 00:11:34,604 --> 00:11:37,407 I was still a long ways from becoming a Hells Angel, 242 00:11:37,440 --> 00:11:39,709 but I think that that afternoon 243 00:11:39,742 --> 00:11:42,145 certainly set me in the right direction. 244 00:11:46,516 --> 00:11:49,419 Coming up... 245 00:11:49,452 --> 00:11:53,323 The Hells Angels were founded on contempt for the law. 246 00:11:53,356 --> 00:11:55,792 But in order to guarantee their security, 247 00:11:55,826 --> 00:11:59,729 they've developed a strict secret code of conduct. 248 00:11:59,762 --> 00:12:02,632 Part of that code defines the difficult process 249 00:12:02,665 --> 00:12:04,034 of becoming a member. 250 00:12:05,468 --> 00:12:09,172 Full membership in the Hells Angels is earned in stages. 251 00:12:09,205 --> 00:12:11,975 The first phase is called "hang-arounds," 252 00:12:12,008 --> 00:12:13,309 where guys spend months 253 00:12:13,343 --> 00:12:14,710 gaining members' trust. 254 00:12:14,744 --> 00:12:16,379 But once they prove themselves, 255 00:12:16,412 --> 00:12:19,215 they are invited to become "prospects." 256 00:12:22,752 --> 00:12:25,255 Being a prospect is like being 257 00:12:25,288 --> 00:12:28,424 a probationary Angel without the benefits. 258 00:12:28,458 --> 00:12:29,860 You wear the jacket. 259 00:12:29,893 --> 00:12:33,463 It says "prospect," but you still have a long ways to go. 260 00:12:33,496 --> 00:12:34,831 It can take years 261 00:12:34,865 --> 00:12:38,201 before you become an official full-patch member 262 00:12:38,234 --> 00:12:39,870 and be one of the honored few 263 00:12:39,903 --> 00:12:42,105 who are members of the Hells Angels. 264 00:12:42,138 --> 00:12:43,639 It's a very elite club. 265 00:12:43,673 --> 00:12:46,242 Prospects are put through a series of tests 266 00:12:46,276 --> 00:12:49,913 designed to make sure they have what it takes to be an Angel. 267 00:12:49,946 --> 00:12:53,616 The most sought-after quality a candidate can show is class. 268 00:12:56,719 --> 00:12:58,521 "Showing class" is a term 269 00:12:58,554 --> 00:13:01,257 that was used in the '60s and '70s, 270 00:13:01,291 --> 00:13:03,759 and that means that you can handle yourself 271 00:13:03,793 --> 00:13:06,796 and make a statement, if you will. 272 00:13:09,732 --> 00:13:11,134 I remember one incident. 273 00:13:11,167 --> 00:13:13,203 The Hells Angels from back east were out here, 274 00:13:13,236 --> 00:13:16,072 and one Hells Angel in particular 275 00:13:16,106 --> 00:13:20,343 started focusing on a hang-around from Oxnard. 276 00:13:20,376 --> 00:13:21,912 They got to the point where a guy said, 277 00:13:21,945 --> 00:13:25,348 "What would you do if I cut your pinky off?" 278 00:13:27,550 --> 00:13:28,985 And this hang-around said, 279 00:13:29,019 --> 00:13:30,186 "Well, you don't have to do that. 280 00:13:30,220 --> 00:13:31,721 I'll do it myself. I never use it." 281 00:13:33,789 --> 00:13:36,659 In the morning, his finger was gone. 282 00:13:36,692 --> 00:13:38,094 I don't think there's any better way 283 00:13:38,128 --> 00:13:39,695 to show class than that. 284 00:13:39,729 --> 00:13:42,765 Prospects have to be willing to risk everything, 285 00:13:42,798 --> 00:13:44,334 including life and liberty, 286 00:13:44,367 --> 00:13:46,769 to prove their loyalty to the club. 287 00:13:46,802 --> 00:13:48,504 Prospect life was no picnic. 288 00:13:48,538 --> 00:13:50,840 You have no idea what you're in for. 289 00:13:50,873 --> 00:13:54,610 The next two years of your life belongs to the Hells Angels. 290 00:13:57,780 --> 00:13:59,015 When you're prospecting 291 00:13:59,049 --> 00:14:01,952 and a member tells you to do something, 292 00:14:01,985 --> 00:14:04,454 you don't ask how or why. 293 00:14:04,487 --> 00:14:05,821 You just go do it, 294 00:14:05,855 --> 00:14:07,857 and you do it with blind loyalty. 295 00:14:09,725 --> 00:14:11,027 I was asked one time 296 00:14:11,061 --> 00:14:13,229 by one of the members sitting around the clubhouse-- 297 00:14:13,263 --> 00:14:14,364 he looks over at me, 298 00:14:14,397 --> 00:14:16,232 and he goes, "You know what I feel like? 299 00:14:16,266 --> 00:14:18,434 I feel like one of those burgers at Wimpy's." 300 00:14:18,468 --> 00:14:19,769 Well, Wimpy's was a place 301 00:14:19,802 --> 00:14:21,037 up in the Bay Area. 302 00:14:21,071 --> 00:14:22,939 I know I'm not riding up to Frisco, 303 00:14:22,973 --> 00:14:24,740 so I come up with an idea. 304 00:14:26,742 --> 00:14:29,679 Back in the '70s, they had these flights 305 00:14:29,712 --> 00:14:32,382 every half hour out of Frisco to L.A. 306 00:14:32,415 --> 00:14:36,319 I call up one of the Bay Area prospects, 307 00:14:36,352 --> 00:14:37,853 tell him, "Hey, you know what? 308 00:14:37,887 --> 00:14:41,157 Go get a burger at Wimpy's, put it on a plane." 309 00:14:41,191 --> 00:14:43,759 So he throws it on a plane. 310 00:14:43,793 --> 00:14:45,861 I make my way over to the airport, 311 00:14:45,895 --> 00:14:48,431 and in three or four hours, I got a burger down here for him. 312 00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:52,902 It wasn't warm, but it seemed to satisfy the member, 313 00:14:52,935 --> 00:14:55,138 so I got that mission accomplished. 314 00:14:58,941 --> 00:15:01,177 As part of the initiation process, 315 00:15:01,211 --> 00:15:02,545 prospects are invited 316 00:15:02,578 --> 00:15:05,081 to join the Hells Angels' infamous runs-- 317 00:15:05,115 --> 00:15:08,684 wild traveling parties where anything goes. 318 00:15:12,955 --> 00:15:14,190 No attitudes up here. 319 00:15:14,224 --> 00:15:17,127 Everybody comes up here to party out. 320 00:15:17,160 --> 00:15:20,196 The Hells Angels go on runs to experience camaraderie. 