"Outlaw Chronicles: Hells Angels" At War

1 00:00:09,019 --> 00:00:13,457 - War defines the Hells Angels. 2 00:00:13,490 --> 00:00:15,726 Born from the ashes of World War II, 3 00:00:15,759 --> 00:00:18,028 the Hells Angels will never run from a fight, 4 00:00:18,061 --> 00:00:19,930 and they are absolutely merciless 5 00:00:19,963 --> 00:00:21,432 when they go to battle. 6 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:26,903 This is their strength, 7 00:00:26,937 --> 00:00:28,805 but it proved to be an Achilles' heel 8 00:00:28,839 --> 00:00:31,408 in their longest and most costly battle: 9 00:00:31,442 --> 00:00:34,478 the war against the Mongols. 10 00:00:34,511 --> 00:00:35,879 How did this fight begin? 11 00:00:38,115 --> 00:00:40,484 And why have the Hells Angels and the Mongols 12 00:00:40,517 --> 00:00:44,888 hated and killed each other for the last four decades? 13 00:00:46,022 --> 00:00:50,494 Very few know the answers. 14 00:00:50,527 --> 00:00:51,828 This is George Christie, 15 00:00:51,862 --> 00:00:54,865 the man some call the last American outlaw, 16 00:00:54,898 --> 00:00:56,800 a born leader, who ruled the Angels' 17 00:00:56,833 --> 00:00:59,470 Ventura chapter for 33 years 18 00:00:59,503 --> 00:01:03,174 and has firsthand experience fighting the Mongols. 19 00:01:03,207 --> 00:01:04,908 - A lot of people have a lot of ideas 20 00:01:04,941 --> 00:01:06,843 about the way things went down. 21 00:01:06,877 --> 00:01:08,745 Let me give you my side of the story. 22 00:01:12,082 --> 00:01:14,385 There's a lot of theories as to what started the war 23 00:01:14,418 --> 00:01:16,253 between the Hells Angels and the Mongols, 24 00:01:16,287 --> 00:01:17,988 and you know, the most popular one 25 00:01:18,021 --> 00:01:20,424 is that it started over the word "California." 26 00:01:20,457 --> 00:01:21,858 - The bottom rocker 27 00:01:21,892 --> 00:01:24,528 on an outlaw motorcycle cut designates territory, 28 00:01:24,561 --> 00:01:26,863 and the Hells Angels have claimed California 29 00:01:26,897 --> 00:01:29,933 as theirs since the 1960s. 30 00:01:29,966 --> 00:01:32,603 The name Mongols is inspired by Genghis Khan 31 00:01:32,636 --> 00:01:34,638 and his fearless horde. 32 00:01:34,671 --> 00:01:38,742 The club forms in 1969 in east L.A., 33 00:01:38,775 --> 00:01:42,012 but by 1977 the Mongols have added "California" 34 00:01:42,045 --> 00:01:44,781 to their cuts. 35 00:01:44,815 --> 00:01:47,818 Legend has it that's what set off the war. 36 00:01:47,851 --> 00:01:49,486 - But that's not entirely true. 37 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:50,854 I was there, 38 00:01:50,887 --> 00:01:53,990 and I'll tell you it had to do with a woman and a rat. 39 00:01:54,024 --> 00:01:56,327 So let's back up and start from the beginning. 40 00:02:01,932 --> 00:02:04,868 - The year is 1972. 41 00:02:04,901 --> 00:02:09,540 A story makes headlines coast to coast. 42 00:02:09,573 --> 00:02:12,409 - Two bikers came in from the Deep South, 43 00:02:12,443 --> 00:02:15,579 and they wanted to meet some Hells Angels. 44 00:02:15,612 --> 00:02:18,349 And they wound up coming to the Bay area. 45 00:02:22,986 --> 00:02:24,255 - The two bikers, 46 00:02:24,288 --> 00:02:26,490 Big Tom Scholl and Charles Baker, 47 00:02:26,523 --> 00:02:29,960 are from Georgia. 48 00:02:29,993 --> 00:02:31,094 They're independent, 49 00:02:31,127 --> 00:02:33,697 not affiliated with any outlaw club, 50 00:02:33,730 --> 00:02:38,735 but they say they're interested in becoming Angels. 51 00:02:38,769 --> 00:02:40,637 - Here you've got these two bikers 52 00:02:40,671 --> 00:02:42,473 from several states away. 53 00:02:42,506 --> 00:02:44,341 People want to find out what they're all about. 54 00:02:44,375 --> 00:02:47,978 I'm gonna mudcheck 'em. 55 00:02:48,011 --> 00:02:50,447 "Mudcheck" is a term 56 00:02:50,481 --> 00:02:52,916 an outlaw biker uses to say, 57 00:02:52,949 --> 00:02:54,985 "I'm gonna find out what this guy's really made of." 58 00:02:55,018 --> 00:02:57,120 We'll give him some truth serum. 59 00:02:57,153 --> 00:03:00,223 We'll give him ten hits of LSD. 60 00:03:05,028 --> 00:03:06,330 The next thing you know, 61 00:03:06,363 --> 00:03:08,465 their emotions take over their thoughts, 62 00:03:08,499 --> 00:03:11,935 and they lose control. 63 00:03:11,968 --> 00:03:16,607 During the course of the night, Big Tom starts unraveling. 64 00:03:16,640 --> 00:03:19,710 In essence, he's failing his mudcheck. 65 00:03:19,743 --> 00:03:22,112 He can't handle his drugs. 66 00:03:22,145 --> 00:03:25,582 Big Tom is incoherent, he's yelling, he's paranoid, 67 00:03:25,616 --> 00:03:30,086 and they decide they've got to restrain him. 68 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:34,090 So they hogtie him, and they throw him in the back room. 69 00:03:40,864 --> 00:03:42,333 At some point in time, 70 00:03:42,366 --> 00:03:43,800 someone went in to check on him, 71 00:03:43,834 --> 00:03:46,169 and they came back out and said, 72 00:03:46,202 --> 00:03:47,571 "This guy's dead. He's gone." 73 00:03:52,743 --> 00:03:55,812 Big Tom dies, and then all of a sudden, they understand, 74 00:03:55,846 --> 00:03:56,913 "We've got a liability here. 75 00:03:56,947 --> 00:03:58,415 We've got a live witness." 76 00:03:58,449 --> 00:04:00,451 It's his good friend 77 00:04:00,484 --> 00:04:04,621 Charles Baker is not gonna keep his mouth shut. 78 00:04:04,655 --> 00:04:07,624 And now they've got to reach a decision. 79 00:04:07,658 --> 00:04:10,494 "What are we gonna do?" 80 00:04:10,527 --> 00:04:12,829 And they make a bad choice. 81 00:04:12,863 --> 00:04:15,165 They decide, "We're gonna eliminate this guy." 82 00:04:16,567 --> 00:04:18,134 They beat the guy. 83 00:04:21,271 --> 00:04:22,906 He didn't succumb to the beating. 84 00:04:25,842 --> 00:04:28,345 And they wound up strangling him with a rope. 85 00:04:30,747 --> 00:04:32,983 - But now the Angels have to dispose 86 00:04:33,016 --> 00:04:34,985 of two dead bodies. 87 00:04:35,018 --> 00:04:37,153 They enlist the help of one of their own, 88 00:04:37,187 --> 00:04:39,856 George "Baby Huey" Wethern. 89 00:04:39,890 --> 00:04:42,926 - They take the bodies up to George Wethern's ranch 90 00:04:42,959 --> 00:04:45,295 and thrown 'em down a well. 91 00:04:45,328 --> 00:04:48,231 They sit there for a couple of years 92 00:04:48,264 --> 00:04:50,467 until police started nosing around, 93 00:04:50,501 --> 00:04:52,803 creating a paranoid atmosphere. 94 00:04:52,836 --> 00:04:54,538 And then Whispering Bill, 95 00:04:54,571 --> 00:04:56,473 the Hells Angel in the Bay area, 96 00:04:56,507 --> 00:04:58,642 goes to a police officer 97 00:04:58,675 --> 00:05:02,078 and says, "I've got a story to tell you." 98 00:05:02,112 --> 00:05:04,681 Whispering Bill was dying of cancer, 99 00:05:04,715 --> 00:05:06,883 and they threatened to make him an accomplice 100 00:05:06,917 --> 00:05:10,086 in these murders as the thing unraveled. 101 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:12,155 He spills the whole thing out. 102 00:05:12,188 --> 00:05:14,257 Just basically did what most rats do. 103 00:05:14,290 --> 00:05:17,561 He just cut a deal and extracted himself from the situation. 104 00:05:19,996 --> 00:05:22,098 Once one domino fell, 105 00:05:22,132 --> 00:05:23,600 the others started falling as well. 106 00:05:23,634 --> 00:05:25,636 - Several Hells Angels are arrested, 107 00:05:25,669 --> 00:05:27,137 and once in custody, 108 00:05:27,170 --> 00:05:31,307 they start to lose their nerve and turn on the club. 109 00:05:31,341 --> 00:05:34,244 - George Wethern was the vice president 110 00:05:34,277 --> 00:05:36,146 of the Oakland chapter. 