Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:11,112 --> 00:00:12,682
(engine revving)
2
00:00:14,582 --> 00:00:15,822
>> NARRATOR: They're an army
3
00:00:15,816 --> 00:00:17,546
of outlaws...
4
00:00:17,551 --> 00:00:19,191
>> DONALD C. DAVIS: There are
5
00:00:19,187 --> 00:00:20,817
between 2,500 and 4,000 Hells
6
00:00:20,821 --> 00:00:22,191
Angels in the world right now.
7
00:00:22,190 --> 00:00:23,390
>> NARRATOR: ...highly
8
00:00:23,391 --> 00:00:24,431
organized...
9
00:00:24,425 --> 00:00:25,655
>> KERRIE DROBAN: They are the
10
00:00:25,659 --> 00:00:27,659
Mafia on wheels.
11
00:00:27,661 --> 00:00:28,831
>> NARRATOR: ...and extremely
12
00:00:28,829 --> 00:00:30,259
violent.
13
00:00:30,264 --> 00:00:31,274
>> CHARLES FALCO: They may
14
00:00:31,265 --> 00:00:32,425
firebomb.
15
00:00:32,433 --> 00:00:34,273
They sniper with high-powered
16
00:00:34,268 --> 00:00:35,568
rifles.
17
00:00:35,569 --> 00:00:37,169
>> NARRATOR: But who are the
18
00:00:37,171 --> 00:00:38,811
Hells Angels?
19
00:00:38,806 --> 00:00:40,336
>> JAY DOBYNS: They are a nasty,
20
00:00:40,341 --> 00:00:42,181
vicious, international
21
00:00:42,176 --> 00:00:43,706
crime syndicate.
22
00:00:43,711 --> 00:00:44,811
>> NARRATOR: How dangerous
23
00:00:44,812 --> 00:00:46,212
are they?
24
00:00:46,214 --> 00:00:47,684
>> FALCO: They have 1,000 men
25
00:00:47,681 --> 00:00:49,351
behind them that will do
26
00:00:49,350 --> 00:00:50,820
anything they can for each
27
00:00:50,818 --> 00:00:52,688
other, including kill somebody.
28
00:00:52,686 --> 00:00:54,316
>> NARRATOR: And is their
29
00:00:54,322 --> 00:00:56,092
reputation as freewheeling
30
00:00:56,090 --> 00:00:58,460
rebels simply a smoke screen for
31
00:00:58,459 --> 00:01:02,359
a more secret and terrifying
32
00:01:02,363 --> 00:01:03,463
agenda?
33
00:01:03,464 --> 00:01:05,604
>> DOBYNS: If you wonder if the
34
00:01:05,599 --> 00:01:07,469
Hells Angels have the ability to
35
00:01:07,468 --> 00:01:08,738
infiltrate our government, stop
36
00:01:08,736 --> 00:01:12,336
worrying... because they have.
37
00:01:12,340 --> 00:01:13,510
>> NARRATOR: There are those
38
00:01:13,507 --> 00:01:14,777
who believe in the existence
39
00:01:14,775 --> 00:01:17,105
of a book.
40
00:01:17,111 --> 00:01:19,181
A book that contains the most
41
00:01:19,180 --> 00:01:22,480
highly guarded secrets of the
42
00:01:22,483 --> 00:01:25,393
United States of America.
43
00:01:25,386 --> 00:01:29,516
A book... whose very existence
44
00:01:29,523 --> 00:01:33,593
is known to only a select few.
45
00:01:33,594 --> 00:01:36,534
But if such a book exists,
46
00:01:36,530 --> 00:01:39,270
what would it contain?
47
00:01:39,267 --> 00:01:41,797
Secret histories?
48
00:01:41,802 --> 00:01:46,372
Secret memberships?
49
00:01:46,374 --> 00:01:49,244
Secret crimes?
50
00:01:49,243 --> 00:01:52,653
Does there really exist
51
00:01:52,646 --> 00:01:55,316
America's Book of Secrets?
52
00:02:04,525 --> 00:02:06,655
Government officials estimate
53
00:02:06,660 --> 00:02:08,430
that there are between 300 and
54
00:02:08,429 --> 00:02:12,299
500 outlaw motorcycle gangs with
55
00:02:12,300 --> 00:02:14,500
approximately 20,000 full-patch
56
00:02:14,502 --> 00:02:17,772
members and another 200,000
57
00:02:17,771 --> 00:02:19,541
associates.
58
00:02:19,540 --> 00:02:22,580
But for six decades, no biker
59
00:02:22,576 --> 00:02:25,446
gang has been more feared than
60
00:02:25,446 --> 00:02:27,276
the Hells Angels Motorcycle
61
00:02:27,315 --> 00:02:29,345
Club.
62
00:02:29,350 --> 00:02:30,850
>> DOBYNS: The Hells Angels are
63
00:02:30,851 --> 00:02:33,391
the biggest, most powerful
64
00:02:33,387 --> 00:02:36,317
motorcycle gang in the world.
65
00:02:36,324 --> 00:02:37,794
>> STEVE COOK: A lot of other
66
00:02:37,791 --> 00:02:39,431
bikers would like to be
67
00:02:39,427 --> 00:02:40,727
a Hells Angel, but they're
68
00:02:40,728 --> 00:02:42,798
not all gonna make the cut,
69
00:02:42,796 --> 00:02:44,426
so their only other option is,
70
00:02:44,432 --> 00:02:45,832
is to start another outlaw
71
00:02:45,833 --> 00:02:47,343
motorcycle gang.
72
00:02:47,335 --> 00:02:48,965
The problem with that being is,
73
00:02:48,969 --> 00:02:50,439
unless they are openly
74
00:02:50,438 --> 00:02:51,868
subservient to the Hells Angels,
75
00:02:51,872 --> 00:02:53,542
then they're gonna have issues
76
00:02:53,541 --> 00:02:54,941
with the Hells Angels.
77
00:02:54,942 --> 00:02:56,712
>> DAVIS: There are between
78
00:02:56,710 --> 00:02:58,750
2,500 and 4,000 Hells Angels
79
00:02:58,746 --> 00:03:00,606
in the world right now.
80
00:03:00,614 --> 00:03:01,854
They're on every continent
81
00:03:01,849 --> 00:03:03,549
except Antarctica.
82
00:03:03,551 --> 00:03:05,491
To become a Hells Angel at the
83
00:03:05,486 --> 00:03:07,486
most basic level, you have to be
84
00:03:07,488 --> 00:03:10,888
white, Latino or Asian,
85
00:03:10,891 --> 00:03:13,731
a man at least 21 years old,
86
00:03:13,727 --> 00:03:15,597
and you have to have an
87
00:03:15,596 --> 00:03:16,756
American-made motorcycle with
88
00:03:16,764 --> 00:03:18,774
an engine displacement of
89
00:03:18,766 --> 00:03:22,496
at least 1,000 cc's.
90
00:03:22,503 --> 00:03:23,873
>> NARRATOR: While the Hells
91
00:03:23,871 --> 00:03:25,371
Angels keep their membership
92
00:03:25,373 --> 00:03:27,783
list a closely guarded secret,
93
00:03:27,775 --> 00:03:30,635
what is known is that most club
94
00:03:30,644 --> 00:03:32,354
members have an inherent
95
00:03:32,346 --> 00:03:34,346
distrust of authority figures,
96
00:03:34,348 --> 00:03:37,918
and, of course...
97
00:03:37,918 --> 00:03:39,788
a passion for riding
98
00:03:39,787 --> 00:03:40,787
motorcycles.
99
00:03:40,788 --> 00:03:42,258
>> BILL HAYES: There's nothing
100
00:03:42,256 --> 00:03:43,486
like getting on that bike
101
00:03:43,491 --> 00:03:44,891
and going down the road and
102
00:03:44,892 --> 00:03:47,502
doing whatever you want to do.
103
00:03:47,495 --> 00:03:48,755
All those things about
104
00:03:48,762 --> 00:03:50,262
freedom and this and that,
105
00:03:50,264 --> 00:03:51,374
they're not clichรยฉs.
106
00:03:51,365 --> 00:03:52,395
They're true.
107
00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:53,800
>> DENISE DALAIMO: It's hard not
108
00:03:53,801 --> 00:03:55,771
to hoot and whoop when you get
109
00:03:55,769 --> 00:03:56,799
on a Harley.
110
00:03:56,804 --> 00:03:58,874
The open road... it's freedom,
111
00:03:58,872 --> 00:04:00,742
it's America, it's being in
112
00:04:00,741 --> 00:04:03,641
nature and on a machine
113
00:04:03,644 --> 00:04:06,684
at the same time.
114
00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:08,550
>> NARRATOR: Over the years,
115
00:04:08,549 --> 00:04:10,619
however, the Hells Angels has
116
00:04:10,618 --> 00:04:11,948
established a fearsome
117
00:04:11,952 --> 00:04:14,922
reputation for being loyal,
118
00:04:14,922 --> 00:04:17,832
tough and extremely
119
00:04:17,825 --> 00:04:19,385
short-tempered.
120
00:04:19,393 --> 00:04:20,763
>> DAVIS: Among the rules
121
00:04:20,761 --> 00:04:21,801
that all motorcycle outlaws
122
00:04:21,795 --> 00:04:24,625
have to obey is to not suffer
123
00:04:24,632 --> 00:04:28,402
insults and to never let a club
124
00:04:28,402 --> 00:04:29,502
brother fight alone.