321 00:15:20,230 --> 00:15:22,598 On the core level, that's what they stand for, 322 00:15:22,632 --> 00:15:24,367 but there's other reasons, you know-- 323 00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:26,936 to--you know, to mark their territory. 324 00:15:26,969 --> 00:15:30,506 To make sure they're seen and that people know, you know, 325 00:15:30,540 --> 00:15:33,509 the kings of the jungle are in the house. 326 00:15:33,543 --> 00:15:36,046 As time passed, things got more elaborate-- 327 00:15:36,079 --> 00:15:38,881 you know, provided food, bands, 328 00:15:38,914 --> 00:15:42,585 sometimes dancing girls and whatnot. 329 00:15:42,618 --> 00:15:45,321 Prospects are allowed to participate in the fun, 330 00:15:45,355 --> 00:15:47,523 but when the time comes to get back on the road, 331 00:15:47,557 --> 00:15:49,392 they are reminded of their status 332 00:15:49,425 --> 00:15:52,728 and forced to ride in the back of the formation. 333 00:15:52,762 --> 00:15:54,930 That's when you know you're not a Hells Angel yet. 334 00:15:58,301 --> 00:16:02,004 What people have to realize is an old Harley Davidson, 335 00:16:02,038 --> 00:16:04,907 you'd lose a quart of oil every couple hundred miles, 336 00:16:04,940 --> 00:16:08,911 and if you're riding behind 15, 20 Harleys, 337 00:16:08,944 --> 00:16:10,546 and you're in the back of the pack, 338 00:16:10,580 --> 00:16:14,284 you're gonna have grease, dirt, bugs, 339 00:16:14,317 --> 00:16:15,751 and your face is all black 340 00:16:15,785 --> 00:16:17,687 except when you take your glasses off. 341 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:19,555 You've got, you know, white around your eyes. 342 00:16:19,589 --> 00:16:20,823 I mean, you look a mess. 343 00:16:22,725 --> 00:16:25,027 For prospects, the misery of the ride 344 00:16:25,061 --> 00:16:28,631 is just the beginning of the ordeal. 345 00:16:28,664 --> 00:16:31,467 Sometimes, when we were on a run, one of the members 346 00:16:31,501 --> 00:16:33,069 would yell, "Boots and patches." 347 00:16:36,206 --> 00:16:37,773 They expected all the prospects 348 00:16:37,807 --> 00:16:41,043 to take all their clothes off except for their boots 349 00:16:41,077 --> 00:16:42,178 and their patches. 350 00:16:45,248 --> 00:16:47,950 They'd take the outhouses, tip them over, 351 00:16:47,983 --> 00:16:49,352 and dump everything 352 00:16:49,385 --> 00:16:53,423 that was filling the outhouses into the pit, 353 00:16:53,456 --> 00:16:56,192 and they'd have a tug-of-war-- 354 00:16:56,226 --> 00:16:59,329 the north against the south prospects. 355 00:16:59,362 --> 00:17:00,830 But we were always told, 356 00:17:00,863 --> 00:17:03,099 "We'll never ask you to do anything we won't do." 357 00:17:03,133 --> 00:17:06,169 That's what the members would profess to the prospects. 358 00:17:06,202 --> 00:17:07,203 So... 359 00:17:09,239 --> 00:17:10,973 This one particular year, 360 00:17:11,006 --> 00:17:15,145 I said, "I'm not gonna do it unless the members do it." 361 00:17:15,178 --> 00:17:16,579 We all kind of grouped together, 362 00:17:16,612 --> 00:17:19,014 and then the next thing you knew, "boots and patches" 363 00:17:19,048 --> 00:17:20,750 was scrubbed. 364 00:17:20,783 --> 00:17:24,120 I was very happy that was the end of that tradition. 365 00:17:24,154 --> 00:17:28,191 Who wants to stand around naked and get drug through ? 366 00:17:32,428 --> 00:17:35,198 The humiliation prospects endure on their way 367 00:17:35,231 --> 00:17:39,034 to becoming full-patch members is all part of the code. 368 00:17:39,068 --> 00:17:40,403 These tests 369 00:17:40,436 --> 00:17:43,506 prove their absolute loyalty to the club, its members, 370 00:17:43,539 --> 00:17:47,109 and the man who they must follow to hell and back, 371 00:17:47,143 --> 00:17:48,944 their chapter president. 372 00:17:51,414 --> 00:17:53,849 When you're gonna be a leader in an organization 373 00:17:53,883 --> 00:17:58,020 that gets itself involved in violence from time to time, 374 00:17:58,053 --> 00:17:59,855 you have to have a vision. 375 00:17:59,889 --> 00:18:02,292 You make a bad decision, somebody could get killed. 376 00:18:02,325 --> 00:18:05,761 You make a bad decision, someone goes to prison. 377 00:18:05,795 --> 00:18:07,763 Old Man John was the president 378 00:18:07,797 --> 00:18:11,167 of the Los Angeles Hells Angels when I came around. 379 00:18:11,201 --> 00:18:15,004 He was in his early 60s, a truck driver, 380 00:18:15,037 --> 00:18:17,373 and a longtime outlaw bike rider. 381 00:18:21,110 --> 00:18:25,080 John was a smart and old-school leader. 382 00:18:25,114 --> 00:18:27,417 He led by example. 383 00:18:27,450 --> 00:18:31,120 He didn't expect you to do anything that he wouldn't do, 384 00:18:31,153 --> 00:18:32,922 and he proved that several times. 385 00:18:32,955 --> 00:18:35,090 And one particular night, 386 00:18:35,124 --> 00:18:37,393 I remember, he was walking around the clubhouse, 387 00:18:37,427 --> 00:18:39,462 and he looked like something was on his mind. 388 00:18:39,495 --> 00:18:41,631 He was chomping down on his cigar, 389 00:18:41,664 --> 00:18:43,733 waiting for a phone call, I think. 390 00:18:43,766 --> 00:18:47,403 The call came, and he said, "Okay, let's go." 391 00:18:47,437 --> 00:18:48,838 He didn't explain himself. 392 00:18:48,871 --> 00:18:49,839 He didn't have to. 393 00:18:54,076 --> 00:18:57,480 So, you know, we followed John like we always did, 394 00:18:57,513 --> 00:19:00,683 made our way into San Fernando Valley. 395 00:19:00,716 --> 00:19:02,418 We pull up on this place. 396 00:19:02,452 --> 00:19:05,187 There was 35, 40 bikes parked out front, 397 00:19:05,221 --> 00:19:08,624 and I wasn't sure what I was walking into, 398 00:19:08,658 --> 00:19:11,427 but I didn't feel like this was gonna be a party. 