111 00:05:36,179 --> 00:05:40,717 George was subsequently arrested and ended up quitting the club 112 00:05:40,751 --> 00:05:44,621 and providing information to law enforcement. 113 00:05:44,655 --> 00:05:47,123 - The other is an Angel named Chester Green, 114 00:05:47,157 --> 00:05:49,960 nicknamed Festus. 115 00:05:49,993 --> 00:05:52,596 - Chester Green another Hells Angels from the Bay area 116 00:05:52,629 --> 00:05:56,066 became a rat, testifies against his brothers, 117 00:05:56,099 --> 00:05:59,570 and the end result was the inevitable. 118 00:05:59,603 --> 00:06:03,239 Several Hells Angels went to prison for those murders. 119 00:06:03,273 --> 00:06:07,077 The worst thing you can do is to become an informant. 120 00:06:07,110 --> 00:06:11,281 It's just an unwritten rule that you can't rat on anybody 121 00:06:11,314 --> 00:06:13,684 and then survive in the outlaw bike culture. 122 00:06:13,717 --> 00:06:16,620 It just doesn't happen. 123 00:06:16,653 --> 00:06:19,690 - So after Chester Green is released from custody, 124 00:06:19,723 --> 00:06:22,493 he goes on the run. 125 00:06:22,526 --> 00:06:26,062 - Chester Green did something that kind of amazed everybody. 126 00:06:26,096 --> 00:06:29,132 He wound up joining the Mongols. 127 00:06:29,165 --> 00:06:31,868 Not only did he live to tell about it; 128 00:06:31,902 --> 00:06:35,338 he joins another bike club, and they embrace him. 129 00:06:35,371 --> 00:06:37,574 - The Mongols are just a few years old 130 00:06:37,608 --> 00:06:39,275 and desperate for members, 131 00:06:39,309 --> 00:06:42,212 even Hells Angels who ratted on their brothers. 132 00:06:42,245 --> 00:06:43,814 - To add insult to injury, 133 00:06:43,847 --> 00:06:48,084 Bud Green, who happens to be Chester Green's brother, 134 00:06:48,118 --> 00:06:52,322 this guy's running around town with a Hells Angels wife. 135 00:06:52,355 --> 00:06:54,257 - The Mongols now have a pair of brothers 136 00:06:54,290 --> 00:06:56,159 who violated the outlaw code 137 00:06:56,192 --> 00:06:58,695 by ratting and dating an Angels old lady. 138 00:07:01,965 --> 00:07:04,467 - I think the Mongols are walking around in the dark 139 00:07:04,501 --> 00:07:08,004 as to who Chester Green is and what he's all about. 140 00:07:08,038 --> 00:07:10,340 They think everything's fine. 141 00:07:10,373 --> 00:07:12,308 They think they're immersing themselves 142 00:07:12,342 --> 00:07:14,244 deeper in the outlaw culture. 143 00:07:14,277 --> 00:07:16,012 And they don't realize it, 144 00:07:16,046 --> 00:07:17,814 but they're heading for a wreck. 145 00:07:19,616 --> 00:07:21,417 This is a recipe for disaster. 146 00:07:23,153 --> 00:07:25,088 - It's 1977, 147 00:07:25,121 --> 00:07:27,958 the Great Western Expo, held in Orange County. 148 00:07:27,991 --> 00:07:29,660 It was a motorcycle fair, 149 00:07:29,693 --> 00:07:31,528 a chance to pick up spare parts 150 00:07:31,562 --> 00:07:35,465 and celebrate motorcycle culture. 151 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:38,368 - We're just having a great time, 152 00:07:38,401 --> 00:07:41,071 walking around there getting treated like kings, 153 00:07:41,104 --> 00:07:44,374 never thinking anything was gonna happen. 154 00:07:47,210 --> 00:07:49,445 - Word starts filtering among the 155 00:07:49,479 --> 00:07:53,116 the meet is thick with Mongols. 156 00:07:53,149 --> 00:07:55,185 - Chester was too smart to show up there, 157 00:07:55,218 --> 00:07:57,621 but he did send his brother Bud, 158 00:07:57,654 --> 00:07:59,656 and they're both Mongols now. 159 00:07:59,690 --> 00:08:03,059 Bud's walking around there with a Hells Angels wife 160 00:08:03,093 --> 00:08:04,995 like he wants everyone to see her. 161 00:08:05,028 --> 00:08:06,663 He's really excited. 162 00:08:06,697 --> 00:08:08,198 - No one has any clue 163 00:08:08,231 --> 00:08:11,868 that a jilted heart is about to start a war without end. 164 00:08:11,902 --> 00:08:15,005 - All of a sudden, there's Bud Green, 165 00:08:15,038 --> 00:08:19,375 and there's the girl's husband as well face-to-face. 166 00:08:19,409 --> 00:08:21,712 And the Hells Angel never says a word. 167 00:08:21,745 --> 00:08:24,748 He just rears back and decks him, 168 00:08:24,781 --> 00:08:26,116 and it was on. 169 00:08:28,518 --> 00:08:30,386 We were in the midst of battle, 170 00:08:30,420 --> 00:08:32,756 and some of us weren't even sure why. 171 00:08:32,789 --> 00:08:33,990 We're outnumbered. 172 00:08:34,024 --> 00:08:35,058 We're surrounded. 173 00:08:37,894 --> 00:08:41,698 - The Hells Angels operate with a pack mentality. 174 00:08:41,732 --> 00:08:43,233 If one member's in a fight, 175 00:08:43,266 --> 00:08:46,369 everyone else is expected to have his back. 176 00:08:46,402 --> 00:08:48,371 The Angels call it ratpacking. 177 00:08:51,975 --> 00:08:53,309 - We just started fighting. 178 00:08:53,343 --> 00:08:56,546 We didn't have time to think about what was going on. 179 00:08:56,579 --> 00:08:58,915 We are the number one bike club. 180 00:08:58,949 --> 00:09:02,653 We're gonna fight it out in front of God and everybody. 181 00:09:02,686 --> 00:09:04,420 We were all ready to die for each other. 182 00:09:09,726 --> 00:09:12,562 - The Hells Angels war with the Mongols motorcycle club 183 00:09:12,595 --> 00:09:16,099 has been the most violent in club history. 184 00:09:16,132 --> 00:09:17,868 Contrary to popular legend, 185 00:09:17,901 --> 00:09:20,937 which says the conflict started over territory, 186 00:09:20,971 --> 00:09:25,475 George Christie reveals the true origin is over a woman. 187 00:09:25,508 --> 00:09:30,080 A Mongol stole an Angel's wife. 188 00:09:30,113 --> 00:09:31,614 - Up until that point, 189 00:09:31,648 --> 00:09:35,251 I don't remember anybody in Southern California for years 190 00:09:35,285 --> 00:09:37,654 laying a hand on a Hells Angels. 191 00:09:37,688 --> 00:09:39,289 And then, all of a sudden, 192 00:09:39,322 --> 00:09:42,258 you've got Mongols fighting with the Hells Angels in public 193 00:09:42,292 --> 00:09:45,328 as if it's an acceptable practice. 194 00:09:45,361 --> 00:09:47,698 - The war starts at a crowded motorcycle fair 195 00:09:47,731 --> 00:09:50,133 in Orange County when an Angel attacks the Mongol 196 00:09:50,166 --> 00:09:52,035 who stole his wife. 197 00:09:52,068 --> 00:09:53,269 The Angels group together 198 00:09:53,303 --> 00:09:56,139 to take the wave of Mongols who respond. 199 00:09:56,172 --> 00:09:59,109 They are vastly outnumbered, 50 to 9. 200 00:10:03,313 --> 00:10:06,917 - Jesse's a Hells Angel from Los Angeles. 201 00:10:06,950 --> 00:10:08,318 Jesse wasn't very big, 202 00:10:08,351 --> 00:10:11,121 but he was thick, and he loved to fight. 203 00:10:12,422 --> 00:10:14,925 Jesse falls into this stack of parts. 204 00:10:14,958 --> 00:10:16,392 What's he come up with? 205 00:10:16,426 --> 00:10:18,762 He comes up with a motor gear, 206 00:10:18,795 --> 00:10:22,432 and he just starts hacking people across the face, 207 00:10:22,465 --> 00:10:25,435 actually ripping off hunks of flesh. 208 00:10:25,468 --> 00:10:27,704 There's people screaming. 209 00:10:27,738 --> 00:10:30,340 And there's people running. 210 00:10:30,373 --> 00:10:33,810 - Another Angel grabs a motorcycle kickstand 211 00:10:33,844 --> 00:10:36,212 and wields it like a club. 212 00:10:36,246 --> 00:10:39,783 - Cliff Mowery had the kickstand in his hand. 213 00:10:39,816 --> 00:10:42,585 Oh, he was doing some damage. 214 00:10:42,618 --> 00:10:43,787 He had a hold of that, 215 00:10:43,820 --> 00:10:45,588 and he was nailing some people in the head. 216 00:10:47,390 --> 00:10:49,659 The cops ran up, and the cop 217 00:10:49,692 --> 00:10:54,530 starts beating on myself and this other Mongol. 