Expert: Mongols, Warlocks, other biker gangs require 'overwhelming' police at Bike Week
A brawl between two motorcycle gangs that led to gunfire in New Smyrna Beach Saturday, showed why 'an overwhelming police presence' is needed at events like Bike Week, a motorcycle gang expert said Monday.
Motorcycle gangs have been expanding their presence in Florida over the last several years, said John Scaduto, the Southwest Florida regional director of the Florida Gang Investigators Association, which provides training and advice for law enforcement agencies.
In the last several years, at least two outlaw motorcycle clubs have moved into Florida: the Mongols and the Pagans. The Mongols is an international motorcycle gang.
'There's more of an expansion of the clubs that have moved into the state and they are establishing new clubhouses, chapters, territories, so to speak, within the state, and that is encroaching upon each other,' he said.
The Mongols and the Warlocks were the two clubs involved in Saturday's melee, Scaduto said. They were also the two clubs identified in a charging affidavit against a Mongol named Clinton N. Walker from Bradenton. According to news accounts, Walker at one time supported the Outlaws, which is the most dominant motorcycle gang in Florida.
Walker was fired in 2018 from the Hillsborough Fire Service after an internal affairs investigation determined he was loyal to the Outlaws motorcycle gang, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Walker was recruited by the president of the Outlaws chapter in St. Petersburg, James Costa, who was also his fire captain, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The Daytona Beach Fire Department also employed a motorcycle club member, a Warlock, back in 2012. Former Daytona Beach Fire Lt. Brad Dyess belonged to the Warlocks club in Orlando, which uses the phoenix, or bird, symbol.
Dyess was involved in a shootout in 2012 between several members of the Orlando Warlocks and a group known as the Harpy Warlocks from Philadelphia. Three of the Warlocks with Dyess were killed in the shootout in Winter Springs. Dyess was not charged. He resigned from the department in 2013.
Scaduto said people sometimes wonder why they see so many law enforcement officers at biker events. He said Saturday's clash at the RaceTrac at 3000 State Road 44 in New Smyrna Beach is one reason.
'This is a perfect example of why additional policing resources are required during these events,' Scaduto wrote in an email. 'When the clubs/gangs are in close proximity to each other, the tension is certainly there, all that is needed is a bad look, word, shove, etc., and things get out of hand very quickly.'
He said it was fortunate that no members of the public were hurt by a stray bullet Saturday.
'We are lucky as a community that no one was shot during the volley of gunfire at a very public place with citizens present as well as traffic on the adjacent roadways,' Scaduto wrote.
Ormond Beach Police, along with other agencies, stay informed about biker activity in the city, wrote Pauline Dulang, a public information officer for the department. She wrote the patrol officers and especially the motorcycle officers "maintain a strong, visible presence throughout the entire week, especially at our high traffic areas, to ensure safety for everyone — not just to monitor gangs."
"Police presence during Bike Week is key to maintaining safety and deterring crime. Simply put, people are less likely to break the law with officers nearby," Dulang wrote.
The Daytona Beach Police Department, the Volusia Sheriff's Office and the New Smyrna Beach Police Department did not respond to The News-Journal's questions about law enforcement, public safety and biker gangs during special events.
The affidavit about the New Smyrna Beach shooting also stated that the Mongols have a clubhouse on Cow Creek Road in Edgewater.
The Mongols, who wear a vest with an emblem of Genghis Kan, originated in California, Scaduto said. Their club colors are black and white, the same as the Outlaws.
As for the Warlocks, there are two different types. The ones involved in the Saturday brawl were the 'Phoenix, or bird,' Warlocks, Scaduto said. They were founded in Orlando, where the mother chapter still exists, and at one point were a 'pretty large club' in Florida and battled the Outlaws, Scaduto said.
He said the Mongols outnumbered the Warlocks on Saturday.
"They are not stupid, they like their overwhelming numbers," Scaduto said. "That was the case Saturday. There was a hell of a lot more Mongols than there were Warlocks."
Will the brawl Saturday lead to more fights between the two clubs?
"Unless there's some sort of discussion to avoid another conflict, I think conflict is to be expected," Scaduto said. "Now whether we will be aware of the retribution or the acts that is another question, because they are not the most willing complainant to go to the police station."
Some club members declined on Saturday to participate in the investigation. Marvin Granick, a Warlock who suffered a grazing gunshot wound to the side of the head, refused to complete a statement, an affidavit stated.
Anthony Trimboli, a Mongol, was shot in the stomach and arrived at Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach, the affidavit stated. Trimboli said he was practicing cross drawing his gun when it accidentally fired, wounding him. Trimboli refused to complete a statement and did not wish to pursue charges, the affidavit stated.
Outlaws, Mongols, Pagans, Warlocks and their support clubs are the most active outlaw motorcycle clubs in Florida, Scaduto said. He said he could not discuss it at this point, but another club is also entering Florida and is recruiting members from motorcycle gangs already in the state.
'We have another club that is coming in and is patching over some of these national clubs within the state,' Scaduto said. 'That's definitely going to lead to some sort of confrontation.'
He said the incoming club will offer members of other clubs 'a better deal' like rank and status.
'It's like a promotion. We'll let you be the president, however they pitch it, or in the underground world, they know who's looking to be the stronger of the two,' Scaduto said.
The person being recruited is buttered up like any person being sought by another employer, he said.
'They know that the team that's offering them to patch over is most likely going to win dominance, which it's all about,' he said.
While Saturday's altercation was between Mongols and Warlocks, the Outlaws are still the dominant motorcycle gang in the Daytona Beach region and most of Florida, Scaduto said. And Bike Week attracts Outlaws, he said.
Volusia Sheriff's Office deputies encountered a pack of Outlaws about 10 p.m. March 6 riding their motorcycles on U.S. 1 and Melrose Avenue, according to charging affidavits.
As a deputy tried to stop one of the Outlaws for reportedly not wearing eye protection, other Outlaws appeared to try to block the deputy's path by not yielding, the affidavit stated. Once the deputy managed to stop the biker, several of the others in the group of Outlaws stopped behind the deputies 'causing the them to split their attention and placing them at a tactical disadvantage,' the affidavit stated. The Outlaws became argumentative when told to move, including telling deputies 'I don't know what you are saying dumbass,' the affidavit stated.
Deputies ended up arrested two of the bikers. Michael Johnson, 34, of Jacksonville, was arrested on misdemeanor counts of failure to obey police or fire department and no motorcycle endorsement. They found that Johnson was carrying a Glock handgun in his waist and another Glock in a handlebar bag. They also found an 'AK-47 pistol' in his motorcycle's saddle bag, according to the affidavit.
Deputies also arrested Merrick B. 'Slowpoke' Johnson, 29, also of Jacksonville, and charged him with misdemeanor failing to obey police or fire. Deputies found a Glock in his motorcycle's handlebar bag, the affidavit stated.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona Bike Week shooting between rival gangs Mongols and Warlocks
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