399 00:19:14,430 --> 00:19:16,599 Coming up... 400 00:19:16,632 --> 00:19:19,469 Former Hells Angel George Christie is revealing how 401 00:19:19,502 --> 00:19:23,138 their secret code built the club from a small group of bikers 402 00:19:23,172 --> 00:19:26,509 into a powerful worldwide organization. 403 00:19:26,542 --> 00:19:29,011 That code demands unquestioning loyalty 404 00:19:29,044 --> 00:19:31,046 to your chapter president. 405 00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:34,284 So when George's president, the infamous Old Man John, 406 00:19:34,317 --> 00:19:39,021 suddenly announced they were going to a rival clubhouse, 407 00:19:39,054 --> 00:19:40,623 no one asked twice. 408 00:19:42,358 --> 00:19:46,629 There was about maybe 35, 40 bikes out front. 409 00:19:46,662 --> 00:19:48,764 I just kind of keeping my guard up. 410 00:19:48,798 --> 00:19:50,099 We walk into the clubhouse, 411 00:19:50,132 --> 00:19:52,602 and John asks for somebody. 412 00:19:52,635 --> 00:19:55,305 This is enemy territory-- 413 00:19:55,338 --> 00:19:58,007 the headquarters of an L.A. motorcycle club 414 00:19:58,040 --> 00:19:59,909 called "The Humpers." 415 00:19:59,942 --> 00:20:01,143 The guy walks up, 416 00:20:01,176 --> 00:20:02,978 and he's got a little swagger in his walk, 417 00:20:03,012 --> 00:20:06,482 and you can see that he's got some sway with these guys. 418 00:20:06,516 --> 00:20:08,351 People are kind of getting out of his way, 419 00:20:08,384 --> 00:20:13,022 and, you know, John qualifies that it is indeed him. 420 00:20:13,055 --> 00:20:14,790 He says, "So you're so-and-so?" 421 00:20:14,824 --> 00:20:17,360 "Yeah, that's me." 422 00:20:17,393 --> 00:20:18,861 John was questioning this guy, 423 00:20:18,894 --> 00:20:20,896 and he's looking at me on occasion. 424 00:20:20,930 --> 00:20:23,165 We're kind of uncomfortable, because we know 425 00:20:23,198 --> 00:20:25,234 John's not feeling right. 426 00:20:25,267 --> 00:20:27,870 And out of nowhere, bam! 427 00:20:27,903 --> 00:20:29,271 John downs him, 428 00:20:29,305 --> 00:20:32,575 jumps on top of him, and just starts working him over. 429 00:20:32,608 --> 00:20:34,777 The Humpers' leader ran prostitutes 430 00:20:34,810 --> 00:20:38,714 and had just turned out a member of Old Man John's family. 431 00:20:38,748 --> 00:20:41,116 Now, I don't know if everyone knows what a "turnout" is, 432 00:20:41,150 --> 00:20:45,388 but that's when a group of individuals 433 00:20:45,421 --> 00:20:49,692 are engaging in sex with one particular female. 434 00:20:49,725 --> 00:20:52,662 The girl didn't seem to mind. 435 00:20:52,695 --> 00:20:55,197 She was a gem in herself, 436 00:20:55,230 --> 00:20:59,835 but John had been disrespected, 437 00:20:59,869 --> 00:21:02,171 so, in turn, 438 00:21:02,204 --> 00:21:04,807 the club was disrespected. 439 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:07,943 He was gonna right that wrong no matter what cost, 440 00:21:07,977 --> 00:21:10,346 so John went out there to settle the score, 441 00:21:10,380 --> 00:21:13,082 and settle the score he did. 442 00:21:13,115 --> 00:21:16,051 To this day, I'm sure that guy's face has never been the same. 443 00:21:18,020 --> 00:21:20,289 I learned a lot about the club that night. 444 00:21:20,322 --> 00:21:22,458 Nobody dared lay a hand on us. 445 00:21:22,492 --> 00:21:26,362 Now, we were all ready to fight if that was gonna be necessary, 446 00:21:26,396 --> 00:21:30,332 but they knew that we were the Hells Angels, 447 00:21:30,366 --> 00:21:33,168 and we were the ones that were controlling the situation. 448 00:21:39,975 --> 00:21:41,911 A prospect's initiation ends 449 00:21:41,944 --> 00:21:43,245 when his charter's members 450 00:21:43,278 --> 00:21:46,782 vote on whether he is to be granted full membership. 451 00:21:46,816 --> 00:21:48,518 The vote must be unanimous. 452 00:21:48,551 --> 00:21:50,720 If even one member votes against him, 453 00:21:50,753 --> 00:21:52,722 the Angels take his vest and bike, 454 00:21:52,755 --> 00:21:56,291 and he's told to never come back. 455 00:21:56,325 --> 00:22:01,030 In 1976, George's future is finally decided. 456 00:22:05,267 --> 00:22:07,637 I remember one night in the middle of winter, 457 00:22:07,670 --> 00:22:09,772 I heard the door open 458 00:22:09,805 --> 00:22:12,241 and John yell for me, 459 00:22:12,274 --> 00:22:14,544 so I ran in to the clubhouse 460 00:22:14,577 --> 00:22:17,413 and noticed everybody in the room 461 00:22:17,447 --> 00:22:18,981 had their eyes fixed on me, 462 00:22:19,014 --> 00:22:20,483 and I thought, 463 00:22:20,516 --> 00:22:22,251 "Something's going on here." 464 00:22:22,284 --> 00:22:23,553 John said to me, 465 00:22:23,586 --> 00:22:26,288 "So you have made up your mind. 466 00:22:26,321 --> 00:22:27,923 This is what you want to do?" 467 00:22:29,725 --> 00:22:31,126 I started getting the first feeling 468 00:22:31,160 --> 00:22:33,362 that this was gonna be the moment. 469 00:22:33,395 --> 00:22:36,298 I said, "Yeah, John, I'm 100% with you guys." 470 00:22:36,331 --> 00:22:38,000 He goes, "We're going to San Bernardino." 471 00:22:39,569 --> 00:22:40,970 We rode our bikes there, 472 00:22:41,003 --> 00:22:43,138 and I was warned, 473 00:22:43,172 --> 00:22:44,406 "Don't rev your motor up. 474 00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:46,075 "Take it slow. Take it easy. 475 00:22:46,108 --> 00:22:49,211 No cussing and no smoking in the house." 476 00:22:49,244 --> 00:22:50,379 You know, we went in, 477 00:22:50,412 --> 00:22:52,815 and I saw a grandmotherly lady standing there. 478 00:22:52,848 --> 00:22:53,849 She stuck out her hand 479 00:22:53,883 --> 00:22:56,619 and introduced herself as "Betty." 