218 00:10:54,564 --> 00:10:57,801 And, you know, people start breaking and running. 219 00:10:57,834 --> 00:11:01,471 And once the front line of the Mongols broke, 220 00:11:01,504 --> 00:11:04,174 it was all over. 221 00:11:04,207 --> 00:11:09,245 When the Mongols broke and ran, it was a triumph. 222 00:11:09,279 --> 00:11:10,580 We were all looking at each other. 223 00:11:10,613 --> 00:11:15,151 We were feeling pretty good. 224 00:11:15,185 --> 00:11:17,587 We got on our bikes like a band of outlaws 225 00:11:17,620 --> 00:11:18,755 that just robbed a bank 226 00:11:18,789 --> 00:11:20,623 and rode back to the Glendale clubhouse. 227 00:11:23,293 --> 00:11:26,629 - This is not the Angels' first or last brawl, 228 00:11:26,662 --> 00:11:29,299 but it may be their most significant. 229 00:11:29,332 --> 00:11:32,936 The consequences of this fight still resonate to this day. 230 00:11:36,039 --> 00:11:37,507 - At that particular point in time, 231 00:11:37,540 --> 00:11:39,943 Old Man John was still a president. 232 00:11:39,976 --> 00:11:42,012 John was smoking mad. 233 00:11:42,045 --> 00:11:44,614 He was biting on his cigar. 234 00:11:44,647 --> 00:11:48,118 Just the fact that the Mongols would even dare lay a hand 235 00:11:48,151 --> 00:11:50,320 on any of us. 236 00:11:50,353 --> 00:11:53,256 And I think as things revealed themselves, 237 00:11:53,289 --> 00:11:55,992 it was apparent that we had started this fight 238 00:11:56,026 --> 00:11:58,194 with this obscure bike club, 239 00:11:58,228 --> 00:12:01,231 and John didn't want to hear it. 240 00:12:01,264 --> 00:12:03,266 - That night, Old Man John, 241 00:12:03,299 --> 00:12:05,802 the highly respected president of the L.A. chapter, 242 00:12:05,836 --> 00:12:08,038 reaches out to the Mongols. 243 00:12:08,071 --> 00:12:10,073 He's trying to short circuit a war 244 00:12:10,106 --> 00:12:12,442 before it has a chance to start. 245 00:12:14,710 --> 00:12:17,981 - John's gonna have a sit-down with them immediately. 246 00:12:18,014 --> 00:12:20,050 - John negotiates a temporary truce 247 00:12:20,083 --> 00:12:21,985 between the clubs, 248 00:12:22,018 --> 00:12:25,989 but other California Angel leaders are calling for blood, 249 00:12:26,022 --> 00:12:29,492 particularly those in San Diego and the Bay area. 250 00:12:29,525 --> 00:12:32,963 They think the Mongols have lost their right to exist. 251 00:12:32,996 --> 00:12:34,364 - John started getting flak. 252 00:12:34,397 --> 00:12:35,832 You know, people were thinking, 253 00:12:35,866 --> 00:12:38,568 "They get into it with the Hells Angels, 254 00:12:38,601 --> 00:12:40,703 and they're still riding around. 255 00:12:40,736 --> 00:12:43,006 What's going on?" 256 00:12:43,039 --> 00:12:45,641 - Old Man John decides to let the younger generation 257 00:12:45,675 --> 00:12:48,811 fight this battle and steps down as club president. 258 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:53,583 The L.A. club has an ambitious sergeant-at-arms 259 00:12:53,616 --> 00:12:57,320 angling to take over, an Angel named Ray Glore. 260 00:12:58,955 --> 00:13:01,024 - I'm a new guy, and I'm a little bit naive 261 00:13:01,057 --> 00:13:04,027 to all the politics going on in the club, 262 00:13:04,060 --> 00:13:07,763 but I felt that Ray was less than honorable. 263 00:13:07,797 --> 00:13:12,102 Ray saw an opportunity to step in and take John's place, 264 00:13:12,135 --> 00:13:14,604 and a few weeks later, he did. 265 00:13:14,637 --> 00:13:17,673 He became the president. 266 00:13:17,707 --> 00:13:21,211 You know, Ray as a president was no Old Man John. 267 00:13:23,479 --> 00:13:26,382 - The Mongols have taken note of the change in leadership 268 00:13:26,416 --> 00:13:28,919 and are now pressing for terms. 269 00:13:28,952 --> 00:13:31,321 Glore jumps into discussion with the Mongols 270 00:13:31,354 --> 00:13:33,656 with disastrous results. 271 00:13:33,689 --> 00:13:35,458 - You know, the Mongols now have a new leader, 272 00:13:35,491 --> 00:13:37,493 and nobody knows who this guy is, 273 00:13:37,527 --> 00:13:40,263 but he's much more astute in the ways of the street 274 00:13:40,296 --> 00:13:42,065 than Ray will ever be. 275 00:13:42,098 --> 00:13:44,567 So this new leader calls Ray up, and he says, 276 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:48,972 "We've decided we're gonna go to a California rocker." 277 00:13:52,275 --> 00:13:54,310 - This is a double insult. 278 00:13:54,344 --> 00:13:57,413 Not only have the Mongols dared to fight the Hells Angels, 279 00:13:57,447 --> 00:14:02,218 but now they are making a claim on the Angels' territory. 280 00:14:02,252 --> 00:14:05,956 - The Hells Angels felt that they owned California, 281 00:14:05,989 --> 00:14:08,458 and that through that ownership, in their minds, 282 00:14:08,491 --> 00:14:12,195 they were the only gang that was allowed to wear 283 00:14:12,228 --> 00:14:14,830 a California bottom rocker on their vest. 284 00:14:16,366 --> 00:14:18,168 - You know, he should have initially just said, 285 00:14:18,201 --> 00:14:19,535 "You know what? 286 00:14:19,569 --> 00:14:21,604 We're not gonna tolerate you putting that rocker on. 287 00:14:21,637 --> 00:14:22,705 "End of the conversation. 288 00:14:22,738 --> 00:14:23,806 Don't do it." 289 00:14:23,839 --> 00:14:26,009 But that's not what Ray did, 290 00:14:26,042 --> 00:14:28,511 and the Mongols basically said, "you very much. 291 00:14:28,544 --> 00:14:32,382 We're gonna put the California rocker on." 292 00:14:32,415 --> 00:14:34,017 The reason I know so much 293 00:14:34,050 --> 00:14:38,088 about the conversation was that Ray decided to tape 'em all. 294 00:14:38,121 --> 00:14:40,056 He was a very paranoid cat. 295 00:14:40,090 --> 00:14:43,493 He was constantly using meth. 296 00:14:43,526 --> 00:14:47,430 So here you've got Ray Glore taping these conversations, 297 00:14:47,463 --> 00:14:51,601 showing his inability to lead or to negotiate. 298 00:14:51,634 --> 00:14:55,405 And then he takes them to an officers' meeting 299 00:14:55,438 --> 00:14:57,740 and plays them for everybody to listen to. 300 00:14:59,976 --> 00:15:03,779 They're thinking, "Man, this guy's a Hells Angel president?" 301 00:15:03,813 --> 00:15:05,348 He showed everybody 302 00:15:05,381 --> 00:15:09,219 that he didn't know what the hell he was doing. 303 00:15:09,252 --> 00:15:10,953 That September holiday, 304 00:15:10,987 --> 00:15:13,089 the Mongols show up on the California highways 305 00:15:13,123 --> 00:15:16,692 with the California rocker, 306 00:15:16,726 --> 00:15:18,861 and there was no turning back. 307 00:15:20,363 --> 00:15:23,099 - The California Hells Angels leaders 308 00:15:23,133 --> 00:15:25,635 keep pushing for blood. 309 00:15:25,668 --> 00:15:27,770 Ray is desperate and eager to please, 310 00:15:27,803 --> 00:15:31,507 so he gives them what they want. 311 00:15:31,541 --> 00:15:34,444 - The Mongols stood up and held their ground, and in many ways, 312 00:15:34,477 --> 00:15:37,247 that gave the Mongols credibility in the gang world. 313 00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:40,083 The Mongols had stood up to the Hells Angels. 314 00:15:40,116 --> 00:15:42,885 And the Hells Angels were furious. 315 00:15:42,918 --> 00:15:46,589 - Some Angels launch an all-out war on the Mongols. 316 00:15:49,792 --> 00:15:51,127 - The word was out. 317 00:15:51,161 --> 00:15:53,329 "Hey, the Mongols are on the road, 318 00:15:53,363 --> 00:15:56,899 and they're all wearing California rockers. 319 00:15:56,932 --> 00:15:58,934 "They've been warned not to. 320 00:15:58,968 --> 00:16:00,603 "They did it anyways. 