125
00:04:29,503 --> 00:04:31,313
>> FALCO: I can't tell you how
126
00:04:31,305 --> 00:04:32,835
many times I've seen them beat
127
00:04:32,840 --> 00:04:34,310
up innocent bystanders in bars
128
00:04:34,308 --> 00:04:36,978
for giving them a dirty look.
129
00:04:41,649 --> 00:04:42,919
>> NARRATOR: Sturgis, South
130
00:04:42,916 --> 00:04:46,046
Dakota.
131
00:04:46,053 --> 00:04:47,563
Hundreds of thousands of
132
00:04:47,555 --> 00:04:49,715
bikers and their bikini-clad
133
00:04:49,723 --> 00:04:52,463
"old ladies" converge on the
134
00:04:52,460 --> 00:04:54,860
city for a week of riding,
135
00:04:54,862 --> 00:04:57,832
racing and revelry.
136
00:04:57,831 --> 00:04:59,431
>> COOK: The Sturgis
137
00:04:59,433 --> 00:05:00,703
Motorcycle Rally is
138
00:05:00,701 --> 00:05:02,941
the biggest and best motorcycle
139
00:05:02,936 --> 00:05:05,106
rally in the United States and
140
00:05:05,105 --> 00:05:07,435
arguably in the world.
141
00:05:07,441 --> 00:05:08,881
>> DALAIMO: Sturgis is an
142
00:05:08,876 --> 00:05:11,976
absolute crazy week of
143
00:05:11,979 --> 00:05:15,119
debauchery and sex and bikes
144
00:05:15,115 --> 00:05:18,715
and bad behavior.
145
00:05:18,719 --> 00:05:20,449
>> JEFF SCHWARTZ: Don't do this
146
00:05:20,454 --> 00:05:21,464
at home.
147
00:05:21,455 --> 00:05:22,855
At Sturgis, there's probably not
148
00:05:22,856 --> 00:05:25,026
a lot of G- or PG-rated stuff
149
00:05:25,025 --> 00:05:26,125
going on there.
150
00:05:26,126 --> 00:05:27,856
There's the R-rated,
151
00:05:27,895 --> 00:05:29,895
there's the X-rated.
152
00:05:29,897 --> 00:05:33,397
Anything can be had there.
153
00:05:35,636 --> 00:05:38,506
>> NARRATOR: August 10, 2011.
154
00:05:38,506 --> 00:05:39,906
Amid this carnival-like
155
00:05:39,907 --> 00:05:42,137
atmosphere, several members of
156
00:05:42,142 --> 00:05:44,512
the Mongols, a notorious
157
00:05:44,512 --> 00:05:46,052
motorcycle gang based in
158
00:05:46,046 --> 00:05:48,516
Southern California, hold court
159
00:05:48,516 --> 00:05:50,376
at a restaurant called
160
00:05:50,384 --> 00:05:51,624
One-Eyed Jack's.
161
00:05:51,619 --> 00:05:52,619
>> SCHWARTZ: The Mongols were
162
00:05:52,620 --> 00:05:53,650
kind of cranked up.
163
00:05:53,654 --> 00:05:55,024
They looked like they'd been
164
00:05:55,022 --> 00:05:56,392
drinking for quite a while,
165
00:05:56,390 --> 00:05:59,990
very loud, raucous.
166
00:06:03,897 --> 00:06:05,667
>> NARRATOR: As the sun sets,
167
00:06:05,666 --> 00:06:07,636
the Mongols walk towards a
168
00:06:07,635 --> 00:06:09,535
nearby bike shop owned and
169
00:06:09,537 --> 00:06:11,637
operated by their longtime
170
00:06:11,639 --> 00:06:16,039
rivals, the Hells Angels.
171
00:06:16,043 --> 00:06:17,513
>> FALCO: The Mongols were
172
00:06:17,511 --> 00:06:18,611
Hispanic bikers that were
173
00:06:18,612 --> 00:06:19,782
not allowed to join
174
00:06:19,780 --> 00:06:20,950
the Hells Angels.
175
00:06:20,948 --> 00:06:23,678
So they decided to say "F you"
176
00:06:23,684 --> 00:06:25,154
to the Hells Angels and start
177
00:06:25,152 --> 00:06:26,952
their own club.
178
00:06:26,954 --> 00:06:28,694
>> COOK: Some Mongols made the
179
00:06:28,689 --> 00:06:30,089
approach to the business, it
180
00:06:30,090 --> 00:06:32,060
appeared that they were there,
181
00:06:32,059 --> 00:06:33,789
at least, making their presence
182
00:06:33,794 --> 00:06:35,634
known but not in a...
183
00:06:35,629 --> 00:06:37,099
aggressive manner.
184
00:06:39,833 --> 00:06:41,103
>> NARRATOR: Jeff Schwartz is
185
00:06:41,101 --> 00:06:43,071
standing on a nearby balcony,
186
00:06:43,070 --> 00:06:44,910
unaware of the events unfolding
187
00:06:44,905 --> 00:06:46,205
below him.
188
00:06:46,206 --> 00:06:47,936
>> SCHWARTZ: All of a sudden,
189
00:06:47,941 --> 00:06:49,711
I heard, like, a popping noise,
190
00:06:49,710 --> 00:06:51,450
pop-pop-pop.
191
00:06:51,445 --> 00:06:53,675
And I looked down, and there's
192
00:06:53,681 --> 00:06:58,051
20, 25 guys going at it.
193
00:06:58,051 --> 00:06:59,721
>> NARRATOR: The fighting lasts
194
00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:02,460
only seconds, bue attack
195
00:07:02,456 --> 00:07:03,916
leaves two bikers bleeding on
196
00:07:03,924 --> 00:07:05,794
the ground.
197
00:07:05,793 --> 00:07:07,063
A dozen others suffer
198
00:07:07,060 --> 00:07:09,530
superficial stab wounds.
199
00:07:09,530 --> 00:07:11,530
The sudden outbreak of violence
200
00:07:11,532 --> 00:07:13,672
sends a wave of fear through
201
00:07:13,667 --> 00:07:15,197
the crowd.
202
00:07:15,202 --> 00:07:16,472
>> SCHWARTZ: I always considered
203
00:07:16,470 --> 00:07:18,110
Sturgis to be a safe
204
00:07:18,105 --> 00:07:20,705
environment.
205
00:07:20,708 --> 00:07:22,108
I'll never forget watching it.
206
00:07:22,109 --> 00:07:23,609
It's-it's, like, ingrained
207
00:07:23,611 --> 00:07:25,611
into my memory.
208
00:07:25,613 --> 00:07:27,253
>> FALCO: One of the things the
209
00:07:27,247 --> 00:07:28,847
public doesn't know and they
210
00:07:28,849 --> 00:07:30,749
should know: Sturgis is a run
211
00:07:30,751 --> 00:07:32,621
that the Hells Angels
212
00:07:32,620 --> 00:07:34,120
consider theirs.
213
00:07:34,121 --> 00:07:36,261
And if a club that they are at
214
00:07:36,256 --> 00:07:38,126
war with shows up, there is a
215
00:07:38,125 --> 00:07:39,625
huge opportunity that something
216
00:07:39,627 --> 00:07:43,127
very, very bad will happen.
217
00:07:43,130 --> 00:07:44,770
>> NARRATOR: But why did it
218
00:07:44,765 --> 00:07:46,165
happen?
219
00:07:46,166 --> 00:07:48,766
Was this a simple fight for
220
00:07:48,769 --> 00:07:50,999
respect or perhaps
221
00:07:51,004 --> 00:07:55,514
something more?
222
00:07:55,509 --> 00:07:57,749
According to insiders, the Hells
223
00:07:57,745 --> 00:08:00,145
Angels and Mongols have been
224
00:08:00,147 --> 00:08:02,177
fighting a war with each other
225
00:08:02,182 --> 00:08:05,892
since the mid-1970s.
226
00:08:05,886 --> 00:08:07,886
>> DAVIS: The core of the feud
227
00:08:07,888 --> 00:08:09,618
between the Mongols and the
228
00:08:09,623 --> 00:08:11,533
Angels was the Mongols were
229
00:08:11,525 --> 00:08:13,025
much more numerous
230
00:08:13,026 --> 00:08:14,656
than the Hells Angels in
231
00:08:14,662 --> 00:08:15,732
Southern California.
232
00:08:15,729 --> 00:08:17,999
And so, as a result of that,
233
00:08:17,998 --> 00:08:19,598
they started wearing a bottom
234
00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:21,800
rocker that said "California."
235
00:08:21,802 --> 00:08:24,272
Before that, they had had bottom
236
00:08:24,271 --> 00:08:25,941
rockers that said "Montebello"
237
00:08:25,939 --> 00:08:27,639
or "East L.A." or wherever the
238
00:08:27,641 --> 00:08:29,611
chapter was from.
239
00:08:29,610 --> 00:08:31,140
The Hells Angels noticed that
240
00:08:31,144 --> 00:08:32,784
the Mongols were wearing a
241
00:08:32,780 --> 00:08:34,080
"California" bottom rocker,
242
00:08:34,081 --> 00:08:37,951
and they took it as an insult.
243
00:08:37,951 --> 00:08:40,921
>> NARRATOR: The Hells Angels
244
00:08:40,921 --> 00:08:42,561
would not let this insult
245
00:08:42,556 --> 00:08:44,286
go unpunished.
246
00:08:44,291 --> 00:08:47,831
In 1977, on a freeway near San
247
00:08:47,828 --> 00:08:49,958
Diego, they opened fire with
248
00:08:49,963 --> 00:08:51,933
machine guns on a pack of
249
00:08:51,932 --> 00:08:55,572
of Mongols...
