28 biker gang members rounded up and charged with rioting in Florida, cops say
Twenty-eight members of the Mongols Motorcycle Club were arrested July 2, and three more are being sought for arrest, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.
Aggravated rioting is a second-degree felony that can result in a 15-year prison sentence, officials said.
The suspects are accused of participating in a March 8 brawl at a RaceTrac gas station in New Smyrna Beach that coincided with the 84th Annual Daytona Beach Bike Week in nearby Daytona Beach. The 10-day event is billed as 'one of the world's largest motorcycle events.'
'According to witnesses, a large group of motorcyclists engaged in a fight in the parking lot, which eventually escalated into gunfire,' New Smyrna Beach police said in a March 10 news release. 'Two victims sustained non-life-threatening gunshot wounds and were treated at local hospitals.'
The brawl involved a dispute between the Mongols and a rival gang called the Warlocks, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports.
Many of the witnesses were 'uncooperative' with investigators, police said.
Surveillance video from the gas station revealed seven people were armed with guns and four fired shots, officials said.
In addition to the arrests, search warrants were executed at 'the Mongols Clubhouse in Edgewater, four homes in Volusia County, three homes in Brevard County, two homes in Miami-Dade County, one home in Chesterfield County, VA, one home in Palm Beach County, and two homes in Polk County,' Volusia County officials said.
The searches were conducted with the help of FBI agents and law enforcement officers from departments across the Southeast, the sheriff's office said.
'This is just the beginning of the storm. ... Please, do not think for a minute that the Mongols ... is just these great people riding around having fun,' Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood.
'The Mongols are recognized nationally as a domestic terroristic gang involved in extortion, murder, violent crime, theft, burglary, drugs and they're recognized internationally. So today, law enforcement takes back the streets.'
The Mongols club is considered an 'outlaw motorcycle gang' with members serving as 'conduits for criminal enterprises,' including cross-border drug smuggling, the Department of Justice reports.
New Smyrna Beach is about a 55-mile drive northeast from Orlando.
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Miami Herald
03-07-2025
- Miami Herald
28 biker gang members rounded up and charged with rioting in Florida, cops say
A Biker Week brawl at a gas station has resulted in an 'outlaw motorcycle gang' being rounded up and charged with aggravated rioting, according to investigators in Florida. Twenty-eight members of the Mongols Motorcycle Club were arrested July 2, and three more are being sought for arrest, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. Aggravated rioting is a second-degree felony that can result in a 15-year prison sentence, officials said. The suspects are accused of participating in a March 8 brawl at a RaceTrac gas station in New Smyrna Beach that coincided with the 84th Annual Daytona Beach Bike Week in nearby Daytona Beach. The 10-day event is billed as 'one of the world's largest motorcycle events.' 'According to witnesses, a large group of motorcyclists engaged in a fight in the parking lot, which eventually escalated into gunfire,' New Smyrna Beach police said in a March 10 news release. 'Two victims sustained non-life-threatening gunshot wounds and were treated at local hospitals.' The brawl involved a dispute between the Mongols and a rival gang called the Warlocks, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports. Many of the witnesses were 'uncooperative' with investigators, police said. Surveillance video from the gas station revealed seven people were armed with guns and four fired shots, officials said. In addition to the arrests, search warrants were executed at 'the Mongols Clubhouse in Edgewater, four homes in Volusia County, three homes in Brevard County, two homes in Miami-Dade County, one home in Chesterfield County, VA, one home in Palm Beach County, and two homes in Polk County,' Volusia County officials said. The searches were conducted with the help of FBI agents and law enforcement officers from departments across the Southeast, the sheriff's office said. 'This is just the beginning of the storm. ... Please, do not think for a minute that the Mongols ... is just these great people riding around having fun,' Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood. 'The Mongols are recognized nationally as a domestic terroristic gang involved in extortion, murder, violent crime, theft, burglary, drugs and they're recognized internationally. So today, law enforcement takes back the streets.' The Mongols club is considered an 'outlaw motorcycle gang' with members serving as 'conduits for criminal enterprises,' including cross-border drug smuggling, the Department of Justice reports. New Smyrna Beach is about a 55-mile drive northeast from Orlando.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Yahoo
Five Brevard men arrested in connection with Bike Week shooting in New Smyrna Beach