321 00:16:00,636 --> 00:16:04,640 So we feel we've got to somehow make a statement." 322 00:16:08,844 --> 00:16:11,814 - Memorial Day Weekend 1977. 323 00:16:11,847 --> 00:16:14,084 George gets a call from Ray Glore. 324 00:16:14,117 --> 00:16:16,686 The message: the Mongols are having a run 325 00:16:16,719 --> 00:16:19,655 to celebrate taking the California rocker. 326 00:16:19,689 --> 00:16:22,292 Ray tells George they're going out to find them 327 00:16:22,325 --> 00:16:24,694 and to be prepared for anything. 328 00:16:24,727 --> 00:16:27,697 Other hunting parties are also going out in groups of two. 329 00:16:27,730 --> 00:16:31,134 This will be the Hells Angels response to the Mongols. 330 00:16:31,167 --> 00:16:32,468 It will be bloody. 331 00:16:32,502 --> 00:16:34,970 There will be no warning given. 332 00:16:35,004 --> 00:16:39,375 If they find any Mongols, they will shoot to kill. 333 00:16:39,409 --> 00:16:41,611 - Ray and I had tracked the Mongols down. 334 00:16:41,644 --> 00:16:43,646 We're in a anonymous vehicle. 335 00:16:43,679 --> 00:16:45,848 We've got a shotgun. 336 00:16:45,881 --> 00:16:48,818 Ray's got a handgun on him. 337 00:16:48,851 --> 00:16:51,587 I'm in the backseat with the window rolled down 338 00:16:51,621 --> 00:16:53,656 with this shotgun. 339 00:16:53,689 --> 00:16:54,790 This is it. 340 00:16:54,824 --> 00:16:56,592 Here I am ready to go to war. 341 00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:04,074 Watch Online Movies and Series for FREE www.osdb.link/lm 342 00:17:05,135 --> 00:17:08,304 - The Hells Angels war with their rivals, the Mongols, 343 00:17:08,338 --> 00:17:10,940 starts as a dispute over a woman, 344 00:17:10,973 --> 00:17:13,676 then becomes a fight for territory. 345 00:17:13,709 --> 00:17:16,746 And now, on Memorial Day Weekend 1977, 346 00:17:16,779 --> 00:17:20,116 some angels are about to take things to the next level. 347 00:17:22,418 --> 00:17:24,120 George Christie and Ray Glore, 348 00:17:24,154 --> 00:17:26,556 the president of the Los Angeles Hells Angels, 349 00:17:26,589 --> 00:17:28,224 are following a group of Mongols 350 00:17:28,258 --> 00:17:30,760 along the remote highway, 351 00:17:30,793 --> 00:17:33,829 but Glore won't engage. 352 00:17:33,863 --> 00:17:36,132 - I'm in the backseat with this shotgun 353 00:17:36,166 --> 00:17:38,434 with the window rolled down closing in on the Mongols. 354 00:17:41,371 --> 00:17:44,374 Suddenly and out of nowhere, Ray backs off. 355 00:17:44,407 --> 00:17:46,176 Something's not right. He's not feeling it. 356 00:17:47,677 --> 00:17:49,412 And I go, "What the hell is going on here, man? 357 00:17:49,445 --> 00:17:50,713 What are you doing?" 358 00:17:50,746 --> 00:17:52,748 And the guy-- just scared to death. 359 00:17:52,782 --> 00:17:54,049 He goes, "You know what, George? 360 00:17:54,083 --> 00:17:55,385 "I can't shoot 'em, you know? 361 00:17:55,418 --> 00:18:00,089 Let's just go back to the clubhouse." 362 00:18:00,122 --> 00:18:02,392 - Three times over Memorial Day Weekend, 363 00:18:02,425 --> 00:18:05,828 Ray and George could have struck against the Mongols, 364 00:18:05,861 --> 00:18:09,499 but Ray always found an excuse not to. 365 00:18:09,532 --> 00:18:13,503 - Ray Glore is a coward. 366 00:18:13,536 --> 00:18:15,271 So we went back home, 367 00:18:15,305 --> 00:18:17,039 but something happened later that weekend. 368 00:18:18,441 --> 00:18:20,576 We got a phone call at the Glendale clubhouse, 369 00:18:20,610 --> 00:18:23,613 and they said, "Turn on the TV." 370 00:18:23,646 --> 00:18:24,780 - Members of the Mongols 371 00:18:24,814 --> 00:18:26,382 were involved in a fatal shootout. 372 00:18:26,416 --> 00:18:28,351 - All the stations are covering a murder 373 00:18:28,384 --> 00:18:29,685 that occurred on the highway. 374 00:18:29,719 --> 00:18:31,821 Two Mongols were shot off their bikes 375 00:18:31,854 --> 00:18:36,326 and killed on the way back from their run. 376 00:18:36,359 --> 00:18:38,728 - Two Mongols named Jingles and Red Beard, 377 00:18:38,761 --> 00:18:41,163 the vice president of this Mongol charter, 378 00:18:41,197 --> 00:18:44,334 were both machine-gunned off their motorcycles and killed. 379 00:18:47,737 --> 00:18:50,673 - Despite the escalation, the Mongols refused 380 00:18:50,706 --> 00:18:54,009 to take off the California rocker. 381 00:18:54,043 --> 00:18:55,845 Some members of the Hells Angels 382 00:18:55,878 --> 00:18:58,748 are pushing to eliminate the Mongols entirely. 383 00:19:05,120 --> 00:19:07,423 At a funeral for one of the murdered Mongols, 384 00:19:07,457 --> 00:19:11,627 a man pulls up to deliver a bouquet. 385 00:19:11,661 --> 00:19:16,632 The flowers are red and white, the Hells Angels colors. 386 00:19:16,666 --> 00:19:19,335 He drops off the bouquet and walks away, 387 00:19:19,369 --> 00:19:22,104 leaving his car behind. 388 00:19:22,137 --> 00:19:23,439 Seconds later... 389 00:19:24,940 --> 00:19:28,278 The car explodes, 390 00:19:28,311 --> 00:19:30,646 injuring two more Mongols. 391 00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:32,715 - Seriously. 392 00:19:32,748 --> 00:19:35,117 Come on. 393 00:19:35,150 --> 00:19:38,288 A funeral? 394 00:19:38,321 --> 00:19:41,524 - The Memorial Day murders are just the beginning. 395 00:19:41,557 --> 00:19:44,860 Members of the Angels initiate an all-out bombing campaign 396 00:19:44,894 --> 00:19:46,462 against the Mongols. 397 00:19:46,496 --> 00:19:49,699 In the next weeks, several bombs go off 398 00:19:49,732 --> 00:19:51,967 as Mongol members start their cars. 399 00:19:55,438 --> 00:19:57,106 - You start hearing about bombings 400 00:19:57,139 --> 00:19:58,374 in San Fernando Valley. 401 00:19:58,408 --> 00:20:00,343 I remember one particular afternoon, 402 00:20:00,376 --> 00:20:03,379 there was a Mongol who had gone out to his van 403 00:20:03,413 --> 00:20:06,682 started it, and it exploded on him. 404 00:20:09,051 --> 00:20:10,420 At this point, 405 00:20:10,453 --> 00:20:12,688 I didn't feel like I was in a motorcycle club anymore. 406 00:20:12,722 --> 00:20:14,857 I felt like I was in an urban army. 407 00:20:17,092 --> 00:20:19,329 We were now in the midst of a war. 408 00:20:20,963 --> 00:20:23,032 - Not everyone in the Hells Angels supports 409 00:20:23,065 --> 00:20:26,402 the new bombing campaign. 410 00:20:26,436 --> 00:20:28,871 - I wasn't against the war. 411 00:20:28,904 --> 00:20:31,006 I thought, "Oh, we should hunt these guys down 412 00:20:31,040 --> 00:20:32,708 "with their California rockers on, 413 00:20:32,742 --> 00:20:35,210 beat 'em up, and take it," but, you know, 414 00:20:35,244 --> 00:20:37,947 dynamite, I mean, come on. 415 00:20:37,980 --> 00:20:39,982 Downtown L.A. you're gonna have bombs going off 416 00:20:40,015 --> 00:20:41,451 in the middle of the street. 417 00:20:41,484 --> 00:20:44,354 It just doesn't make any sense. 418 00:20:44,387 --> 00:20:46,656 When we started initially talking about 419 00:20:46,689 --> 00:20:48,424 not using explosives, 420 00:20:48,458 --> 00:20:49,925 I came under a lot of scrutiny. 421 00:20:49,959 --> 00:20:52,061 I said I was against the bombings. 422 00:20:52,094 --> 00:20:56,532 And Ray Glore was pissed, and he started questioning me 423 00:20:56,566 --> 00:20:59,335 because everybody seems on board. 424 00:20:59,369 --> 00:21:01,136 They, you know, want to blow these guys up. 425 00:21:01,170 --> 00:21:02,838 And here you've got this guy going, 426 00:21:02,872 --> 00:21:04,139 "No, no, it's a bad idea." 427 00:21:04,173 --> 00:21:07,309 And it makes you suspect. 428 00:21:09,211 --> 00:21:11,447 - George's warnings fall on deaf ears, 429 00:21:11,481 --> 00:21:16,218 and the bombing campaign continues. 