480 00:22:56,652 --> 00:22:57,820 When I heard the name, 481 00:22:57,853 --> 00:23:00,756 I knew this was the moment I was waiting for. 482 00:23:00,790 --> 00:23:02,658 Betty was the gal that made the patches 483 00:23:02,692 --> 00:23:05,127 for the Hells Angels. 484 00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:06,529 The sacred Hells Angel 485 00:23:06,562 --> 00:23:09,599 death-head patch is only given to a prospect 486 00:23:09,632 --> 00:23:12,468 when he is accepted as a full member. 487 00:23:12,502 --> 00:23:15,037 Nothing else is more important than the patch-- 488 00:23:15,070 --> 00:23:16,405 not your family, your wife, 489 00:23:16,438 --> 00:23:19,709 your girlfriend, your kids, your dog--nothing. 490 00:23:19,742 --> 00:23:21,544 It's their religion. 491 00:23:21,577 --> 00:23:23,513 They believe it and worship it, 492 00:23:23,546 --> 00:23:26,482 and if you can't or if you won't, 493 00:23:26,516 --> 00:23:28,350 there's no place for you. 494 00:23:28,383 --> 00:23:30,285 The patch is a sacred cloth. 495 00:23:30,319 --> 00:23:33,155 It's a flag. You don't want that flag to hit the ground. 496 00:23:33,188 --> 00:23:35,457 You don't want that flag to be desecrated. 497 00:23:35,491 --> 00:23:37,627 You don't want it to be insulted. 498 00:23:37,660 --> 00:23:39,428 Your patch is everything to you. 499 00:23:39,461 --> 00:23:41,296 That's your soul, 500 00:23:41,330 --> 00:23:43,365 and it becomes an extension of you. 501 00:23:46,502 --> 00:23:48,738 I have no idea 502 00:23:48,771 --> 00:23:51,674 how Betty became the official seamstress for the Hells Angels, 503 00:23:51,707 --> 00:23:53,275 but at that particular point in time, 504 00:23:53,308 --> 00:23:56,512 she was the only one making the patches. 505 00:23:56,546 --> 00:23:59,114 She took my Levi vest 506 00:23:59,148 --> 00:24:03,285 and laid out my new Hells Angel patch on it, 507 00:24:03,318 --> 00:24:04,987 and when she finished, 508 00:24:05,020 --> 00:24:06,856 she thanked me, 509 00:24:06,889 --> 00:24:08,991 said, "Not too loud with the pipes. 510 00:24:09,024 --> 00:24:12,394 Take it easy, boys, coming out of the neighborhood." 511 00:24:12,427 --> 00:24:13,929 We jumped on our bikes, 512 00:24:13,963 --> 00:24:16,899 and we kept it down for about a half a block, 513 00:24:16,932 --> 00:24:18,601 and then I just couldn't hold back anymore. 514 00:24:18,634 --> 00:24:21,871 I cranked on my accelerator. 515 00:24:21,904 --> 00:24:23,138 We made our way to the freeway, 516 00:24:23,172 --> 00:24:25,875 and it was 90 miles an hour all the way 517 00:24:25,908 --> 00:24:27,309 back from San Bernardino 518 00:24:27,342 --> 00:24:29,211 to Los Angeles. 519 00:24:29,244 --> 00:24:31,647 I was on top of the world. 520 00:24:31,681 --> 00:24:35,651 From now on, George is able to reap the rewards 521 00:24:35,685 --> 00:24:37,019 and share in the dangers 522 00:24:37,052 --> 00:24:40,623 of the part of the code that makes sure every Angel 523 00:24:40,656 --> 00:24:43,993 is willing to fight and die for his brothers. 524 00:24:46,862 --> 00:24:48,397 George and his biker brothers 525 00:24:48,430 --> 00:24:51,333 are at the North Carolina Fiddlers Convention, 526 00:24:51,366 --> 00:24:55,170 a music festival and magnet for bikers across the country. 527 00:24:55,204 --> 00:24:58,040 For the first time, he is at a large gathering 528 00:24:58,073 --> 00:25:00,643 not as a hang-around, not as a Prospect, 529 00:25:00,676 --> 00:25:04,013 but as a full-patch Hells Angel. 530 00:25:04,046 --> 00:25:07,149 It was just one big party. 531 00:25:09,184 --> 00:25:12,855 Folk music, bluegrass music, a lot of drinking, 532 00:25:12,888 --> 00:25:15,124 and a lot of fights. 533 00:25:15,157 --> 00:25:16,225 My head's swirling. 534 00:25:16,258 --> 00:25:17,660 I'm meeting all these Hells Angels. 535 00:25:17,693 --> 00:25:19,762 I can't keep track of everybody's name, 536 00:25:19,795 --> 00:25:22,297 but one guy in particular stood out to me. 537 00:25:22,331 --> 00:25:23,999 He came up, introduced himself. 538 00:25:24,033 --> 00:25:25,334 His name was Tommy. 539 00:25:25,367 --> 00:25:27,803 He asked me if I wanted to go for a walk with him, 540 00:25:27,837 --> 00:25:29,504 and I thought, "Man, this is great," 541 00:25:29,538 --> 00:25:31,240 and he goes, "Just a minute." 542 00:25:31,273 --> 00:25:33,208 He goes, "Let me get ready." 543 00:25:33,242 --> 00:25:37,012 He takes a .38, checks it to make sure it's loaded, 544 00:25:37,046 --> 00:25:38,480 closes the cylinder up, 545 00:25:38,513 --> 00:25:39,682 puts it in his waistband, 546 00:25:39,715 --> 00:25:41,917 makes sure his knife is sheathed. 547 00:25:41,951 --> 00:25:43,619 Then he slides on a pair of gloves 548 00:25:43,653 --> 00:25:45,655 that have all the fingers cut off, 549 00:25:45,688 --> 00:25:46,956 and I'm inspecting the gloves, 550 00:25:46,989 --> 00:25:49,324 and I can see they're knockout gloves, 551 00:25:49,358 --> 00:25:52,795 and "knockout gloves" are gloves that are filled with lead 552 00:25:52,828 --> 00:25:55,264 so they add a little weight behind a punch 553 00:25:55,297 --> 00:25:56,265 if you throw a punch. 554 00:25:58,367 --> 00:25:59,669 We started walking. 555 00:25:59,702 --> 00:26:02,738 We walked out of our camp down this little path 556 00:26:02,772 --> 00:26:06,141 up to this group of individuals standing by a U-Haul. 557 00:26:08,243 --> 00:26:10,245 And there was a guy that had a table... 558 00:26:11,513 --> 00:26:15,918 And they had heroin, LSD, cocaine, marijuana-- 559 00:26:15,951 --> 00:26:18,821 you name it; he's got it. 560 00:26:18,854 --> 00:26:20,322 Tommy walks up to the guy. 561 00:26:20,355 --> 00:26:22,124 He made eye contact, 562 00:26:22,157 --> 00:26:26,195 and I could see something other than just taking a walk 563 00:26:26,228 --> 00:26:27,730 was going on here. 564 00:26:27,763 --> 00:26:29,765 And Tommy said, "Do you remember me?" 565 00:26:31,834 --> 00:26:36,338 Apparently Tommy thought that he should've been comped something, 566 00:26:36,371 --> 00:26:39,308 and the guy kind of looks at Tommy. 