250
00:08:55,569 --> 00:08:56,699
killing two members
251
00:08:56,704 --> 00:08:59,814
of the rival biker gang.
252
00:08:59,807 --> 00:09:01,677
But just to make sure
253
00:09:01,675 --> 00:09:02,835
the message got through,
254
00:09:02,843 --> 00:09:05,213
at the funeral of one Mongol,
255
00:09:05,212 --> 00:09:08,822
the Angels set off a car bomb.
256
00:09:08,816 --> 00:09:11,716
And it didn't end there.
257
00:09:11,719 --> 00:09:13,249
>> DAVIS: Within the next month,
258
00:09:13,253 --> 00:09:14,353
there were three bombings
259
00:09:14,354 --> 00:09:16,224
against the Mongols.
260
00:09:16,223 --> 00:09:17,593
And the Mongols have never
261
00:09:17,591 --> 00:09:19,861
forgotten those three bombings.
262
00:09:19,860 --> 00:09:21,090
>> FALCO: Once these wars start,
263
00:09:21,094 --> 00:09:24,704
they never stop.
264
00:09:24,698 --> 00:09:26,068
>> NARRATOR: According to law
265
00:09:26,066 --> 00:09:27,736
enforcement officials, the
266
00:09:27,735 --> 00:09:29,195
Mongols and Hells Angels are
267
00:09:29,202 --> 00:09:32,142
members of a secret society of
268
00:09:32,139 --> 00:09:36,009
outlaw motorcycle gangs known as
269
00:09:36,009 --> 00:09:38,709
"one-percenters" that are waging
270
00:09:38,712 --> 00:09:41,252
a bloody turf war across
271
00:09:41,248 --> 00:09:43,278
America.
272
00:09:43,283 --> 00:09:44,893
>> COOK: They are one percent
273
00:09:44,885 --> 00:09:46,845
that don't conform.
274
00:09:46,854 --> 00:09:48,824
They don't follow the laws, they
275
00:09:48,822 --> 00:09:50,122
live life on their terms, and
276
00:09:50,123 --> 00:09:51,793
they don't worry about
277
00:09:51,825 --> 00:09:53,855
repercussions.
278
00:09:53,861 --> 00:09:55,831
>> CHRISTOPHER BRUNWIN: An
279
00:09:55,829 --> 00:09:56,829
outlaw motorcycle gang is gonna
280
00:09:56,830 --> 00:09:57,830
be comprised of a group of
281
00:09:57,831 --> 00:09:59,171
people who are going to engage
282
00:09:59,166 --> 00:10:01,166
in anything that can make them
283
00:10:01,168 --> 00:10:03,168
money.
284
00:10:03,170 --> 00:10:05,310
Drug trafficking, heroin,
285
00:10:05,305 --> 00:10:07,035
marijuana.
286
00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:09,140
And you'll also see assaults,
287
00:10:09,142 --> 00:10:13,882
murders, extortion.
288
00:10:13,881 --> 00:10:15,651
>> NARRATOR: But are the Hells
289
00:10:15,649 --> 00:10:17,279
Angels just another motorcycle
290
00:10:17,284 --> 00:10:20,124
gang with violent tendencies?
291
00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:22,320
Or might there be something more
292
00:10:22,322 --> 00:10:24,762
to fear?
293
00:10:24,758 --> 00:10:25,788
>> DROBAN: If there were an
294
00:10:25,793 --> 00:10:27,133
America's Book of Secrets, the
295
00:10:27,127 --> 00:10:28,757
big secret of the Hells Angels
296
00:10:28,762 --> 00:10:30,702
would be that they are the Mafia
297
00:10:30,731 --> 00:10:32,931
on wheels.
298
00:10:32,933 --> 00:10:35,073
The Hells Angels have members
299
00:10:35,068 --> 00:10:36,998
who hold down real jobs.
300
00:10:37,004 --> 00:10:39,074
They're stockbrokers and pilots,
301
00:10:39,072 --> 00:10:40,412
and they have this persona that
302
00:10:40,407 --> 00:10:42,007
they give out to the public.
303
00:10:42,009 --> 00:10:43,739
And yet they have been known to
304
00:10:43,744 --> 00:10:46,954
do arms deals, murder for hire.
305
00:10:46,947 --> 00:10:49,217
They have beat down people that
306
00:10:49,216 --> 00:10:51,276
have tried to leave the club.
307
00:10:51,284 --> 00:10:53,194
>> COOK: They are extremely
308
00:10:53,186 --> 00:10:54,416
violent.
309
00:10:54,421 --> 00:10:56,961
They're very dedicated, and
310
00:10:56,957 --> 00:10:59,027
whereas the Mafia tends to try
311
00:10:59,026 --> 00:11:01,286
to hide who they are, the Hells
312
00:11:01,294 --> 00:11:02,464
Angels proclaim it on their
313
00:11:02,462 --> 00:11:03,462
backs.
314
00:11:03,463 --> 00:11:04,463
They want people to know who
315
00:11:04,464 --> 00:11:05,474
they are, and there's an
316
00:11:05,465 --> 00:11:06,895
intimidation factor that comes
317
00:11:06,900 --> 00:11:10,700
along with that.
318
00:11:10,704 --> 00:11:11,714
>> NARRATOR: The Angels and
319
00:11:11,705 --> 00:11:14,035
their supporters insist that any
320
00:11:14,041 --> 00:11:15,981
crimes committed are the acts of
321
00:11:15,976 --> 00:11:18,106
individuals, and that the club
322
00:11:18,111 --> 00:11:20,211
itself shouldn't be judged by a
323
00:11:20,213 --> 00:11:22,983
few bad seeds.
324
00:11:22,983 --> 00:11:26,123
But are the Hells Angels really
325
00:11:26,119 --> 00:11:28,259
victims of propaganda?
326
00:11:28,255 --> 00:11:33,355
Or are they domestic terrorists?
327
00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:35,860
How did the Hells Angels become
328
00:11:35,863 --> 00:11:38,433
America's most infamous outlaws?
329
00:11:43,937 --> 00:11:46,067
>> NARRATOR: In September 2008,
330
00:11:46,073 --> 00:11:49,213
the TV series Sons of Anarchy
331
00:11:49,209 --> 00:11:52,009
premiered and quickly became
332
00:11:52,012 --> 00:11:53,482
one of the most popular shows
333
00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:55,480
in America.
334
00:11:55,482 --> 00:11:57,352
For the first time, a program
335
00:11:57,350 --> 00:11:59,950
featured an inside look at an
336
00:11:59,953 --> 00:12:03,023
outlaw motorcycle club caught up
337
00:12:03,023 --> 00:12:05,163
in the violent world of illegal
338
00:12:05,158 --> 00:12:08,058
drugs, guns and contract
339
00:12:08,095 --> 00:12:10,095
killings.
340
00:12:10,097 --> 00:12:12,097
>> HAYES: You know, in 43
341
00:12:12,099 --> 00:12:13,229
minutes, you've had all these
342
00:12:13,233 --> 00:12:14,303
gunfights and you're burying
343
00:12:14,301 --> 00:12:16,101
bodies and castrating a
344
00:12:16,103 --> 00:12:17,943
pedophile clown and bribing
345
00:12:17,938 --> 00:12:19,308
government officials.
346
00:12:19,306 --> 00:12:20,836
And it's like, man, that's a day
347
00:12:20,841 --> 00:12:23,511
in the life.
348
00:12:23,510 --> 00:12:24,510
>> NARRATOR: Hollywood's
349
00:12:24,511 --> 00:12:26,051
fascination with motorcycle
350
00:12:26,046 --> 00:12:28,476
gangs is nothing new.
351
00:12:28,481 --> 00:12:31,851
In the 1950s and '60s, movies
352
00:12:31,852 --> 00:12:34,252
such as The Wild One and Easy
353
00:12:34,254 --> 00:12:38,964
Rider created a lasting image
354
00:12:38,959 --> 00:12:41,389
of the rebel biker.
355
00:12:41,394 --> 00:12:42,404
>> DROBAN: The Hells Angels are
356
00:12:42,395 --> 00:12:44,395
the only biker gang that has
357
00:12:44,397 --> 00:12:46,527
branded the idea of the rebel
358
00:12:46,533 --> 00:12:47,533
biker.
359
00:12:47,534 --> 00:12:50,274
So they have brilliantly,
360
00:12:50,270 --> 00:12:52,970
masterfully created a PR
361
00:12:52,973 --> 00:12:56,013
campaign that has enabled them
362
00:12:56,009 --> 00:12:57,409
to franchise their brand
363
00:12:57,410 --> 00:12:59,880
worldwide.
364
00:12:59,880 --> 00:13:01,510
>> DOBYNS: You ask a
365
00:13:01,514 --> 00:13:03,154
schoolteacher, a housewife,
366
00:13:03,150 --> 00:13:06,020
a businessman to describe the
367
00:13:06,019 --> 00:13:08,559
stereotype of a biker... they
368
00:13:08,555 --> 00:13:11,155
say, "A Hells Angel."
369
00:13:11,158 --> 00:13:12,158
>> FALCO: Our society looks at
370
00:13:12,159 --> 00:13:13,889
them as rebels without a cause.
371
00:13:13,894 --> 00:13:15,304
They look at them as a cowboy.
372
00:13:15,295 --> 00:13:16,295
A bandito.
373
00:13:16,296 --> 00:13:17,996
Uh, an outlaw, but with a
374
00:13:17,998 --> 00:13:21,568
romantic view.
375
00:13:21,568 --> 00:13:23,098
>> DALAIMO: Women are drawn to
376
00:13:23,103 --> 00:13:25,113
danger and power.