430 00:21:16,251 --> 00:21:17,887 - Old Man John was still around, 431 00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:21,323 and he also was against the bombings. 432 00:21:21,357 --> 00:21:22,592 - Old Man John, 433 00:21:22,625 --> 00:21:24,460 the former president of the L.A. chapter 434 00:21:24,494 --> 00:21:29,465 and George's mentor, wants to test George's convictions. 435 00:21:29,499 --> 00:21:33,168 One night, Old Man John comes to George with a job. 436 00:21:35,204 --> 00:21:37,607 - he said, "So you're really against this bomb thing, huh?" 437 00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:40,376 And I said, "I'm 100% against it." 438 00:21:40,410 --> 00:21:42,211 And he said, "Well, I want you to put your money 439 00:21:42,244 --> 00:21:44,380 where your mouth is," and I'm kind of confused. 440 00:21:44,414 --> 00:21:46,616 And I said, "What do you mean?" 441 00:21:46,649 --> 00:21:48,317 "You know where this location is? 442 00:21:48,350 --> 00:21:50,285 "I want you to go up on the roof, 443 00:21:50,319 --> 00:21:54,256 and over this building, you're gonna find a 7-inch vent hole." 444 00:21:54,289 --> 00:21:56,426 He goes, "At the top, there's a rope, 445 00:21:56,459 --> 00:21:58,828 "and there's a bomb suspended. 446 00:21:58,861 --> 00:22:00,496 The detonator failed to go off." 447 00:22:00,530 --> 00:22:03,833 And he goes, "I want you to recover it. 448 00:22:03,866 --> 00:22:05,200 You're job's to go get it." 449 00:22:07,870 --> 00:22:12,708 And I took Jesse with me. 450 00:22:12,742 --> 00:22:16,879 - George locates the bomb wedged in a vent. 451 00:22:16,912 --> 00:22:20,249 He needs to remove it, but he knows one wrong move 452 00:22:20,282 --> 00:22:22,017 and the bomb could detonate. 453 00:22:22,051 --> 00:22:25,755 - I start pulling hand over hand. 454 00:22:25,788 --> 00:22:27,657 I don't know how this bomb was made. 455 00:22:27,690 --> 00:22:30,726 I don't know what the detonator was. 456 00:22:30,760 --> 00:22:32,361 In the back of my mind, I'm thinking, 457 00:22:32,394 --> 00:22:35,030 "Any minute, this thing's gonna go off." 458 00:22:35,064 --> 00:22:36,966 And all of a sudden, 459 00:22:36,999 --> 00:22:39,334 the bomb starts banging against the wall. 460 00:22:47,810 --> 00:22:49,278 - 1977. 461 00:22:49,311 --> 00:22:51,681 Members of the Hells Angels are trying to wipe 462 00:22:51,714 --> 00:22:55,751 the Mongols motorcycle club off the face of the Earth. 463 00:22:55,785 --> 00:22:58,420 Angels members have killed two Mongols 464 00:22:58,454 --> 00:23:01,491 by shooting them off their bikes. 465 00:23:01,524 --> 00:23:02,925 Then the bombing begins. 466 00:23:05,227 --> 00:23:07,930 But there's one bomb that doesn't go off. 467 00:23:07,963 --> 00:23:09,331 Hells Angel George Christie 468 00:23:09,364 --> 00:23:11,200 has been ordered to retrieve the bomb. 469 00:23:11,233 --> 00:23:13,636 He's on the roof of a Mongol-owned bike shop 470 00:23:13,669 --> 00:23:17,072 trying to lower the bomb to the ground. 471 00:23:17,106 --> 00:23:18,874 - I don't know how this bomb was made. 472 00:23:18,908 --> 00:23:22,077 I don't know what the detonator was. 473 00:23:22,111 --> 00:23:23,813 In the back of my mind, I'm thinking, 474 00:23:23,846 --> 00:23:26,381 "Any minute, this thing's gonna go off." 475 00:23:26,415 --> 00:23:27,950 And all of a sudden, 476 00:23:27,983 --> 00:23:30,720 the bomb starts banging against the wall. 477 00:23:31,821 --> 00:23:33,288 I mean, I was worried. 478 00:23:33,322 --> 00:23:35,725 I was wondering how I got myself in this situation. 479 00:23:37,493 --> 00:23:39,829 - Just as George and his fellow Angel Jesse 480 00:23:39,862 --> 00:23:42,164 brace themselves for the worst, 481 00:23:42,197 --> 00:23:45,568 the bomb stabilizes. 482 00:23:45,601 --> 00:23:47,937 George is able to lift the bomb out of the vent 483 00:23:47,970 --> 00:23:50,105 and onto the roof. 484 00:23:57,847 --> 00:24:02,918 - We recovered the bomb, put it in the backseat of the car. 485 00:24:02,952 --> 00:24:05,320 I don't know what possessed us to put it in the backseat. 486 00:24:05,354 --> 00:24:09,158 We had a trunk we could've put it in. 487 00:24:09,191 --> 00:24:12,094 All of a sudden... 488 00:24:12,127 --> 00:24:14,730 we hit this bump 489 00:24:14,764 --> 00:24:19,168 that very easily could've triggered the bomb. 490 00:24:19,201 --> 00:24:23,072 And it may sound completely crazy, 491 00:24:23,105 --> 00:24:25,374 but there was so much emotional tension... 492 00:24:27,276 --> 00:24:29,011 That we looked at each, and we just started 493 00:24:29,044 --> 00:24:30,913 hysterically laughing. 494 00:24:32,047 --> 00:24:33,515 We must've laughed for ten minutes. 495 00:24:36,218 --> 00:24:39,254 At the end of the day, we recovered the bomb. 496 00:24:39,288 --> 00:24:41,423 I had succeeded and was still alive. 497 00:24:41,456 --> 00:24:43,993 It really made me proud to know 498 00:24:44,026 --> 00:24:46,195 that I had accomplished my mission. 499 00:24:54,503 --> 00:24:55,705 Several weeks later, 500 00:24:55,738 --> 00:24:58,641 that place became the target of a second bomb, 501 00:24:58,674 --> 00:25:02,177 and it did detonate this time. 502 00:25:02,211 --> 00:25:03,545 - A few weeks later, 503 00:25:03,579 --> 00:25:05,848 some Angels hide another bomb in a flat tire 504 00:25:05,881 --> 00:25:09,284 and send it to the same Mongol bike shop to be fixed. 505 00:25:09,318 --> 00:25:10,653 When it inflates, 506 00:25:10,686 --> 00:25:14,657 it activates a hidden detonator and explodes. 507 00:25:14,690 --> 00:25:17,326 A Mongol member is killed in the explosion, 508 00:25:17,359 --> 00:25:19,729 and so is his 15-year-old brother. 509 00:25:19,762 --> 00:25:21,731 They both die instantly. 510 00:25:21,764 --> 00:25:24,266 - I said, "You're gonna have collateral damage. 511 00:25:24,299 --> 00:25:26,435 "You're gonna lose control of this device. 512 00:25:26,468 --> 00:25:28,303 "It's gonna turn into a friggin' mess, 513 00:25:28,337 --> 00:25:30,806 and we're all gonna be held responsible for it." 514 00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:35,177 The collateral damage I warned about did happen. 515 00:25:35,210 --> 00:25:37,046 - The Mongols are running scared, 516 00:25:37,079 --> 00:25:38,914 but the murder of a 15-year-old kid 517 00:25:38,948 --> 00:25:41,784 means the Hells Angels are getting unwanted attention 518 00:25:41,817 --> 00:25:43,385 from law enforcement, 519 00:25:43,418 --> 00:25:45,187 putting everyone on edge. 520 00:25:47,489 --> 00:25:50,059 - Ray Glore finally got busted selling drugs 521 00:25:50,092 --> 00:25:54,163 to one of the prospects, 522 00:25:54,196 --> 00:25:56,899 who turns out is actually a rat. 523 00:25:56,932 --> 00:25:58,868 He's a police informant. 524 00:25:58,901 --> 00:26:00,703 His greed got the best of him. 525 00:26:00,736 --> 00:26:04,073 There was just too much police attention on him. 526 00:26:04,106 --> 00:26:06,408 - Ray goes to jail pending a bond hearing, 527 00:26:06,441 --> 00:26:08,143 and tensions are running high 528 00:26:08,177 --> 00:26:10,112 with the increasing police scrutiny. 529 00:26:10,145 --> 00:26:11,681 Most concerning is a garage 530 00:26:11,714 --> 00:26:15,117 in Glendale that's functioning as a makeshift ammo depot. 531 00:26:15,150 --> 00:26:17,286 It's a gold mine of evidence that could be 532 00:26:17,319 --> 00:26:19,421 used against the Angels if the cops find it. 533 00:26:20,990 --> 00:26:24,626 After the club bails out Ray, he gets on the phone to Jesse. 534 00:26:24,660 --> 00:26:27,697 The instructions: "Clear out the garage. 