567 00:26:39,341 --> 00:26:41,911 Tommy blasts this guy. 568 00:26:41,944 --> 00:26:45,047 The guy goes down, a fight breaks out. 569 00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:47,717 In that moment, George discovered what the code 570 00:26:47,750 --> 00:26:51,053 of the Hells Angels was really all about. 571 00:26:51,086 --> 00:26:55,390 Suddenly, a guy's got a .45 on me. 572 00:26:55,424 --> 00:26:59,161 I looked at the gun, and I realized this could be the end, 573 00:26:59,194 --> 00:27:00,562 but I was there with my brothers, 574 00:27:00,595 --> 00:27:02,331 and if they were ready to die for me, 575 00:27:02,364 --> 00:27:14,076 I was ready to die for them. 576 00:27:14,109 --> 00:27:18,781 Coming up... 577 00:27:18,814 --> 00:27:22,484 April 17, 1976. 578 00:27:22,517 --> 00:27:26,355 George Christie is a full-patch member of the Hells Angels. 579 00:27:26,388 --> 00:27:29,158 He is discovering exactly what the phrase, 580 00:27:29,191 --> 00:27:33,228 "All on one, one on all," really means. 581 00:27:33,262 --> 00:27:35,264 A guy's got a .45 on me. 582 00:27:35,297 --> 00:27:37,800 I hear the gun click, 583 00:27:37,833 --> 00:27:39,268 and it's a misfire. 584 00:27:39,301 --> 00:27:40,736 All hell breaks loose, 585 00:27:40,770 --> 00:27:43,172 and the next thing you know, 586 00:27:43,205 --> 00:27:44,639 we're in a gunfight with these guys. 587 00:27:46,008 --> 00:27:48,010 When more Angels arrive to back George 588 00:27:48,043 --> 00:27:51,513 and his comrade, their rivals run to their van for cover. 589 00:27:51,546 --> 00:27:52,948 Tommy's standing up, 590 00:27:52,982 --> 00:27:55,650 and he's shooting up into the van. 591 00:27:57,052 --> 00:27:59,688 In all of this, I don't know where it came from, 592 00:27:59,721 --> 00:28:02,591 but a Molotov cocktail went into the back of the van, 593 00:28:02,624 --> 00:28:04,693 and it burst into flames. 594 00:28:08,263 --> 00:28:10,465 I never found out if anyone died that day 595 00:28:10,499 --> 00:28:12,734 or what happened to the other guys, 596 00:28:12,768 --> 00:28:15,604 but I did learn what it meant to have your brothers' back 597 00:28:15,637 --> 00:28:17,072 at all costs. 598 00:28:20,642 --> 00:28:22,477 A Hells Angel lives on his bike, 599 00:28:22,511 --> 00:28:24,780 but his home is his clubhouse. 600 00:28:24,814 --> 00:28:26,882 No place is more sacred. 601 00:28:29,985 --> 00:28:33,122 Each Hells Angel clubhouse is really a reflection 602 00:28:33,155 --> 00:28:37,993 of that particular charter that it represents. 603 00:28:38,027 --> 00:28:42,764 I've been in huge clubhouses with expensive televisions, 604 00:28:42,798 --> 00:28:45,534 furniture, sound systems for parties, 605 00:28:45,567 --> 00:28:48,637 stages for bands and whatnot, 606 00:28:48,670 --> 00:28:53,375 and fortresses that had sandbags and gun ports. 607 00:28:53,408 --> 00:28:56,111 But I will tell you, they're all home. 608 00:28:57,980 --> 00:29:01,316 Each clubhouse is defined by a bar, a locked door, 609 00:29:01,350 --> 00:29:04,854 and brothers who expect and encourage anyone allowed entry 610 00:29:04,887 --> 00:29:08,357 to party and brawl like Vikings. 611 00:29:08,390 --> 00:29:10,759 The clubhouse is also where weekly club business 612 00:29:10,792 --> 00:29:14,830 is handled at meetings referred to as "church." 613 00:29:14,864 --> 00:29:16,131 Once you become a Hells Angel, 614 00:29:16,165 --> 00:29:18,267 you must attend the meetings each week. 615 00:29:18,300 --> 00:29:20,635 You know, maybe someone needs to be disciplined 616 00:29:20,669 --> 00:29:23,205 he's got a drug problem or alcohol problem, 617 00:29:23,238 --> 00:29:25,774 or you need to reel him in a bit. 618 00:29:25,807 --> 00:29:27,376 You talk about the latest tactics 619 00:29:27,409 --> 00:29:30,012 law enforcement's using against us. 620 00:29:30,045 --> 00:29:32,147 We'd discuss ways of dealing with the media, 621 00:29:32,181 --> 00:29:33,615 ways of dealing with the cops, 622 00:29:33,648 --> 00:29:35,350 ways of dealing with each other, 623 00:29:35,384 --> 00:29:38,087 but there's one rule we never break. 624 00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:40,355 We never jeopardize the club's security 625 00:29:40,389 --> 00:29:43,025 by talking about illegal activities. 626 00:29:46,929 --> 00:29:50,399 How many members of the Hells Angels use marijuana? 627 00:29:51,833 --> 00:29:53,835 I'd say... 628 00:29:53,869 --> 00:29:56,305 100%. 629 00:29:56,338 --> 00:29:58,273 In the late '50s, 1960s, 630 00:29:58,307 --> 00:30:01,310 Hells Angels are proud to admit they were huge drug users, 631 00:30:01,343 --> 00:30:04,479 largely recreational with a bit of selling on the side. 632 00:30:04,513 --> 00:30:08,150 That all changes in the late '60s and the 1970s. 633 00:30:08,183 --> 00:30:11,520 That's when the Hells Angels not only are consuming drugs, 634 00:30:11,553 --> 00:30:13,889 but they are importing drugs. 635 00:30:13,923 --> 00:30:15,424 They are bringing in cocaine, 636 00:30:15,457 --> 00:30:17,192 and they are manufacturing drugs. 637 00:30:17,226 --> 00:30:18,393 Meth. 638 00:30:18,427 --> 00:30:20,062 What you have to understand-- 639 00:30:20,095 --> 00:30:23,732 Hells Angels motorcycle club is ruled by a strict code, 640 00:30:23,765 --> 00:30:25,200 but the members are free to do 641 00:30:25,234 --> 00:30:28,170 whatever they want with their own lives. 642 00:30:28,203 --> 00:30:30,672 There are some people in the club that have committed crimes, 643 00:30:30,705 --> 00:30:32,341 and that record speaks for itself. 