377
00:13:25,105 --> 00:13:26,865
And the Hells Angels embody
378
00:13:26,874 --> 00:13:28,384
both of those beautifully.
379
00:13:28,375 --> 00:13:29,575
And I don't think it gets much
380
00:13:29,576 --> 00:13:32,306
more dangerous than riding on
381
00:13:32,312 --> 00:13:35,182
the back of-of a Hells Angel.
382
00:13:35,182 --> 00:13:37,452
There is something sexual and
383
00:13:37,450 --> 00:13:39,250
sensual about that.
384
00:13:39,252 --> 00:13:40,852
Would you ride on the back of
385
00:13:40,854 --> 00:13:42,564
Jesse James' horse?
386
00:13:42,589 --> 00:13:45,289
I would.
387
00:13:45,292 --> 00:13:47,262
>> NARRATOR: This image,
388
00:13:47,260 --> 00:13:48,600
however, has proven to be a
389
00:13:48,595 --> 00:13:49,995
double-edged sword for
390
00:13:49,997 --> 00:13:51,927
the Hells Angels, who have both
391
00:13:51,932 --> 00:13:54,402
prospered and been persecuted
392
00:13:54,401 --> 00:13:55,941
because of their outlaw
393
00:13:55,936 --> 00:13:58,206
reputation.
394
00:13:58,205 --> 00:14:01,065
But what is fact and what is
395
00:14:01,074 --> 00:14:03,344
fiction when it comes to the
396
00:14:03,343 --> 00:14:07,613
notoriously secret biker gang?
397
00:14:07,614 --> 00:14:10,954
The image of the outlaw biker
398
00:14:10,951 --> 00:14:13,491
can be traced back to July 4,
399
00:14:13,486 --> 00:14:18,356
1947, when 4,000 motorcyclists
400
00:14:18,358 --> 00:14:20,428
from around the country
401
00:14:20,427 --> 00:14:22,357
converged on the sleepy town of
402
00:14:22,362 --> 00:14:26,232
Hollister, California.
403
00:14:26,233 --> 00:14:28,243
The media coverage painted a
404
00:14:28,235 --> 00:14:30,635
picture of a town taken over by
405
00:14:30,637 --> 00:14:32,507
packs of out-of-control
406
00:14:32,505 --> 00:14:34,435
motorcycle gangs.
407
00:14:34,441 --> 00:14:37,181
And when LIFE magazine published
408
00:14:37,177 --> 00:14:39,077
a photograph of a drunken club
409
00:14:39,079 --> 00:14:41,309
member surrounded by beer
410
00:14:41,314 --> 00:14:43,484
bottles, the image of the rebel
411
00:14:43,483 --> 00:14:48,223
biker was born.
412
00:14:48,221 --> 00:14:49,661
But did the picture tell the
413
00:14:49,656 --> 00:14:51,516
whole story?
414
00:14:51,524 --> 00:14:53,394
>> HAYES: The secret truth in
415
00:14:53,393 --> 00:14:55,133
that was that the picture was
416
00:14:55,128 --> 00:14:57,258
100% staged.
417
00:14:57,264 --> 00:14:59,204
There was a reporter from the
418
00:14:59,199 --> 00:15:00,399
San Francisco Chronicle there,
419
00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:02,140
named Barney Peterson.
420
00:15:02,135 --> 00:15:03,595
And he saw this guy on the
421
00:15:03,603 --> 00:15:05,113
street, threw him on a
422
00:15:05,105 --> 00:15:06,605
motorcycle, gathered up
423
00:15:06,606 --> 00:15:09,206
bottles-- broken bottles, beer
424
00:15:09,209 --> 00:15:10,209
bottles and beer cans and
425
00:15:10,210 --> 00:15:11,950
stuff-- put it around him and
426
00:15:11,945 --> 00:15:14,305
took several pictures.
427
00:15:17,484 --> 00:15:18,694
>> NARRATOR: In the wake of the
428
00:15:18,685 --> 00:15:20,545
incident in Hollister, one biker
429
00:15:20,553 --> 00:15:22,563
who attended the event, Otto
430
00:15:22,555 --> 00:15:24,555
Friedli, formed a new motorcycle
431
00:15:24,557 --> 00:15:26,387
club in San Bernardino,
432
00:15:26,393 --> 00:15:28,133
California.
433
00:15:28,128 --> 00:15:31,698
He called it the Hells Angels.
434
00:15:31,698 --> 00:15:33,028
>> DALAIMO: There's a lot of
435
00:15:33,033 --> 00:15:34,033
myths about how they were
436
00:15:34,034 --> 00:15:35,644
created... that they were old
437
00:15:35,635 --> 00:15:38,265
war veterans, coming back, and
438
00:15:38,271 --> 00:15:40,041
not being able to find a place
439
00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:41,670
to... to belong.
440
00:15:41,674 --> 00:15:43,044
Some of that's true.
441
00:15:43,043 --> 00:15:44,183
But the Hells Angels themselves
442
00:15:44,177 --> 00:15:47,007
were working-class white males,
443
00:15:47,014 --> 00:15:48,284
disenfranchised.
444
00:15:48,281 --> 00:15:50,321
They were trying to capture the
445
00:15:50,317 --> 00:15:52,147
American dream in a place where
446
00:15:52,152 --> 00:15:55,292
they couldn't find where it was.
447
00:15:55,288 --> 00:15:56,318
>> DROBAN: The Hells Angels name
448
00:15:56,323 --> 00:15:58,163
itself comes from a World War
449
00:15:58,158 --> 00:16:00,458
One and Two bomber squadron.
450
00:16:00,460 --> 00:16:02,130
>> NARRATOR: The Hells Angels
451
00:16:02,129 --> 00:16:03,599
adopted red and white as their
452
00:16:03,596 --> 00:16:05,266
colors and decorated their
453
00:16:05,265 --> 00:16:08,065
jackets, or "cuts," with the
454
00:16:08,068 --> 00:16:09,998
club's name and chapter along
455
00:16:10,003 --> 00:16:13,173
with their logo, a winged skull
456
00:16:13,173 --> 00:16:15,413
wearing a helmet.
457
00:16:15,408 --> 00:16:16,608
>> DROBAN: They adopted a lot of
458
00:16:16,609 --> 00:16:18,479
the military styles, so they
459
00:16:18,478 --> 00:16:20,048
have a patch system that is
460
00:16:20,047 --> 00:16:21,307
modeled after the military
461
00:16:21,314 --> 00:16:22,424
medals.
462
00:16:22,415 --> 00:16:23,745
They have a rank and file
463
00:16:23,750 --> 00:16:25,350
system, very much like the
464
00:16:25,352 --> 00:16:26,622
military.
465
00:16:26,619 --> 00:16:27,749
They have a hierarchy within
466
00:16:27,754 --> 00:16:29,094
their own group that is very
467
00:16:29,089 --> 00:16:31,319
much like the military.
468
00:16:34,694 --> 00:16:36,234
>> NARRATOR: The club quickly
469
00:16:36,229 --> 00:16:37,459
expanded.
470
00:16:37,464 --> 00:16:39,634
New chapters opened up across
471
00:16:39,632 --> 00:16:42,772
California, and by the 1960s,
472
00:16:42,769 --> 00:16:45,409
even overseas.
473
00:16:48,308 --> 00:16:50,238
The public, however, remained
474
00:16:50,243 --> 00:16:51,643
largely ignorant of the Hells
475
00:16:51,644 --> 00:16:55,584
Angels until 1964, when police
476
00:16:55,582 --> 00:16:57,782
in Monterey, California, charged
477
00:16:57,784 --> 00:17:00,594
four members of the Angels with
478
00:17:00,587 --> 00:17:04,117
raping two teenaged girls.
479
00:17:04,124 --> 00:17:06,264
Local and state politicians
480
00:17:06,259 --> 00:17:08,729
demanded action, resulting in
481
00:17:08,728 --> 00:17:10,258
the first official law
482
00:17:10,263 --> 00:17:12,373
enforcement investigation into
483
00:17:12,365 --> 00:17:14,665
the club.
484
00:17:14,667 --> 00:17:16,237
>> HAYES: Thomas Lynch was
485
00:17:16,236 --> 00:17:17,536
the attorney general of the
486
00:17:17,537 --> 00:17:20,367
state of California in 1965.
487
00:17:20,373 --> 00:17:22,543
And he issued the Lynch Report.
488
00:17:22,542 --> 00:17:24,542
It was written pretty
489
00:17:24,544 --> 00:17:26,454
dramatically-- like fiction, in
490
00:17:26,479 --> 00:17:28,819
a way.
491
00:17:28,815 --> 00:17:30,775
>> DAVIS: The Lynch Report
492
00:17:30,783 --> 00:17:33,293
portrayed the Hells Angels as
493
00:17:33,286 --> 00:17:34,686
a real menace in the state of
494
00:17:34,687 --> 00:17:37,287
California and got a lot of
495
00:17:37,290 --> 00:17:40,090
people stirred up.
496
00:17:40,093 --> 00:17:41,363
>> NARRATOR: Although the rape
497
00:17:41,361 --> 00:17:43,161
charges were dropped,
498
00:17:43,163 --> 00:17:45,303
the New York Times, TI and
499
00:17:45,298 --> 00:17:47,428
Newsweek picked up on the lurid
500
00:17:47,434 --> 00:17:49,804
accusations and turned the Hells
501
00:17:49,836 --> 00:17:53,566
Angels into a household name.