535 00:26:27,730 --> 00:26:29,765 Do it immediately." 536 00:26:33,969 --> 00:26:35,771 - Ray had sent Jesse 537 00:26:35,805 --> 00:26:39,474 to recover dynamite, machine guns, silencers, 538 00:26:39,508 --> 00:26:41,210 bomb making material. 539 00:26:41,243 --> 00:26:43,445 Everything has to be moved. 540 00:26:43,478 --> 00:26:45,047 Jesse doesn't think anything about it. 541 00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:46,415 He jumps in his car. 542 00:26:46,448 --> 00:26:49,351 He goes over to the warehouse, gets out of his car, 543 00:26:49,384 --> 00:26:52,487 walks up to the door, puts the key in the door, 544 00:26:52,521 --> 00:26:54,990 and all hell breaks loose. 545 00:26:55,024 --> 00:26:56,391 - Get on the ground! 546 00:26:56,425 --> 00:27:00,062 - Who's waiting for Jesse? The cops. 547 00:27:00,095 --> 00:27:03,365 Jesse's mind starts racing, and he's pissed. 548 00:27:03,398 --> 00:27:06,601 There's cops swarming everywhere. 549 00:27:06,635 --> 00:27:10,639 "I just got set up," is what he's thinking. 550 00:27:10,672 --> 00:27:13,843 - The Hells Angels are immediately suspicious. 551 00:27:13,876 --> 00:27:17,747 How did the police know the garage was there? 552 00:27:17,780 --> 00:27:19,281 More than that, 553 00:27:19,314 --> 00:27:21,784 how did they know to have a dozen cops waiting the moment 554 00:27:21,817 --> 00:27:25,620 Ray sends a team to clear it out? 555 00:27:25,654 --> 00:27:30,492 - Reliable sources in the LAPD start spreading this rumor. 556 00:27:30,525 --> 00:27:32,728 Ray's not holding up well under questioning. 557 00:27:34,629 --> 00:27:36,766 Anybody could become a rat at any time. 558 00:27:36,799 --> 00:27:38,533 You just don't know. 559 00:27:38,567 --> 00:27:40,135 Now Ray may be a rat. 560 00:27:42,905 --> 00:27:44,706 - Lesson one with the Hells 561 00:27:44,740 --> 00:27:48,010 don't rat on us, because you will be killed. 562 00:27:48,043 --> 00:27:49,478 Lesson two with the Hells 563 00:27:49,511 --> 00:27:52,147 don't rat on us, 'cause you'll be beaten. 564 00:27:52,181 --> 00:27:54,516 Lesson three is go back to lesson one. 565 00:28:00,089 --> 00:28:03,158 - Shortly after the police raid the Hells Angels ammo depot, 566 00:28:03,192 --> 00:28:08,130 Ray Glore's body is discovered in his home. 567 00:28:08,163 --> 00:28:11,600 He's been shot 12 times in the head. 568 00:28:16,105 --> 00:28:19,474 - Whoever shot Ray in the head knew him. 569 00:28:19,508 --> 00:28:21,576 He opened the door. He let them in. 570 00:28:24,413 --> 00:28:27,549 The police said it was an in-house cleaning, 571 00:28:27,582 --> 00:28:29,551 is I think how they described it. 572 00:28:32,654 --> 00:28:35,124 They never did solve it. 573 00:28:35,157 --> 00:28:38,560 - The club is in a state of crisis, 574 00:28:38,593 --> 00:28:42,164 and there's even more trouble on the horizon. 575 00:28:42,197 --> 00:28:44,533 - We've been through this bloody war. 576 00:28:44,566 --> 00:28:48,237 Our former leader was murdered. 577 00:28:48,270 --> 00:28:52,207 The police are all over the place. 578 00:28:52,241 --> 00:28:53,242 But at the same time, 579 00:28:53,275 --> 00:28:55,377 the Mongols are nowhere to be found. 580 00:28:55,410 --> 00:28:59,815 We know they're out there, and they wanted revenge. 581 00:28:59,849 --> 00:29:01,817 - Despite the efforts of the Hells Angels, 582 00:29:01,851 --> 00:29:03,953 the Mongols had not disappeared. 583 00:29:03,986 --> 00:29:05,620 They had been reloading. 584 00:29:05,654 --> 00:29:07,656 - And I think at that particular point in time 585 00:29:07,689 --> 00:29:10,692 there may have been 18, 19 members in the Mongols, 586 00:29:10,725 --> 00:29:13,896 and they were ready to build for themselves a new club. 587 00:29:13,929 --> 00:29:17,132 And the guys that remained and stayed had decided, 588 00:29:17,166 --> 00:29:19,902 The Hells Angels are not gonna tell us what to do." 589 00:29:19,935 --> 00:29:21,436 - The remaining Mongols 590 00:29:21,470 --> 00:29:24,306 begin enlisting new recruits to rebuild their numbers, 591 00:29:24,339 --> 00:29:25,740 inducting many new members 592 00:29:25,774 --> 00:29:28,543 from some of L.A.'s most violent street gangs. 593 00:29:28,577 --> 00:29:31,480 They grow into a worthy adversary. 594 00:29:31,513 --> 00:29:35,017 - They became just as deadly as us, 595 00:29:35,050 --> 00:29:38,854 and they play just as dirty as us. 596 00:29:38,888 --> 00:29:42,824 They were now a hard group of outlaw bikers 597 00:29:42,858 --> 00:29:45,060 that we were gonna have to deal with for eternity. 598 00:29:47,762 --> 00:29:49,431 - It's 1982. 599 00:29:49,464 --> 00:29:52,267 A Hells Angels named Fat Ray out of San Diego 600 00:29:52,301 --> 00:29:57,506 goes to a bar known to be a Mongol hangout. 601 00:29:57,539 --> 00:29:59,774 - Ray had heard that there were Mongols hanging out 602 00:29:59,808 --> 00:30:02,244 and went there to let his presence be known 603 00:30:02,277 --> 00:30:03,678 and settle a score. 604 00:30:03,712 --> 00:30:06,882 And the Mongols gave Ray the option to leave, 605 00:30:06,916 --> 00:30:09,051 but that was--no way was that gonna happen. 606 00:30:09,084 --> 00:30:11,153 - Like most Hells Angels, Fat Ray 607 00:30:11,186 --> 00:30:16,425 has a reputation for never backing down. 608 00:30:16,458 --> 00:30:19,628 - Ray wouldn't leave, and over the next several minutes 609 00:30:19,661 --> 00:30:23,698 was a fistfight that escalated to a knifing 610 00:30:23,732 --> 00:30:26,001 that wound up becoming a shooting. 611 00:30:28,170 --> 00:30:31,240 Fat Ray was shot and killed. 612 00:30:31,273 --> 00:30:34,709 Fat Ray was very hard and very tough. 613 00:30:37,479 --> 00:30:39,915 We figure it took six guys to bring him down 614 00:30:39,949 --> 00:30:41,850 in that bar that night. 615 00:30:45,720 --> 00:30:47,156 - This is the first casualty 616 00:30:47,189 --> 00:30:48,991 the Angels have suffered at the hands 617 00:30:49,024 --> 00:30:52,561 of a rival motorcycle club in a long time. 618 00:30:52,594 --> 00:30:54,363 - We were myths. We were legends. 619 00:30:54,396 --> 00:30:57,632 And nobody had a hand laid on 'em 620 00:30:57,666 --> 00:30:59,234 after that Great Western fight. 621 00:30:59,268 --> 00:31:01,470 And here we've got a dead brother, 622 00:31:01,503 --> 00:31:03,973 and it was a turning point for us. 623 00:31:05,507 --> 00:31:07,009 - After Fat Ray's murder, 624 00:31:07,042 --> 00:31:09,979 there are renewed calls within the California chapters 625 00:31:10,012 --> 00:31:12,714 to finish off the Mongols once and for all. 626 00:31:12,747 --> 00:31:14,116 - We being the Hells Angels 627 00:31:14,149 --> 00:31:16,651 gave the Mongols something to live for. 628 00:31:16,685 --> 00:31:21,023 You know, what better reason to survive than to rebel 629 00:31:21,056 --> 00:31:25,294 against the biggest and baddest outlaw bike club in the world? 630 00:31:25,327 --> 00:31:28,463 Such a hatred we felt against each other 631 00:31:28,497 --> 00:31:30,732 has kept them going to this point. 632 00:31:30,765 --> 00:31:34,736 I had several times felt that we should embrace these guys, 633 00:31:34,769 --> 00:31:36,271 and in all likelihood, 634 00:31:36,305 --> 00:31:39,408 they'll drift off into obscurity like all the other bike clubs, 635 00:31:39,441 --> 00:31:41,276 but we didn't do that. 636 00:31:44,646 --> 00:31:46,148 - It's 1988. 637 00:31:46,181 --> 00:31:49,151 George and his crew are going to the Easy Rider Expo 638 00:31:49,184 --> 00:31:50,619 in Long Beach. 639 00:31:50,652 --> 00:31:51,853 It's another bike show, 640 00:31:51,886 --> 00:31:54,123 and a chance for motorcycle enthusiasts 641 00:31:54,156 --> 00:31:57,092 to celebrate biker culture. 