644 00:30:32,374 --> 00:30:34,843 You know, I can't defend that, and I won't try to defend it, 645 00:30:34,876 --> 00:30:39,781 but as an organization, we are not a criminal entity. 646 00:30:39,814 --> 00:30:42,017 The police like to investigate us in that manner 647 00:30:42,051 --> 00:30:44,719 because it makes it easier for them to go after us 648 00:30:44,753 --> 00:30:47,656 as an organization rather than as individuals. 649 00:30:47,689 --> 00:30:50,392 The law enforcement got involved in the Hells Angels 650 00:30:50,425 --> 00:30:53,862 investigation and intelligence gathering. 651 00:30:53,895 --> 00:30:56,565 We knew what night they would have church. 652 00:30:56,598 --> 00:31:00,269 We would know when to set up and follow individuals away. 653 00:31:00,302 --> 00:31:02,404 We knew what bars they would hang out at, 654 00:31:02,437 --> 00:31:06,008 and so sometimes work undercover to see if we could meet a member 655 00:31:06,041 --> 00:31:08,743 or an associate or anyone involved in the meth trade. 656 00:31:08,777 --> 00:31:10,980 The increasing attention from law enforcement 657 00:31:11,013 --> 00:31:14,749 on the Hells Angels means they must be more vigilant than ever. 658 00:31:14,783 --> 00:31:16,651 We don't sit around the room 659 00:31:16,685 --> 00:31:20,956 and talk about how we're gonna make money doing illegal acts 660 00:31:20,990 --> 00:31:22,457 the next two weeks. 661 00:31:22,491 --> 00:31:26,928 If someone brings up something that even remotely resembles 662 00:31:26,962 --> 00:31:30,099 a conspiracy or an illegal activity, 663 00:31:30,132 --> 00:31:31,833 they're immediately shut down, 664 00:31:31,866 --> 00:31:33,435 and if they continue, 665 00:31:33,468 --> 00:31:35,370 they're removed from the room. 666 00:31:35,404 --> 00:31:38,340 You have to be extra cautious on a 24-hour basis. 667 00:31:38,373 --> 00:31:41,576 That's the only way an outlaw organization's gonna survive. 668 00:31:44,946 --> 00:31:46,081 Law enforcement 669 00:31:46,115 --> 00:31:48,817 continued their attempts to infiltrate the club. 670 00:31:48,850 --> 00:31:52,054 We started encountering a lot of investigations, 671 00:31:52,087 --> 00:31:53,355 some indictments. 672 00:31:53,388 --> 00:31:54,589 People were getting busted. 673 00:31:54,623 --> 00:31:56,291 People were going to prison, 674 00:31:56,325 --> 00:31:58,527 and as time passed, 675 00:31:58,560 --> 00:32:01,530 the traditions and the code of silence 676 00:32:01,563 --> 00:32:07,436 and the code of brotherhood seemed to pass with it. 677 00:32:07,469 --> 00:32:10,739 With members finding themselves facing long prison terms, 678 00:32:10,772 --> 00:32:12,274 the code of silence 679 00:32:12,307 --> 00:32:16,178 that ensures the Hells Angels' survival begins to crumble. 680 00:32:16,211 --> 00:32:18,847 If you're facing 10, 20 years in prison, 681 00:32:18,880 --> 00:32:21,550 you're looking for any way out you can get, 682 00:32:21,583 --> 00:32:23,885 even if it means breaking the most solemn oath 683 00:32:23,918 --> 00:32:25,187 you ever took. 684 00:32:25,220 --> 00:32:27,356 Even if it means betraying your brothers 685 00:32:27,389 --> 00:32:28,723 and becoming a rat. 686 00:32:28,757 --> 00:32:31,593 Even if it means facing the ultimate punishment. 687 00:32:35,597 --> 00:32:39,968 Coming up... 688 00:32:40,001 --> 00:32:42,271 and if you don't live by that code, 689 00:32:42,304 --> 00:32:44,139 you're less than a man. 690 00:32:44,173 --> 00:32:47,842 The code of the Hells Angels keeps the club united. 691 00:32:47,876 --> 00:32:50,812 The code demands you follow your leader, 692 00:32:50,845 --> 00:32:52,914 stand by your brothers in a fight, 693 00:32:52,947 --> 00:32:55,016 don't talk about illegal activities 694 00:32:55,050 --> 00:32:56,218 in the clubhouse, 695 00:32:56,251 --> 00:33:00,422 and never, ever rat out the club to the law. 696 00:33:00,455 --> 00:33:01,656 Our code of silence 697 00:33:01,690 --> 00:33:03,892 made us one of the most powerful organizations 698 00:33:03,925 --> 00:33:05,594 in the outlaw world, 699 00:33:05,627 --> 00:33:07,962 and it didn't take the cops long to figure out 700 00:33:07,996 --> 00:33:11,133 that if they could break that code of silence, 701 00:33:11,166 --> 00:33:12,801 they could take down the whole club. 702 00:33:12,834 --> 00:33:15,470 We started to have a rat problem. 703 00:33:17,506 --> 00:33:19,941 A rat is an informant. 704 00:33:19,974 --> 00:33:21,410 It's someone that gets themselves 705 00:33:21,443 --> 00:33:24,746 in a criminal bind and extracts themselves 706 00:33:24,779 --> 00:33:30,085 by implying or dragging you and your associates into it. 707 00:33:30,119 --> 00:33:32,154 I mean, it's the lowest of the low. 708 00:33:32,187 --> 00:33:34,956 There are only two ways to go after the Hells Angels. 709 00:33:34,989 --> 00:33:36,558 You need intelligence, 710 00:33:36,591 --> 00:33:38,760 and you need informants. 711 00:33:38,793 --> 00:33:41,830 You can get intelligence through wiretaps and surveillance, 712 00:33:41,863 --> 00:33:43,098 but given the fact 713 00:33:43,132 --> 00:33:45,167 that the Hells Angels are so secretive, 714 00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:46,768 you need a snitch. 715 00:33:46,801 --> 00:33:48,670 Somebody who has street creds, 716 00:33:48,703 --> 00:33:53,208 who's not gonna be a choirboy, may even have a criminal record, 717 00:33:53,242 --> 00:33:55,910 and you're gonna get the dirt. 718 00:33:55,944 --> 00:33:59,948 People either find religion or cooperate with law enforcement 719 00:33:59,981 --> 00:34:02,917 when they're looking at 30 years or more in prison, 720 00:34:02,951 --> 00:34:07,422 and of course we exploited that to every degree that we could, 721 00:34:07,456 --> 00:34:09,624 and we would target those individuals 722 00:34:09,658 --> 00:34:12,494 that we felt we could put a heavy case on 723 00:34:12,527 --> 00:34:14,796 or that would be the likely type 724 00:34:14,829 --> 00:34:16,865 to cooperate with law enforcement 725 00:34:16,898 --> 00:34:19,634 and could be paid for their services. 