502
00:17:53,573 --> 00:17:55,543
*
503
00:17:55,542 --> 00:17:57,312
But the image of the Hells
504
00:17:57,310 --> 00:17:59,380
Angels as dangerous and violent
505
00:17:59,379 --> 00:18:01,849
outlaws was truly cemented when
506
00:18:01,848 --> 00:18:04,178
the Rolling Stones hired them to
507
00:18:04,184 --> 00:18:06,554
provide security at a concert
508
00:18:06,586 --> 00:18:10,456
outside San Francisco in 1969.
509
00:18:10,457 --> 00:18:12,457
>> ERIC HICKEY: The Rolling
510
00:18:12,459 --> 00:18:14,159
Stones had no idea who they were
511
00:18:14,161 --> 00:18:15,461
really dealing with until they
512
00:18:15,462 --> 00:18:16,602
got onstage and they realized
513
00:18:16,596 --> 00:18:17,796
th've got Hells Angels out
514
00:18:17,797 --> 00:18:19,197
here who are using drugs and
515
00:18:19,199 --> 00:18:20,669
someone's probably gonna get
516
00:18:20,700 --> 00:18:22,740
hurt.
517
00:18:22,735 --> 00:18:24,695
And sure enough, somebody did
518
00:18:24,704 --> 00:18:27,314
get hurt and was killed.
519
00:18:27,307 --> 00:18:29,437
>> DAVIS: Nobody loved, uh, the
520
00:18:29,442 --> 00:18:30,682
Hells Angels anymore.
521
00:18:30,677 --> 00:18:32,347
They were portrayed as bad
522
00:18:32,345 --> 00:18:34,745
hippies, like the Manson Family,
523
00:18:34,747 --> 00:18:36,477
and that's sort of the
524
00:18:36,483 --> 00:18:37,623
reputation that's stuck with
525
00:18:37,617 --> 00:18:41,217
them ever since.
526
00:18:41,221 --> 00:18:42,361
>> NARRATOR: But while their
527
00:18:42,355 --> 00:18:44,355
star faded in Hollywood, one
528
00:18:44,357 --> 00:18:46,357
member transformed the Hells
529
00:18:46,359 --> 00:18:48,359
Angels into the world's largest
530
00:18:48,361 --> 00:18:50,861
and most powerful motorcycle
531
00:18:50,897 --> 00:18:54,367
club, Ralph "Sonny" Barger.
532
00:18:54,367 --> 00:18:56,367
>> COOK: I firmly believe that,
533
00:18:56,369 --> 00:18:58,369
but not for Sonny Barger, the
534
00:18:58,371 --> 00:18:59,471
Hells Angels wouldn't be around
535
00:18:59,506 --> 00:19:01,536
today.
536
00:19:01,541 --> 00:19:03,511
I think he's that important in
537
00:19:03,510 --> 00:19:05,580
the historical sense of that
538
00:19:05,578 --> 00:19:06,778
organization.
539
00:19:06,779 --> 00:19:08,649
>> DAVIS: Sonny Barger became a
540
00:19:08,648 --> 00:19:10,648
Hells Angel at 19.
541
00:19:10,650 --> 00:19:12,450
He very quickly became the
542
00:19:12,452 --> 00:19:15,262
president of the Oakland charter
543
00:19:15,255 --> 00:19:18,185
of the Angels.
544
00:19:20,260 --> 00:19:21,790
>> NARRATOR: Under Sonny
545
00:19:21,794 --> 00:19:23,534
Barger's leadership, the Hells
546
00:19:23,530 --> 00:19:25,730
Angels dramatically expanded
547
00:19:25,732 --> 00:19:27,802
their numbers and power by
548
00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:30,370
absorbing smaller
549
00:19:30,370 --> 00:19:32,410
"one-percenter" clubs.
550
00:19:32,405 --> 00:19:33,805
When he became president in
551
00:19:33,806 --> 00:19:36,376
1958, the club had approximately
552
00:19:36,376 --> 00:19:38,546
200 members.
553
00:19:38,545 --> 00:19:40,545
A decade later, that number had
554
00:19:40,547 --> 00:19:43,347
grown to over a thousand.
555
00:19:43,350 --> 00:19:44,950
According to law enforcement
556
00:19:44,951 --> 00:19:46,791
officials, the Angels also
557
00:19:46,786 --> 00:19:48,416
expanded their criminal
558
00:19:48,421 --> 00:19:50,361
activities, running guns and
559
00:19:50,357 --> 00:19:52,257
dealing drugs, especially LSD
560
00:19:52,259 --> 00:19:56,359
and methamphetamine.
561
00:19:56,363 --> 00:19:58,403
While several club members were
562
00:19:58,398 --> 00:20:00,298
arrested and jailed, including
563
00:20:00,300 --> 00:20:03,440
Sonny Barger, the Hells Angels
564
00:20:03,436 --> 00:20:06,706
continued to grow stronger.
565
00:20:06,706 --> 00:20:08,236
>> COOK: With the Hells Angels,
566
00:20:08,241 --> 00:20:09,581
the way that they cover up a
567
00:20:09,576 --> 00:20:10,706
lot of the crimes that they
568
00:20:10,710 --> 00:20:12,810
commit is because people are too
569
00:20:12,812 --> 00:20:14,452
afraid to cooperate against
570
00:20:14,447 --> 00:20:17,317
them.
571
00:20:17,317 --> 00:20:18,447
>> NARRATOR: The federal
572
00:20:18,451 --> 00:20:20,591
government proved unsuccessful
573
00:20:20,587 --> 00:20:22,717
at infiltrating the Hells Angels
574
00:20:22,722 --> 00:20:26,392
for years, until one agent
575
00:20:26,393 --> 00:20:29,603
finally earned their trust by
576
00:20:29,596 --> 00:20:33,566
becoming an outlaw himself.
577
00:20:38,004 --> 00:20:39,774
>> NARRATOR: Laughlin, Nevada.
578
00:20:39,772 --> 00:20:42,642
April 27, 2002.
579
00:20:42,642 --> 00:20:44,642
During the city's annual River
580
00:20:44,644 --> 00:20:46,914
Run motorcycle rally, the Hells
581
00:20:46,913 --> 00:20:49,783
Angels and Mongols arrived with
582
00:20:49,782 --> 00:20:51,352
more on their minds than
583
00:20:51,384 --> 00:20:53,394
partying.
584
00:20:53,386 --> 00:20:55,386
>> COOK: The 2002 Laughlin
585
00:20:55,388 --> 00:20:56,518
River Run, uh, that was
586
00:20:56,523 --> 00:20:58,593
something that was a powder keg
587
00:20:58,591 --> 00:21:00,061
waiting to explode.
588
00:21:00,059 --> 00:21:02,459
>> DAVIS: The Mongols were
589
00:21:02,462 --> 00:21:03,932
staying at one end of the
590
00:21:03,930 --> 00:21:05,930
Laughlin Strip at a hotel called
591
00:21:05,932 --> 00:21:07,632
Harrah's, and the Angels were
592
00:21:07,634 --> 00:21:08,804
staying at the other end of the
593
00:21:08,801 --> 00:21:10,341
Strip at a hotel called the
594
00:21:10,337 --> 00:21:11,467
Flamingo.
595
00:21:11,471 --> 00:21:12,941
But there was one charter of the
596
00:21:12,939 --> 00:21:14,409
Hells Angels-- the Frisco Hells
597
00:21:14,407 --> 00:21:15,807
Angels had always stayed at
598
00:21:15,808 --> 00:21:18,478
Harrah's-- and some Mongols, for
599
00:21:18,478 --> 00:21:19,778
various reasons, started
600
00:21:19,812 --> 00:21:22,482
harassing them.
601
00:21:22,482 --> 00:21:24,482
>> NARRATOR: The Angels called
602
00:21:24,484 --> 00:21:26,354
for reinforcements.
603
00:21:26,353 --> 00:21:28,093
Minutes later, the casino floor
604
00:21:28,087 --> 00:21:31,487
was filled with 40 to 50 Hells
605
00:21:31,491 --> 00:21:33,961
Angels facing off with nearly
606
00:21:33,960 --> 00:21:37,500
115 Mongols.
607
00:21:37,497 --> 00:21:38,967
>> DAVIS: A Mongol walked up to
608
00:21:38,965 --> 00:21:40,565
a Hells Angel named "Ray Ray"
609
00:21:40,567 --> 00:21:42,027
Foakes and said, "We're gonna
610
00:21:42,034 --> 00:21:45,104
(bleep) you up."
611
00:21:45,104 --> 00:21:46,814
And Ray Ray Foakes kicked him
612
00:21:46,806 --> 00:21:48,036
in the chest, and that's how it
613
00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:49,980
started.
614
00:21:56,649 --> 00:22:00,649
(gunshots)
615
00:22:00,653 --> 00:22:01,793
>> NARRATOR: Security camera
616
00:22:01,788 --> 00:22:03,518
footage shows several men
617
00:22:03,523 --> 00:22:06,993
exchanging gunfire, while others
618
00:22:06,993 --> 00:22:10,003
attack with knives.
619
00:22:09,996 --> 00:22:11,996
A number of innocent bystanders
620
00:22:11,998 --> 00:22:13,798
were caught in the crosshairs of
621
00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:16,440
the deadly brawl.
622
00:22:16,436 --> 00:22:19,466
(gunshots)
623
00:22:19,472 --> 00:22:21,012
(siren wailing)
624
00:22:21,007 --> 00:22:23,137
When it was over, three men lay
625
00:22:23,142 --> 00:22:24,612
dead.
626
00:22:24,611 --> 00:22:26,011
Nearly a dozen more were sent to
627
00:22:26,012 --> 00:22:29,552
the hospital.