642 00:31:57,126 --> 00:31:58,760 - There's a big event at the Queen Mary. 643 00:31:58,793 --> 00:32:01,030 It's gonna be the biggest bike show event 644 00:32:01,063 --> 00:32:04,633 in Southern California. 645 00:32:04,666 --> 00:32:06,835 The Queen Mary is in Long Beach, 646 00:32:06,868 --> 00:32:11,840 and Long Beach belongs to the Mongols. 647 00:32:11,873 --> 00:32:14,943 We arrive late morning, 648 00:32:14,976 --> 00:32:18,413 and it's a hell of a bike show, people everywhere. 649 00:32:18,447 --> 00:32:21,716 It's packed. 650 00:32:21,750 --> 00:32:23,252 Out in the parking lot, 651 00:32:23,285 --> 00:32:26,921 the Mongols were preparing a very military-type attack. 652 00:32:26,955 --> 00:32:30,392 The monster we created 653 00:32:30,425 --> 00:32:32,694 now unleashed its vengeance on us. 654 00:32:32,727 --> 00:32:35,097 It was time, I guess, for us to pay. 655 00:32:41,503 --> 00:32:43,072 - In the 1980s, 656 00:32:43,105 --> 00:32:46,408 the Hells Angels war with the Mongols turns a corner. 657 00:32:46,441 --> 00:32:49,311 Once, the Angels inflicted all the damage. 658 00:32:49,344 --> 00:32:54,483 Now, the Mongols are ready to exact their revenge. 659 00:32:54,516 --> 00:32:55,850 It's 1988. 660 00:32:55,884 --> 00:32:58,253 George Christie and his Angels have gone deep 661 00:32:58,287 --> 00:33:01,456 into Mongols territory, Long Beach, California, 662 00:33:01,490 --> 00:33:04,326 to attend a motorcycle convention. 663 00:33:04,359 --> 00:33:07,028 - The Hells Angels there got a false sense of security, 664 00:33:07,062 --> 00:33:09,431 and we let our guard down, 665 00:33:09,464 --> 00:33:12,734 because out in the parking lot, the Mongols 666 00:33:12,767 --> 00:33:16,805 were preparing a very military-type attack. 667 00:33:16,838 --> 00:33:18,273 And then they made their move. 668 00:33:22,744 --> 00:33:27,382 The Mongols sent in a group of individuals. 669 00:33:27,416 --> 00:33:29,284 There was a confrontation, 670 00:33:29,318 --> 00:33:32,020 and word spread throughout the event 671 00:33:32,053 --> 00:33:37,192 to the remaining Hells Angels that the Mongols were now there. 672 00:33:37,226 --> 00:33:39,594 The Hells Angels gathered up at the front 673 00:33:39,628 --> 00:33:40,995 and told the Mongols, 674 00:33:41,029 --> 00:33:43,098 basically, they weren't welcome there. 675 00:33:43,132 --> 00:33:44,866 Their response was, "Oh, really? 676 00:33:44,899 --> 00:33:47,769 Well, you're in our town." 677 00:33:47,802 --> 00:33:52,607 A Hells Angel threw a punch, and a fight broke out. 678 00:33:52,641 --> 00:33:54,643 The guys were doing pretty good. 679 00:33:54,676 --> 00:33:57,879 The Mongols started losing their footing. 680 00:33:57,912 --> 00:33:59,948 They were thinking, "They're breaking and running. 681 00:33:59,981 --> 00:34:03,318 This is Great Western all over again." 682 00:34:03,352 --> 00:34:04,719 - It's a false retreat 683 00:34:04,753 --> 00:34:07,489 to separate the already small group of Angels 684 00:34:07,522 --> 00:34:11,360 and make them easier to pick off. 685 00:34:11,393 --> 00:34:14,629 - And then the second wave came, 686 00:34:14,663 --> 00:34:19,634 and the second wave was much tougher than the first. 687 00:34:19,668 --> 00:34:22,604 They saved their best guys for this second attack. 688 00:34:26,975 --> 00:34:28,710 A Ventura member said, "They killed Art. 689 00:34:28,743 --> 00:34:31,012 "They killed Art. 690 00:34:31,045 --> 00:34:33,715 It was a setup, man, and got set up." 691 00:34:33,748 --> 00:34:35,850 As the fight was subsiding, 692 00:34:35,884 --> 00:34:39,288 someone ran out of the crowd and stabbed Art in the chest 693 00:34:39,321 --> 00:34:41,923 and killed him. 694 00:34:41,956 --> 00:34:45,093 He died almost immediately. 695 00:34:45,126 --> 00:34:48,697 It did happen on my watch. 696 00:34:48,730 --> 00:34:51,099 As a leader, it was a nightmare. 697 00:34:51,132 --> 00:34:53,034 - The Mongols score both a public 698 00:34:53,067 --> 00:34:56,271 and a psychological victory. 699 00:34:56,305 --> 00:35:00,442 - We publicly had a member killed. 700 00:35:00,475 --> 00:35:02,043 We looked very vulnerable. 701 00:35:02,076 --> 00:35:05,214 We were no longer these mythic outlaw legends 702 00:35:05,247 --> 00:35:07,816 who nobody could dare hurt. 703 00:35:07,849 --> 00:35:10,051 It didn't look good. 704 00:35:10,084 --> 00:35:12,621 - The Angels and the Mongols are now a decade 705 00:35:12,654 --> 00:35:15,690 into a war with no end in sight. 706 00:35:15,724 --> 00:35:17,626 - These wars are not productive. 707 00:35:17,659 --> 00:35:18,993 The Mongols have lost people. 708 00:35:19,027 --> 00:35:21,830 We have lost people. 709 00:35:21,863 --> 00:35:25,200 I felt it was time to make an attempt to end that war. 710 00:35:25,234 --> 00:35:26,868 - During the 1990s, 711 00:35:26,901 --> 00:35:29,070 George attempts to make peace with the Mongols 712 00:35:29,103 --> 00:35:31,105 by meeting with their leader. 713 00:35:31,139 --> 00:35:34,175 He manages to broker an uneasy truce, 714 00:35:34,209 --> 00:35:35,510 and for several years, 715 00:35:35,544 --> 00:35:38,380 both clubs coexist without incident. 716 00:35:38,413 --> 00:35:43,352 - Everything's going pretty good until 2002. 717 00:35:47,789 --> 00:35:49,023 - 2002. 718 00:35:49,057 --> 00:35:50,959 The Hells Angels are in Laughlin, Nevada, 719 00:35:50,992 --> 00:35:53,027 for the annual Laughlin River Run. 720 00:35:53,061 --> 00:35:55,330 - The Hells Angels had been staying at the Flamingo, 721 00:35:55,364 --> 00:35:59,668 and there's about 100 Mongols at Harrah's Casino. 722 00:35:59,701 --> 00:36:02,304 So these are kind of the home bases for each club. 723 00:36:02,337 --> 00:36:05,307 This one particular group of Hells Angels decides 724 00:36:05,340 --> 00:36:10,312 that they are gonna stay at Harrah's Casino 725 00:36:10,345 --> 00:36:13,948 with the Mongols. 726 00:36:13,982 --> 00:36:17,118 There are six Hells Angels right in the midst of the Mongols. 727 00:36:17,151 --> 00:36:18,753 It's no big thing. 728 00:36:18,787 --> 00:36:22,891 Everyone seemed to be relaxing and having a good time. 729 00:36:22,924 --> 00:36:26,795 From what I was told, suddenly, a Nevada police officer 730 00:36:26,828 --> 00:36:30,465 walked into the bar and thought that this interaction 731 00:36:30,499 --> 00:36:33,968 was an issue of safety, possibly. 732 00:36:34,002 --> 00:36:37,306 And the next thing you know, the police officer 733 00:36:37,339 --> 00:36:40,309 decides that he's got to alert the Hells Angels, 734 00:36:40,342 --> 00:36:42,477 so he goes up to the Flamingo. 735 00:36:42,511 --> 00:36:46,214 From what I was told, he finds a group of Hells Angels, 736 00:36:46,247 --> 00:36:48,350 and then he goes, "Well, I just want you to know, 737 00:36:48,383 --> 00:36:50,051 "some of your brothers are down there, man. 738 00:36:50,084 --> 00:36:51,720 "There's, like, 100 Mongols around them. 739 00:36:51,753 --> 00:36:53,488 I don't know what the hell's going on." 740 00:36:53,522 --> 00:36:55,524 That doesn't seem like a very prudent statement 741 00:36:55,557 --> 00:36:56,925 to make to a bunch of Hells Angels 742 00:36:56,958 --> 00:36:59,060 standing around in front of a bar drinking. 743 00:36:59,093 --> 00:37:01,029 What this cop says to this group 744 00:37:01,062 --> 00:37:03,064 of Hells Angels set off a chain of events 745 00:37:03,097 --> 00:37:04,966 that led to this situation 746 00:37:04,999 --> 00:37:06,968 that would become just a catastrophe. 747 00:37:09,338 --> 00:37:11,573 - 30 Angels jump on their Harleys 748 00:37:11,606 --> 00:37:15,043 and ride off to Harrah's Casino and to a deadly biker brawl 749 00:37:15,076 --> 00:37:18,279 that is all caught on tape. 750 00:37:18,313 --> 00:37:19,914 - So now you've got 100 Mongols, 751 00:37:19,948 --> 00:37:22,684 6 Hells Angels. 