726 00:34:19,668 --> 00:34:22,204 We see it as making a deal with the devil. 727 00:34:22,237 --> 00:34:24,606 Prosecutors don't see it that way, but, you know, 728 00:34:24,639 --> 00:34:26,875 you've got individuals here that, not only do they 729 00:34:26,908 --> 00:34:30,179 extract themselves legally from the problem-- 730 00:34:30,212 --> 00:34:33,248 they get paid in the process as well. 731 00:34:33,282 --> 00:34:35,016 The first time the Hells Angels 732 00:34:35,049 --> 00:34:36,618 start to have a problem with rats 733 00:34:36,651 --> 00:34:39,788 is in the late '70s. 734 00:34:39,821 --> 00:34:42,424 We had a new guy come around the club. 735 00:34:42,457 --> 00:34:44,493 Cliff Mowery. 736 00:34:44,526 --> 00:34:47,896 Cliff was a big, rugged, violent, tough guy. 737 00:34:47,929 --> 00:34:49,998 He had just come fresh out of prison. 738 00:34:50,031 --> 00:34:53,235 He had walked the yard with everyone. 739 00:34:53,268 --> 00:34:55,437 He was friends with everyone, 740 00:34:55,470 --> 00:34:57,005 and when he hit the streets again, 741 00:34:57,038 --> 00:35:00,275 he came back with high marks. 742 00:35:00,309 --> 00:35:02,977 He never actually became a Hells Angel. 743 00:35:03,011 --> 00:35:05,280 He was a Hells Angel prospect. 744 00:35:05,314 --> 00:35:06,848 He did everything in his power 745 00:35:06,881 --> 00:35:09,618 to try to become a full-fledged member as fast as he could, 746 00:35:09,651 --> 00:35:12,521 and he had got involved with Ray Glore. 747 00:35:15,156 --> 00:35:17,392 Ray Glore was the Sergeant at Arms 748 00:35:17,426 --> 00:35:19,127 of the Los Angeles charter. 749 00:35:19,160 --> 00:35:21,630 And Cliff was getting his drugs from Ray, 750 00:35:21,663 --> 00:35:27,802 and from Ray he was selling them to various people in the south. 751 00:35:27,836 --> 00:35:29,471 In addition, he was buying drugs 752 00:35:29,504 --> 00:35:32,941 from a couple of other Hells Angels. 753 00:35:32,974 --> 00:35:36,177 Everything came to a head one evening. 754 00:35:37,646 --> 00:35:40,215 Cliff was on the phone. 755 00:35:40,249 --> 00:35:42,317 As he ended the call, he said, 756 00:35:42,351 --> 00:35:43,952 "The reservations are all set. 757 00:35:43,985 --> 00:35:46,855 I'll be leaving in the morning." 758 00:35:46,888 --> 00:35:48,490 He hung up the phone, he looked at me, 759 00:35:48,523 --> 00:35:49,991 and he said, "Hey, George, 760 00:35:50,024 --> 00:35:51,593 what's going on?" 761 00:35:51,626 --> 00:35:52,627 And I said, "Nothing. 762 00:35:52,661 --> 00:35:54,229 You tell me what's going on." 763 00:35:54,263 --> 00:35:55,730 And he said, "Oh, I'm leaving in the morning. 764 00:35:55,764 --> 00:35:58,267 I'm going on a vacation with my girlfriend." 765 00:35:58,300 --> 00:36:01,770 Cliff had a really good-looking girlfriend. 766 00:36:01,803 --> 00:36:02,904 She was cultured, 767 00:36:02,937 --> 00:36:04,539 and she was intelligent, 768 00:36:04,573 --> 00:36:07,909 but there was one problem with her. 769 00:36:07,942 --> 00:36:11,846 She was an undercover Orange County detective, 770 00:36:11,880 --> 00:36:15,083 and Cliff Mowery was an informant. 771 00:36:19,288 --> 00:36:21,256 Coming up... 772 00:36:21,290 --> 00:36:22,691 to protect themselves. 773 00:36:22,724 --> 00:36:25,260 Back your brothers, keep silent, 774 00:36:25,294 --> 00:36:27,362 and never rat. 775 00:36:27,396 --> 00:36:30,732 But for the first time, the L.A. chapter has a prospect 776 00:36:30,765 --> 00:36:33,502 who's also a police informant: 777 00:36:33,535 --> 00:36:34,803 Cliff Mowery. 778 00:36:34,836 --> 00:36:36,271 And George Christie 779 00:36:36,305 --> 00:36:38,873 has just overheard Cliff talking on the phone 780 00:36:38,907 --> 00:36:41,543 about a sudden trip he's about to take. 781 00:36:41,576 --> 00:36:43,478 "All the reservations are set. 782 00:36:43,512 --> 00:36:45,680 I'll be leaving in the morning." 783 00:36:45,714 --> 00:36:47,549 It just didn't sit right with me. 784 00:36:47,582 --> 00:36:50,151 And maybe if I had been a little bit more vocal, 785 00:36:50,184 --> 00:36:52,287 and maybe if I'd been around a little bit longer, 786 00:36:52,321 --> 00:36:54,689 I would have took it upon myself to say something. 787 00:36:54,723 --> 00:36:56,425 I let it go. 788 00:36:56,458 --> 00:36:58,593 In the morning, I get a phone call. 789 00:36:58,627 --> 00:37:00,995 "You know what's going on?" "No, what's up?" 790 00:37:01,029 --> 00:37:03,765 "They're raiding everybody, man." 791 00:37:03,798 --> 00:37:05,166 They asked me, "Have you been hit?" 792 00:37:05,199 --> 00:37:07,402 And I go, "Why would I be hit?" 793 00:37:07,436 --> 00:37:10,539 Raids were taking place all over Southern California, 794 00:37:10,572 --> 00:37:16,311 and they were initiated by Cliff and his undercover girlfriend. 795 00:37:16,345 --> 00:37:18,380 George later discovered that Sam, 796 00:37:18,413 --> 00:37:20,849 the girl pretending to be Cliff's old lady, 797 00:37:20,882 --> 00:37:23,217 was really an undercover cop. 798 00:37:23,251 --> 00:37:26,455 We were looking for the source of the methamphetamine 799 00:37:26,488 --> 00:37:28,122 that was on the streets at the time. 800 00:37:28,156 --> 00:37:33,762 So we came up with a story that I was a newly divorced rich gal 801 00:37:33,795 --> 00:37:35,697 waiting for a property settlement, 802 00:37:35,730 --> 00:37:39,634 so I was selling some dope to my girlfriends. 803 00:37:39,668 --> 00:37:43,271 But since I didn't have a source for it myself, 804 00:37:43,304 --> 00:37:48,643 I met this rowdy-looking young fellow and was on a fling. 