628
00:22:29,549 --> 00:22:31,479
A search of the casino turned up
629
00:22:31,484 --> 00:22:35,094
nine guns and 65 knives, as well
630
00:22:35,087 --> 00:22:37,017
as a number of hammers and other
631
00:22:37,023 --> 00:22:39,033
heavy tools scattered about the
632
00:22:39,025 --> 00:22:41,155
floor.
633
00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:43,500
>> BRUNWIN: The public can't
634
00:22:43,496 --> 00:22:45,026
grasp what's happening.
635
00:22:45,031 --> 00:22:46,431
In a lot of ways, it's only when
636
00:22:46,466 --> 00:22:48,466
you see the effects.
637
00:22:48,468 --> 00:22:50,468
We're desensitized to seeing car
638
00:22:50,470 --> 00:22:52,640
crashes or tragedies on the news
639
00:22:52,639 --> 00:22:56,479
or in the newspaper, but the
640
00:22:56,476 --> 00:22:58,006
destructive effects of violent
641
00:22:58,044 --> 00:23:01,654
crimes are very real.
642
00:23:01,648 --> 00:23:04,448
>> NARRATOR: Was this another
643
00:23:04,451 --> 00:23:06,591
spontaneous turf battle, or was
644
00:23:06,586 --> 00:23:09,586
it, as the Angels contend, a
645
00:23:09,589 --> 00:23:12,189
planned attack by the Mongols to
646
00:23:12,191 --> 00:23:14,531
make a name for their club in
647
00:23:14,527 --> 00:23:16,127
Nevada?
648
00:23:16,128 --> 00:23:18,598
Some believe the truth is even
649
00:23:18,598 --> 00:23:21,628
more unsettling: that the fight
650
00:23:21,634 --> 00:23:23,544
was instigated by undercover
651
00:23:23,536 --> 00:23:26,136
officers working for the Bureau
652
00:23:26,138 --> 00:23:28,068
of Alcohol, Tobacco and
653
00:23:28,074 --> 00:23:30,684
Firearms.
654
00:23:30,677 --> 00:23:32,077
>> DAVIS: The ATF knew what was
655
00:23:32,078 --> 00:23:33,078
going on.
656
00:23:33,079 --> 00:23:34,079
The extent to which the ATF
657
00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:36,880
agitated that incident is one of
658
00:23:36,883 --> 00:23:40,223
the ATF's many secrets.
659
00:23:40,219 --> 00:23:42,689
There were ATF agents who were
660
00:23:42,689 --> 00:23:44,159
watching the fight brew for
661
00:23:44,156 --> 00:23:45,756
more than an hour in the
662
00:23:45,758 --> 00:23:47,958
surveillance rooms at Harrah's.
663
00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:50,560
I have been told and I tend to
664
00:23:50,563 --> 00:23:51,963
believe that there were two
665
00:23:51,964 --> 00:23:53,534
confidential informants working
666
00:23:53,533 --> 00:23:54,973
for the ATF who were on the
667
00:23:54,967 --> 00:23:56,837
casino floor in Harrah's at the
668
00:23:56,836 --> 00:23:59,506
time the fight erupted.
669
00:24:02,108 --> 00:24:03,638
>> NARRATOR: If agents working
670
00:24:03,643 --> 00:24:05,113
for the federal government
671
00:24:05,111 --> 00:24:07,251
caused or even allowed the
672
00:24:07,246 --> 00:24:09,816
Laughlin shootout to happen, is
673
00:24:09,816 --> 00:24:11,946
it possible they have taken
674
00:24:11,951 --> 00:24:13,821
other questionable actions in
675
00:24:13,820 --> 00:24:15,790
monitoring outlaw motorcycle
676
00:24:15,788 --> 00:24:17,958
gangs?
677
00:24:17,957 --> 00:24:20,987
During the 1980s and '90s,
678
00:24:20,993 --> 00:24:23,003
efforts by both national and
679
00:24:22,995 --> 00:24:24,855
local law enforcement agencies
680
00:24:24,864 --> 00:24:27,004
to recruit informants or
681
00:24:26,999 --> 00:24:29,139
infiltrate undercover officers
682
00:24:29,135 --> 00:24:30,795
into the Hells Angels proved
683
00:24:30,803 --> 00:24:33,543
impossible.
684
00:24:33,540 --> 00:24:35,140
The club's president, Sonny
685
00:24:35,141 --> 00:24:36,911
Barger, bragged that the Angels
686
00:24:36,943 --> 00:24:39,213
were impenetrable.
687
00:24:39,211 --> 00:24:41,211
>> DROBAN: The reason the Hells
688
00:24:41,213 --> 00:24:42,553
Angels have been so difficult
689
00:24:42,549 --> 00:24:44,549
to infiltrate is because of
690
00:24:44,551 --> 00:24:46,591
their excruciatingly long
691
00:24:46,586 --> 00:24:47,816
prospecting period.
692
00:24:47,820 --> 00:24:49,160
Sonny Barger has been known to
693
00:24:49,155 --> 00:24:50,215
say it can be as long as it
694
00:24:50,222 --> 00:24:51,222
takes.
695
00:24:51,223 --> 00:24:52,693
So it's been a deterrent to law
696
00:24:52,692 --> 00:24:53,862
enforcement because they don't
697
00:24:53,860 --> 00:24:55,160
have years and years to
698
00:24:55,161 --> 00:24:57,031
infiltrate this club.
699
00:24:57,029 --> 00:24:58,599
>> DOBYNS: They're uniquely
700
00:24:58,598 --> 00:24:59,598
paranoid.
701
00:24:59,599 --> 00:25:00,599
They're uniquely skeptical.
702
00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:01,600
Everything you say, everything
703
00:25:01,601 --> 00:25:03,041
you do, the clothes you wear,
704
00:25:03,035 --> 00:25:04,235
how you talk, the motorcycle you
705
00:25:04,236 --> 00:25:06,606
ride, the car you drive, the
706
00:25:06,606 --> 00:25:08,166
people you associate with,
707
00:25:08,174 --> 00:25:09,784
where you live and the
708
00:25:09,776 --> 00:25:11,576
appearance of where you live are
709
00:25:11,578 --> 00:25:14,848
all reviewed and examined for
710
00:25:14,847 --> 00:25:17,817
any clue to them that will tip
711
00:25:17,850 --> 00:25:21,850
them that you're not legit.
712
00:25:21,854 --> 00:25:24,194
>> NARRATOR: The tables finally
713
00:25:24,190 --> 00:25:26,190
began to turn in the wake of the
714
00:25:26,192 --> 00:25:28,032
Laughlin shootout when the ATF
715
00:25:28,027 --> 00:25:30,857
initiated Operation Black
716
00:25:30,863 --> 00:25:33,273
Biscuit.
717
00:25:33,265 --> 00:25:34,995
>> COOK: Operation Black Biscuit
718
00:25:35,001 --> 00:25:37,801
was a very sophisticated, uh,
719
00:25:37,804 --> 00:25:39,744
undercover operation carried out
720
00:25:39,739 --> 00:25:41,209
by the Bureau of Alcohol,
721
00:25:41,207 --> 00:25:42,207
Tobacco, Firearms and
722
00:25:42,208 --> 00:25:43,208
Explosives.
723
00:25:43,209 --> 00:25:45,339
The goal of that investigation
724
00:25:45,344 --> 00:25:46,884
was to take the Hells Angels out
725
00:25:46,879 --> 00:25:48,349
in Arizona, and I think as
726
00:25:48,347 --> 00:25:51,277
importantly to get inside on the
727
00:25:51,283 --> 00:25:53,053
Hells Angels, especially right
728
00:25:53,052 --> 00:25:55,822
in Sonny Barger's backyard.
729
00:25:55,822 --> 00:25:57,822
>> NARRATOR: ATF officials
730
00:25:57,824 --> 00:25:59,034
selected as their lead
731
00:25:59,025 --> 00:26:01,355
undercover agent Jay Dobyns, a
732
00:26:01,360 --> 00:26:03,800
former college football star and
733
00:26:03,796 --> 00:26:06,626
15-year veteran with the bureau.
734
00:26:06,633 --> 00:26:08,373
Dobyns assumed the identity of
735
00:26:08,367 --> 00:26:10,897
"Jaybird," a member of the Solo
736
00:26:10,903 --> 00:26:13,073
Angels hoping to be patched
737
00:26:13,072 --> 00:26:15,942
into the Hells Angels.
738
00:26:15,942 --> 00:26:17,642
>> DOBYNS: I played myself off
739
00:26:17,644 --> 00:26:19,854
to be a violent person, a hit
740
00:26:19,846 --> 00:26:22,776
man, someone who had connections
741
00:26:22,782 --> 00:26:24,252
to weapons trafficking, someone
742
00:26:24,250 --> 00:26:26,050
who could move narcotics,
743
00:26:26,052 --> 00:26:27,392
someone who could handle
744
00:26:27,386 --> 00:26:29,356
business on a violent level on
745
00:26:29,355 --> 00:26:31,755
the club's behalf.
746
00:26:33,259 --> 00:26:35,259
>> NARRATOR: In an effort to
747
00:26:35,261 --> 00:26:36,661
convince the Angels to patch
748
00:26:36,663 --> 00:26:39,273
him in as a full member, Dobyns
749
00:26:39,265 --> 00:26:41,865
hatched a plan to stage the fake
750
00:26:41,868 --> 00:26:44,738
murder of a rival gang member
751
00:26:44,737 --> 00:26:47,107
hiding out in Mexico.