752 00:37:22,717 --> 00:37:24,185 You've got about 30 Hells Angels, 753 00:37:24,218 --> 00:37:25,820 who had just got off their bikes 754 00:37:25,854 --> 00:37:27,656 and are entering the casino to find out 755 00:37:27,689 --> 00:37:30,725 what the hell's going on. 756 00:37:30,759 --> 00:37:32,627 - Man, come one, come all. 757 00:37:32,661 --> 00:37:35,364 That's one of the first rules of Hells Angels life, 758 00:37:35,397 --> 00:37:37,231 is that when a brother's in trouble, 759 00:37:37,265 --> 00:37:39,968 you better get in the mix, because if you don't, 760 00:37:40,001 --> 00:37:43,104 you'll be the next one getting your ass beat. 761 00:37:43,137 --> 00:37:46,074 - The tension seems to be rising. 762 00:37:46,107 --> 00:37:50,211 These guys are outlaw bikers loaded up with guns. 763 00:37:50,244 --> 00:37:52,246 And the next thing you know, all hell breaks loose. 764 00:37:59,153 --> 00:38:00,489 - By 2002, 765 00:38:00,522 --> 00:38:02,924 the Hells Angels have gone more than a decade 766 00:38:02,957 --> 00:38:05,293 without any run-ins with their biggest rival, 767 00:38:05,326 --> 00:38:07,996 the Mongols motorcycle club. 768 00:38:08,029 --> 00:38:10,899 - We had a very, very shaky truce. 769 00:38:10,932 --> 00:38:13,935 It was kind of a friendly rivalry with the Mongols. 770 00:38:13,968 --> 00:38:16,505 I guess you could say maybe there was some sort of 771 00:38:16,538 --> 00:38:18,773 peace between the two clubs. 772 00:38:18,807 --> 00:38:20,041 - Then in April, 773 00:38:20,074 --> 00:38:21,943 Hells Angels from across the country 774 00:38:21,976 --> 00:38:24,879 gather in Laughlin, Nevada, for the annual River Run. 775 00:38:27,215 --> 00:38:29,350 Six Hells Angels are at Harrah's Casino 776 00:38:29,384 --> 00:38:31,586 surrounded by about 100 Mongols. 777 00:38:31,620 --> 00:38:34,022 When another group of Angels at the Flamingo 778 00:38:34,055 --> 00:38:36,625 get word their brothers are surrounded by Mongols, 779 00:38:36,658 --> 00:38:39,093 they get on their bikes and head to Harrah's. 780 00:38:39,127 --> 00:38:40,995 - So now you've got 30 Hells Angels 781 00:38:41,029 --> 00:38:42,531 entering the casino to find out 782 00:38:42,564 --> 00:38:45,166 what the hell's going on. 783 00:38:45,199 --> 00:38:47,469 - The 30 Hells Angels gather near the front 784 00:38:47,502 --> 00:38:50,104 of the casino and start making a sweep 785 00:38:50,138 --> 00:38:55,477 to the back of the room. 786 00:38:55,510 --> 00:38:56,878 - So the Hells Angels decide, 787 00:38:56,911 --> 00:38:59,481 "Okay, we're gonna make a move against these guys." 788 00:38:59,514 --> 00:39:03,485 The first punch was thrown by a Hells Angels. 789 00:39:03,518 --> 00:39:06,821 A Mongol went down, big fight broke out. 790 00:39:06,855 --> 00:39:08,957 The first shots were fired. 791 00:39:11,025 --> 00:39:14,395 And the next thing you know, all hell breaks loose. 792 00:39:14,429 --> 00:39:18,600 You can see the violence erupting between everybody. 793 00:39:19,934 --> 00:39:21,603 You can see them picking their targets, 794 00:39:21,636 --> 00:39:24,806 running up behind them, hitting them with wrenches, 795 00:39:24,839 --> 00:39:27,275 people getting stabbed; you see people getting kicked. 796 00:39:27,308 --> 00:39:29,578 You see people panicking. 797 00:39:29,611 --> 00:39:31,580 We were now in a shooting war with the Mongols. 798 00:39:31,613 --> 00:39:32,881 - It was just chaotic. 799 00:39:32,914 --> 00:39:34,949 People were just pop-pop-pop-pop. 800 00:39:34,983 --> 00:39:38,920 You know, you just-- you feel like you're in a movie, 801 00:39:38,953 --> 00:39:40,789 but you know it's happening. 802 00:39:42,256 --> 00:39:44,325 - In the midst of all this is the public hiding 803 00:39:44,358 --> 00:39:46,394 behind these various slot machines. 804 00:39:50,298 --> 00:39:53,234 - Weapons came out, knives, guns, everything, 805 00:39:53,267 --> 00:39:56,237 and it all broke loose right there in the casino. 806 00:39:56,270 --> 00:39:58,206 - Maybe it was only 15 gunshots, 807 00:39:58,239 --> 00:40:01,209 but they lasted for a long time. 808 00:40:01,242 --> 00:40:06,581 I felt this whole situation had been brewing for two days. 809 00:40:06,615 --> 00:40:10,451 And I don't think that it needed to come to a head. 810 00:40:10,485 --> 00:40:14,088 - There were two police officers standing 811 00:40:14,122 --> 00:40:17,191 behind the slot machines 812 00:40:17,225 --> 00:40:19,093 watching the whole fight take place. 813 00:40:19,127 --> 00:40:21,663 Never made a movement to stop anybody, 814 00:40:21,696 --> 00:40:23,732 never tried to interfere. 815 00:40:23,765 --> 00:40:25,767 Just letting these guys fight it out. 816 00:40:28,670 --> 00:40:31,372 Nobody knows for sure when the actual death took place, 817 00:40:31,405 --> 00:40:33,775 but we lost three Hells Angels, 818 00:40:33,808 --> 00:40:35,510 and the Mongols lost one of their brothers 819 00:40:35,544 --> 00:40:37,812 that night as well. 820 00:40:37,846 --> 00:40:42,684 Any chance to resolve the issues between the two clubs 821 00:40:42,717 --> 00:40:44,318 disappeared after that night. 822 00:40:45,787 --> 00:40:48,189 - A few days after the Laughlin casino brawl, 823 00:40:48,222 --> 00:40:50,324 George gets a call from the national leader 824 00:40:50,358 --> 00:40:53,327 of the Mongols, Doc Cavazos. 825 00:40:53,361 --> 00:40:54,996 - He said, "Man, we need to sit down. 826 00:40:55,029 --> 00:40:56,230 "We need to work this out. 827 00:40:56,264 --> 00:40:57,566 "This thing just got out of hand. 828 00:40:57,599 --> 00:40:59,568 I don't know what the hell happened." 829 00:40:59,601 --> 00:41:02,170 It kind of caught me off guard, and then I said, 830 00:41:02,203 --> 00:41:03,705 "Let's go to the table and talk." 831 00:41:07,375 --> 00:41:09,811 - George and Doc agree to figure out terms 832 00:41:09,844 --> 00:41:13,314 that will end the war once and for all. 833 00:41:13,347 --> 00:41:15,349 But again, George has a hard time 834 00:41:15,383 --> 00:41:18,486 getting other Angel leaders to come to the table. 835 00:41:21,222 --> 00:41:22,957 - Well, Doc did want to come to the table, 836 00:41:22,991 --> 00:41:26,861 but people in the Hells Angels as well as the Mongols 837 00:41:26,895 --> 00:41:28,830 had no interest in resolving it. 838 00:41:28,863 --> 00:41:31,299 They wanted retribution, and they wanted retaliation. 839 00:41:35,704 --> 00:41:39,240 But what they failed to realize 840 00:41:39,273 --> 00:41:42,076 was that we lost a great opportunity 841 00:41:42,110 --> 00:41:45,313 to put this war behind us, to end this war. 842 00:41:45,346 --> 00:41:47,248 - I don't believe that either side really knows 843 00:41:47,281 --> 00:41:49,383 what they're fighting about between the Hells Angels 844 00:41:49,417 --> 00:41:50,785 and the Mongols. 845 00:41:50,819 --> 00:41:52,754 They just know that it's required of them 846 00:41:52,787 --> 00:41:54,522 to dislike and hate each other. 847 00:41:56,090 --> 00:41:58,159 - The war between the Hells Angels and the Mongols 848 00:41:58,192 --> 00:42:00,228 still ranges on today. 849 00:42:00,261 --> 00:42:02,163 You could ask a young Hells Angels, 850 00:42:02,196 --> 00:42:03,497 "Why are we shooting each other? 851 00:42:03,531 --> 00:42:05,366 Why are we fighting each other?" 852 00:42:05,399 --> 00:42:07,468 And they'll answer, "I don't know." 853 00:42:09,103 --> 00:42:12,373 There seems to be no resolution in sight to end this war. 853 00:42:13,305 --> 00:43:13,876 -== [ www.OpenSubtitles.org ] ==-