805 00:37:48,677 --> 00:37:51,613 The club later learned that before becoming a prospect, 806 00:37:51,646 --> 00:37:54,015 Mowery had been arrested on drug charges. 807 00:37:54,048 --> 00:37:55,684 The cops made him a deal: 808 00:37:55,717 --> 00:37:56,818 infiltrate the Angels 809 00:37:56,851 --> 00:38:00,021 in exchange for getting out of prison early. 810 00:38:00,054 --> 00:38:01,690 Everything he witnessed in the club 811 00:38:01,723 --> 00:38:03,592 had been turned over to the authorities. 812 00:38:05,460 --> 00:38:09,097 The cops execute 77 arrests across California, 813 00:38:09,130 --> 00:38:12,000 mostly for selling drugs or weapons. 814 00:38:12,033 --> 00:38:14,703 George is not on the list. 815 00:38:14,736 --> 00:38:18,272 Cliff Mowery testifies against everyone. 816 00:38:18,306 --> 00:38:21,643 All but one of these cases ends in conviction. 817 00:38:23,578 --> 00:38:26,481 This was a learning experience not just for us, 818 00:38:26,515 --> 00:38:27,882 but law enforcement as well. 819 00:38:27,916 --> 00:38:30,852 They learned how to use our own people against us, 820 00:38:30,885 --> 00:38:33,788 and the club members who had once been brothers in arms 821 00:38:33,822 --> 00:38:36,991 were now suspicious of each other. 822 00:38:37,025 --> 00:38:38,092 The code had been broken, 823 00:38:38,126 --> 00:38:40,562 and the era of unconditional trust 824 00:38:40,595 --> 00:38:43,432 and loyalty was coming to an end. 825 00:38:43,465 --> 00:38:45,600 The Mowery convictions have a huge effect 826 00:38:45,634 --> 00:38:47,436 on the Angels' code. 827 00:38:47,469 --> 00:38:50,038 Rules for membership are made even stricter, 828 00:38:50,071 --> 00:38:52,006 and bars all over California 829 00:38:52,040 --> 00:38:55,910 hang "Wanted" posters offering a $25,000 reward 830 00:38:55,944 --> 00:38:57,746 for the death of Cliff Mowery, 831 00:38:57,779 --> 00:39:00,048 no questions asked. 832 00:39:00,081 --> 00:39:01,916 He was a rat through and through, 833 00:39:01,950 --> 00:39:03,818 and we don't take kindly to rats. 834 00:39:06,921 --> 00:39:09,724 Cliff Mowery went into witness protection program, 835 00:39:09,758 --> 00:39:11,392 and he should've stayed there, 836 00:39:11,426 --> 00:39:14,128 because he came back 837 00:39:14,162 --> 00:39:16,397 right to the area he had left. 838 00:39:18,767 --> 00:39:20,201 Within two months, 839 00:39:20,234 --> 00:39:23,404 he was in a mysterious motorcycle accident. 840 00:39:25,707 --> 00:39:28,409 He hit a pylon going down the freeway 841 00:39:28,443 --> 00:39:30,479 about 70, 80 miles an hour, 842 00:39:30,512 --> 00:39:33,715 and I was told that it looked like there was evidence 843 00:39:33,748 --> 00:39:39,621 that someone had struck him in the left rear of his motorcycle, 844 00:39:39,654 --> 00:39:41,422 and that was the end of Cliff Mowery. 845 00:39:42,824 --> 00:39:44,559 The betrayal of Cliff Mowery 846 00:39:44,593 --> 00:39:47,061 is far from the last for the Angels. 847 00:39:47,095 --> 00:39:48,597 During the '80s and '90s, 848 00:39:48,630 --> 00:39:51,132 law enforcement made the Hells Angels pay 849 00:39:51,165 --> 00:39:54,536 for all their misdeeds of the '60s and '70s. 850 00:39:54,569 --> 00:39:56,738 More and more Angels break the code 851 00:39:56,771 --> 00:40:00,141 and betray their own brothers to save themselves. 852 00:40:00,174 --> 00:40:02,811 Cliff Mowery was just the tip of the iceberg for me. 853 00:40:02,844 --> 00:40:06,515 Over the next few years, my best friend was murdered. 854 00:40:06,548 --> 00:40:09,117 I had my clubhouse raided. 855 00:40:09,150 --> 00:40:12,320 We had a bomb planted in front of the clubhouse. 856 00:40:12,353 --> 00:40:14,789 We were now looking over our shoulders. 857 00:40:14,823 --> 00:40:17,058 The good time was coming to an end. 858 00:40:19,093 --> 00:40:21,830 This season on Outlaw Chronicles... 859 00:40:23,998 --> 00:40:25,266 A Hells Angel party 860 00:40:25,299 --> 00:40:28,803 is nothing like anything people have ever experienced. 861 00:40:30,171 --> 00:40:31,973 You don't want to ask stupid questions. 862 00:40:32,006 --> 00:40:33,341 You don't want to get drunk. 863 00:40:33,374 --> 00:40:37,846 And above and beyond everything, you don't fall asleep. 864 00:40:51,793 --> 00:40:54,062 There's a lot of theories as to what started the war 865 00:40:54,095 --> 00:40:55,730 between the Hells Angels and the Mongols. 866 00:40:55,764 --> 00:40:57,098 I was there, 867 00:40:57,131 --> 00:41:00,134 and I'll tell you it had to do with a woman... 868 00:41:00,168 --> 00:41:01,369 and a rat. 869 00:41:05,807 --> 00:41:07,542 Lesson one with the Hells 870 00:41:07,576 --> 00:41:09,744 don't rat on us, because you'll be killed. 871 00:41:12,446 --> 00:41:13,815 Lesson two with the Hells 872 00:41:13,848 --> 00:41:16,618 don't rat on us, 'cause you'll be beaten. 873 00:41:16,651 --> 00:41:18,920 Lesson three is go back to lesson one. 874 00:41:24,626 --> 00:41:27,428 32 members of the Hells Angels were arrested. 875 00:41:27,461 --> 00:41:30,765 Charges ranged from murder to drug dealing. 876 00:41:30,799 --> 00:41:32,567 I had one foot in the real world 877 00:41:32,601 --> 00:41:34,836 and one foot in the underworld. 878 00:41:34,869 --> 00:41:36,971 It was a very dangerous place to be. 879 00:41:40,909 --> 00:41:42,076 As the story goes, 880 00:41:42,110 --> 00:41:43,177 the district attorney 881 00:41:43,211 --> 00:41:46,114 slams his fist down on the table 882 00:41:46,147 --> 00:41:48,783 and said, "Bring me George Christie's patch. 883 00:41:48,817 --> 00:41:50,318 I want that son of a bitch." 883 00:41:51,305 --> 00:42:51,290 Watch Online Movies and Series for FREE www.osdb.link/lm