752
00:26:47,106 --> 00:26:48,266
>> DOBYNS: I convinced the
753
00:26:48,274 --> 00:26:49,284
Hells Angels that I had
754
00:26:49,275 --> 00:26:50,935
committed a murder on behalf of
755
00:26:50,943 --> 00:26:54,083
the gang by taking a living,
756
00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:55,880
breathing member of our task
757
00:26:55,882 --> 00:26:57,122
force, dressed him up in the
758
00:26:57,116 --> 00:26:59,286
colors of the Mongols, took him
759
00:26:59,285 --> 00:27:02,285
into the desert and used a
760
00:27:02,288 --> 00:27:04,388
homicide detective to basically
761
00:27:04,390 --> 00:27:07,090
create a homicide scene for us
762
00:27:07,093 --> 00:27:10,303
with blood, with brain matter,
763
00:27:10,296 --> 00:27:12,026
with a victim laying in a
764
00:27:12,031 --> 00:27:13,901
shallow grave with his hands and
765
00:27:13,900 --> 00:27:16,240
feet duct-taped together.
766
00:27:18,437 --> 00:27:20,037
>> NARRATOR: Two days later,
767
00:27:20,039 --> 00:27:21,309
Dobyns returned with crime scene
768
00:27:21,307 --> 00:27:24,107
photographs and the dead man's
769
00:27:24,110 --> 00:27:27,180
leather vest or "cut."
770
00:27:27,179 --> 00:27:28,409
>> DOBYNS: I brought physical
771
00:27:28,414 --> 00:27:29,784
evidence back to the Hells
772
00:27:29,782 --> 00:27:32,922
Angels as an actual display that
773
00:27:32,919 --> 00:27:35,419
a murder had been done,
774
00:27:35,421 --> 00:27:36,721
something that they could see
775
00:27:36,723 --> 00:27:37,793
and they could touch and that
776
00:27:37,790 --> 00:27:38,990
they could feel to make it real
777
00:27:38,991 --> 00:27:40,331
to them.
778
00:27:40,326 --> 00:27:41,756
>> NARRATOR: Once in the club,
779
00:27:41,761 --> 00:27:43,901
Dobyns gained a rare insight
780
00:27:43,896 --> 00:27:45,866
into the Hells Angels' secret
781
00:27:45,865 --> 00:27:49,335
agenda.
782
00:27:49,335 --> 00:27:50,395
>> DOBYNS: When someone says to
783
00:27:50,402 --> 00:27:51,472
me the Hells Angels are just a
784
00:27:51,470 --> 00:27:53,810
simple group of thugs, my
785
00:27:53,806 --> 00:27:56,206
response to them is, "Turn
786
00:27:56,208 --> 00:27:59,348
around and run away as fast as
787
00:27:59,345 --> 00:28:01,145
you can."
788
00:28:01,147 --> 00:28:03,017
That's the secret.
789
00:28:03,015 --> 00:28:05,345
That's the joke on us.
790
00:28:05,351 --> 00:28:07,351
The truth is they are a nasty,
791
00:28:07,353 --> 00:28:11,223
violent, vicious, international
792
00:28:11,223 --> 00:28:13,463
crime syndicate that will stop
793
00:28:13,459 --> 00:28:16,199
at nothing to defend their club,
794
00:28:16,195 --> 00:28:17,795
to defend the name of their club
795
00:28:17,797 --> 00:28:19,827
and to defend the membership
796
00:28:19,832 --> 00:28:24,372
within the club.
797
00:28:24,370 --> 00:28:25,910
>> NARRATOR: Jay Dobyns spent
798
00:28:25,905 --> 00:28:28,365
nearly two years undercover, but
799
00:28:28,374 --> 00:28:30,784
in the end, would Operation
800
00:28:30,777 --> 00:28:34,247
Black Biscuit pay off?
801
00:28:34,246 --> 00:28:36,246
Or would the Hells Angels emerge
802
00:28:36,248 --> 00:28:38,818
even more emboldened and more
803
00:28:38,818 --> 00:28:42,518
dangerous than before?
804
00:28:42,521 --> 00:28:47,461
(siren wailing)istinct radio transmissio
805
00:28:47,459 --> 00:28:49,999
>> NARRATOR: On July 8, 2003,
806
00:28:49,996 --> 00:28:52,056
Operation Black Biscuit ended
807
00:28:52,064 --> 00:28:53,534
with indictments against 16
808
00:28:53,532 --> 00:28:55,332
Hells Angels members and
809
00:28:55,334 --> 00:28:57,274
associates, including three
810
00:28:57,269 --> 00:28:59,269
chapter presidents, on
811
00:28:59,271 --> 00:29:02,471
racketeering, gun, drug and
812
00:29:02,474 --> 00:29:05,284
murder charges.
813
00:29:05,277 --> 00:29:06,477
But before the cases could be
814
00:29:06,478 --> 00:29:08,278
brought to trial, the defense
815
00:29:08,280 --> 00:29:10,120
lawyers argued that government
816
00:29:10,116 --> 00:29:12,016
informants had compromised
817
00:29:12,018 --> 00:29:14,288
themselves by using illegal
818
00:29:14,286 --> 00:29:16,416
drugs and participating in
819
00:29:16,422 --> 00:29:19,362
criminal activities.
820
00:29:19,358 --> 00:29:20,988
The feds were forced to drop all
821
00:29:21,027 --> 00:29:23,957
criminal charges.
822
00:29:23,963 --> 00:29:25,973
>> DOBYNS: The reality of it is
823
00:29:25,965 --> 00:29:27,565
the infighting inside the
824
00:29:27,566 --> 00:29:29,436
government on how to present
825
00:29:29,435 --> 00:29:31,395
that case in the courtroom
826
00:29:31,403 --> 00:29:34,543
became so extreme and so heated
827
00:29:34,573 --> 00:29:38,583
that we killed our own case.
828
00:29:38,577 --> 00:29:41,447
>> NARRATOR: A decade later,
829
00:29:41,447 --> 00:29:43,447
Dobyns remains disillusioned by
830
00:29:43,449 --> 00:29:45,149
the outcome of his undercover
831
00:29:45,151 --> 00:29:46,451
work.
832
00:29:46,452 --> 00:29:47,592
>> DOBYNS: I would love to say
833
00:29:47,586 --> 00:29:48,886
that what I did put such a
834
00:29:48,888 --> 00:29:50,458
significant dent in the Hells
835
00:29:50,456 --> 00:29:52,186
Angels that they'd never be the
836
00:29:52,191 --> 00:29:53,331
same.
837
00:29:53,325 --> 00:29:54,855
The reality of it is they've
838
00:29:54,861 --> 00:29:56,201
only gotten stronger.
839
00:29:56,195 --> 00:29:57,395
They've only gotten bigger.
840
00:29:57,396 --> 00:29:58,396
They've only become more
841
00:29:58,397 --> 00:30:02,197
empowered.
842
00:30:02,201 --> 00:30:04,041
>> NARRATOR: Today, the Hells
843
00:30:04,036 --> 00:30:05,536
Angels view their struggles with
844
00:30:05,537 --> 00:30:07,537
the federal government as just
845
00:30:07,539 --> 00:30:11,079
part of doing business.
846
00:30:11,077 --> 00:30:12,477
But a much bigger concern for
847
00:30:12,478 --> 00:30:14,348
both the Hells Angels and the
848
00:30:14,346 --> 00:30:16,346
American public is the rapidly
849
00:30:16,348 --> 00:30:18,348
growing threat posed by other
850
00:30:18,350 --> 00:30:21,490
outlaw motorcycle gangs and the
851
00:30:21,487 --> 00:30:24,357
secret war being fought on the
852
00:30:24,356 --> 00:30:26,356
streets for control of the drug
853
00:30:26,358 --> 00:30:30,158
trade.
854
00:30:30,162 --> 00:30:31,632
Sparks, Nevada.
855
00:30:31,630 --> 00:30:34,630
September 23, 2011.
856
00:30:34,633 --> 00:30:36,943
Jethro Pettigrew, chapter
857
00:30:36,936 --> 00:30:39,166
president of the San Jose,
858
00:30:39,171 --> 00:30:41,171
California Hells Angels, is
859
00:30:41,173 --> 00:30:43,643
shot and killed on the floor of
860
00:30:43,642 --> 00:30:48,182
John Ascuaga's Nugget Casino.
861
00:30:48,180 --> 00:30:49,520
(gunshots)
862
00:30:51,183 --> 00:30:53,223
Several members of the Vagos, a
863
00:30:53,219 --> 00:30:55,449
rival one-percenter club, are on
864
00:30:55,454 --> 00:30:58,594
the attack.
865
00:30:58,590 --> 00:31:01,130
Hours later, on the street, a
866
00:31:01,127 --> 00:31:03,557
Vago is shot and killed in a
867
00:31:03,595 --> 00:31:05,925
drive-by shooting.
868
00:31:05,932 --> 00:31:07,932
>> BRUNWIN: Members of the
869
00:31:07,934 --> 00:31:09,404
public are always in danger of
870
00:31:09,401 --> 00:31:11,471
being in the wrong place at the
871
00:31:11,470 --> 00:31:13,110
wrong time with an organization
872
00:31:13,105 --> 00:31:14,965
like an outlaw motorcycle gang,
873
00:31:14,974 --> 00:31:16,384
and most of the public is very
874
00:31:16,408 --> 00:31:18,408
unaware.