Five Brevard County men were arrested in July 2 raids involving the Mongols biker gang in connection with a Bike Week shooting that took place in New Smyrna Beach earlier this year, according to prosecutors. Volusia County Sheriff's Office and the FBI carried out 28 arrests and executed 14 search warrants, including three in Brevard County. Other warrants were executed at the Mongols clubhouse in Edgewater; four homes in Volusia County; two homes in Miami-Dade and Polk counties; and one home in Palm Beach County and Chesterfield County, Virginia. The 28 people arrested were charged with aggravated rioting, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Among the confirmed Brevard County arrests: Chadwick Price, 38, Titusville, out of county warrant; Douglas White, 29, Titusville, out of county warrant; Gaige Wilson, 31, Cocoa, out of county warrant; Matthew Limperatos, 32, Merritt Island, out of county warrant; and Joseph Summerhill, 36, Rockledge; out of county warrant. Wilson, Summerhill and Limperatos were all arrested on similar charges nearly a year ago. On July 12, 2024, police were called to the corner of U.S. 1 and State Road 50 after three members of the Mongols physically attacked a Warlocks member. The Warlocks member subsequently fired off multiple rounds from a firearm and all four fled the scene. At that time, Brevard County Sheriff's Office and the FBI arrested Wilson, Summerhill and Limperatos. All three were charged with aggravated rioting after the confrontation between members of the Mongols and Warlocks motorcycle gangs in Titusville last year. The July 2 arrests stem from a March 8 confrontation between the rival Warlocks and and Mongols, which resulted in gunfire erupting during a brawl involving over 25 people just before noon. Law enforcement time at the time said a group of Mongols who confronted a group of Warlocks who were already gathered in the RaceTrac parking lot. Two Warlocks were shot in that incident. They sustained minor injuries and declined to cooperate with deputies, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said during a July 2 press conference. During the July 2 raids, law enforcement agents confiscated a number of firearms and will be reviewing warrants to see what other charges they can bring. Check back for updates. Tyler Vazquez is the Brevard County Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-480-0854 or tvazquez@ Twitter: @tyler_vazquez This article originally appeared on Florida Today: FBI: Bike Week shootout between rival gangs results in Brevard arrests
USA Today
02-07-2025
- USA Today
Bodies of missing California brothers found weeks after vanishing
In what their family is calling an "unimaginable" find, law enforcement located the bodies of two men at a hidden car crash scene in California, nearly three weeks after the pair vanished. Brothers James Fuller, 61, and Eric Fuller, 60, disappeared June 6 while driving south to the city of Santa Maria in Santa Barbara County, according to information from the family and the California Highway Patrol (CHP). Their destination: A scheduled doctor's appointment, SF Gate reported. 'Since that day, neither of their phones has been reachable − all calls go straight to voicemail − and they have not been seen or heard from since," James Fuller's daughter, Krystle Scott, wrote in an online fundraiser she created after the brothers vanished. Scott's family, the post reads, is from the unincorporated town of Nipomo in San Luis Obispo County, about halfway between Monterey and Santa Barbara. Missing brothers found at car crash scene Around 10:30 a.m. local time on June 25, a California Department of Transportation employee "conducting routine duties" found an overturned vehicle hidden in heavy brush in an embankment along State Route 166 near Old Sierra Madre Road east of Santa Maria, according to a CHP news release. The wrecked vehicle, a blue 1998 GMC Sierra 1/2-ton pickup truck, is linked to a missing person case opened by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office, according to the release. 'We are deeply saddened to confirm that two individuals tragically lost their lives in a traffic crash," CHP Acting Cmdr. Sean Kelly said in the release. "Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with their families and loved ones." The family, in the fundraiser, confirmed the men's bodies were found at the scene. 'It is with unimaginable sadness that we share the search for James and Eric Fuller has come to an end. They were found yesterday morning deep in the canyon by Caltrans,' Scott wrote. 'For 21 long days, we searched tirelessly… It's been devastating beyond words. This is not the outcome any of us prayed for." It was not immediately known whether foul play was suspected in the incident, but KSBY News reported that the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office said the crash appeared accidental. USA TODAY contacted the sheriff's office and the victims' family, but has not received a response. 'I'm still angry': Deputy recalls finding Travis Decker's truck as manhunt nears 1 month Fundraiser for missing California brothers As of July 2, people had donated more than $2,500 to the fundraiser to help with funeral costs. The Fuller brothers grew up in Pismo Beach and had a big family, per KSBY News. 'They were very loved by their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren,' James' daughter Scott told the TV station. DNA testing will officially confirm whether the bodies belong to the missing siblings, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office troopers said. USA TODAY has reached out to the local coroner's bureau, but has not received a response. Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@ and follow her on X @nataliealund.