875
00:31:18,410 --> 00:31:20,410
>> DOBYNS: As a society, we
876
00:31:20,412 --> 00:31:22,282
cannot allow gang-on-gang
877
00:31:22,281 --> 00:31:25,151
violence to spill into areas
878
00:31:25,151 --> 00:31:27,221
where our families are at, where
879
00:31:27,219 --> 00:31:30,019
our kids are at.
880
00:31:30,022 --> 00:31:31,162
>> NARRATOR: Although the
881
00:31:31,157 --> 00:31:33,027
Sparks incident passed without
882
00:31:33,025 --> 00:31:34,685
further bloodshed, outlaw
883
00:31:34,693 --> 00:31:36,963
motorcycle gangs remain mired
884
00:31:36,963 --> 00:31:41,133
in an unending war.
885
00:31:41,133 --> 00:31:42,973
The largest and most violent of
886
00:31:42,969 --> 00:31:45,039
these clubs are the so-called
887
00:31:45,037 --> 00:31:48,307
"Big Four" MCs: the Outlaws,
888
00:31:48,307 --> 00:31:51,207
Bandidos, Pagans and, of
889
00:31:51,243 --> 00:31:53,313
course, the Hells Angels.
890
00:31:53,312 --> 00:31:55,312
>> HICKEY: They're very
891
00:31:55,314 --> 00:31:57,184
territorial-- not just physical
892
00:31:57,183 --> 00:31:59,023
territory where they live, but
893
00:31:59,018 --> 00:32:00,448
also the types of crimes that
894
00:32:00,452 --> 00:32:02,122
they're doing.
895
00:32:02,121 --> 00:32:03,191
They don't want to deal with
896
00:32:03,189 --> 00:32:04,189
other gangs, and so what they
897
00:32:04,190 --> 00:32:05,190
do is stake out their territory
898
00:32:05,191 --> 00:32:07,161
and they send messages.
899
00:32:07,159 --> 00:32:09,329
And if it requires the killing
900
00:32:09,328 --> 00:32:11,028
of another gang member in
901
00:32:11,030 --> 00:32:12,460
another group, it's done in a
902
00:32:12,464 --> 00:32:14,334
way to send a message.
903
00:32:14,333 --> 00:32:16,043
>> FALCO: When you join a gang
904
00:32:16,035 --> 00:32:18,265
like the Hells Angels, you join
905
00:32:18,270 --> 00:32:19,640
it to have power and power in
906
00:32:19,671 --> 00:32:21,671
the streets.
907
00:32:21,673 --> 00:32:23,683
90% of it would be to bully a
908
00:32:23,675 --> 00:32:25,205
normal citizen.
909
00:32:25,211 --> 00:32:27,481
They don't like society.
910
00:32:27,479 --> 00:32:30,419
They don't like our world.
911
00:32:31,683 --> 00:32:33,193
>> NARRATOR: Charles Falco spent
912
00:32:33,185 --> 00:32:35,145
nearly three years infiltrating
913
00:32:35,154 --> 00:32:37,764
the Vagos, and then later spent
914
00:32:37,756 --> 00:32:39,756
another five years infiltrating
915
00:32:39,758 --> 00:32:42,358
the Outlaws.
916
00:32:42,361 --> 00:32:44,301
Falco witnessed firsthand the
917
00:32:44,296 --> 00:32:46,226
extreme methods used by the
918
00:32:46,232 --> 00:32:48,032
Hells Angels to protect their
919
00:32:48,034 --> 00:32:50,104
turf.
920
00:32:50,102 --> 00:32:51,642
>> FALCO: The Hells Angels were
921
00:32:51,637 --> 00:32:53,037
hunting us, following us,
922
00:32:53,039 --> 00:32:54,569
staking us out.
923
00:32:54,573 --> 00:32:56,043
They're very methodical in
924
00:32:56,042 --> 00:32:59,352
planning their retaliation.
925
00:32:59,345 --> 00:33:01,075
They may wait a year, and they
926
00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:03,050
may place a bomb.
927
00:33:03,049 --> 00:33:04,519
They may firebomb.
928
00:33:04,516 --> 00:33:05,746
They sniper with high-powered
929
00:33:05,751 --> 00:33:07,651
rifles.
930
00:33:07,653 --> 00:33:09,223
That's not stuff normal gang
931
00:33:09,221 --> 00:33:10,621
members have to worry about.
932
00:33:10,622 --> 00:33:13,062
(gunshot)
933
00:33:13,059 --> 00:33:14,389
The general public needs to know
934
00:33:14,393 --> 00:33:15,733
that because they're murderers
935
00:33:15,727 --> 00:33:18,727
and menaces to society.
936
00:33:18,730 --> 00:33:20,400
Different biker gangs have
937
00:33:20,399 --> 00:33:21,529
different weapons they like.
938
00:33:21,533 --> 00:33:23,373
The Pagans, they have a big wood
939
00:33:23,369 --> 00:33:25,539
cane that's kind of like a bat.
940
00:33:25,537 --> 00:33:26,807
The Hells Angels have the
941
00:33:26,805 --> 00:33:28,135
ball-peen hammer.
942
00:33:28,140 --> 00:33:29,380
And the ball-peen hammer is
943
00:33:29,375 --> 00:33:30,535
perfect because it's legal, so
944
00:33:30,542 --> 00:33:32,282
there's no way the police can
945
00:33:32,278 --> 00:33:33,548
tell you you can't have it.
946
00:33:33,545 --> 00:33:34,745
It's not like a claw hammer,
947
00:33:34,746 --> 00:33:36,116
where you can only really use
948
00:33:36,115 --> 00:33:37,115
one side to bash someone's head
949
00:33:37,116 --> 00:33:38,116
in.
950
00:33:38,117 --> 00:33:39,147
I can pull this out and bash
951
00:33:39,151 --> 00:33:40,221
someone's head in using either
952
00:33:40,219 --> 00:33:42,419
side.
953
00:33:42,421 --> 00:33:43,621
>> NARRATOR: If the Hells Angels
954
00:33:43,622 --> 00:33:44,822
are at the center of this
955
00:33:44,823 --> 00:33:46,793
underground war, then why
956
00:33:46,792 --> 00:33:48,762
haven't law enforcement
957
00:33:48,760 --> 00:33:50,360
officials been able to stop
958
00:33:50,362 --> 00:33:52,102
them?
959
00:33:52,098 --> 00:33:53,098
>> DOBYNS: My house was burned
960
00:33:53,099 --> 00:33:54,699
down to the ground in 2008,
961
00:33:54,700 --> 00:33:56,570
murder contracts offered against
962
00:33:56,568 --> 00:33:58,698
me, threats to kidnap and
963
00:33:58,704 --> 00:34:01,844
videotape the gang rape of my
964
00:34:01,840 --> 00:34:03,180
wife.
965
00:34:03,175 --> 00:34:04,575
When the threats came down on
966
00:34:04,576 --> 00:34:06,246
me, my own government and my own
967
00:34:06,245 --> 00:34:08,705
agency abandoned me.
968
00:34:08,714 --> 00:34:10,424
They told me the Hells Angels
969
00:34:10,416 --> 00:34:11,816
are too big, they're too
970
00:34:11,817 --> 00:34:14,847
powerful and you're on your own.
971
00:34:14,853 --> 00:34:17,193
>> NARRATOR: Ironically, the
972
00:34:17,189 --> 00:34:18,859
Angels often conduct
973
00:34:18,857 --> 00:34:20,457
countersurveillance on the
974
00:34:20,459 --> 00:34:22,389
police, looking for undercover
975
00:34:22,428 --> 00:34:25,298
officers or club informants.
976
00:34:25,297 --> 00:34:27,297
>> COOK: I have found
977
00:34:27,299 --> 00:34:28,799
photographs of myself,
978
00:34:28,800 --> 00:34:30,470
photographs of my unmarked
979
00:34:30,469 --> 00:34:32,339
police vehicle inside different
980
00:34:32,338 --> 00:34:34,738
motorcycle gang members' homes.
981
00:34:34,740 --> 00:34:36,810
>> NARRATOR: The Angels also
982
00:34:36,808 --> 00:34:39,278
use their "old ladies" and
983
00:34:39,278 --> 00:34:40,808
other friends of the club to
984
00:34:40,812 --> 00:34:42,882
infiltrate law enforcement
985
00:34:42,881 --> 00:34:44,421
agencies.
986
00:34:44,416 --> 00:34:45,876
>> DROBAN: Some of them will be
987
00:34:45,884 --> 00:34:46,894
dispatchers, for example, at
988
00:34:46,885 --> 00:34:48,285
police agencies, so they are
989
00:34:48,287 --> 00:34:50,617
there to gather intelligence in
990
00:34:50,622 --> 00:34:51,862
the same purpose as, you know,
991
00:34:51,857 --> 00:34:53,187
a government agent might use an
992
00:34:53,225 --> 00:34:55,225
informant.
993
00:34:55,227 --> 00:34:57,227
>> FALCO: They might have
994
00:34:57,229 --> 00:34:58,229
someone who's in law enforcement
995
00:34:58,230 --> 00:34:59,230
that's a traitor.
996
00:34:59,231 --> 00:35:01,201
It's a whole string of people
997
00:35:01,200 --> 00:35:02,700
and connections that do stuff
998
00:35:02,701 --> 00:35:04,201
for them.
999
00:35:04,203 --> 00:35:05,903
>> DOBYNS: If you are concerned
1000
00:35:05,904 --> 00:35:09,214
or wonder if the Hells Angels
1001
00:35:09,208 --> 00:35:10,908
have infiltrated our government
1002
00:35:10,909 --> 00:35:12,239
or have the ability to
1003
00:35:12,244 --> 00:35:13,654
infiltrate our government, stop
1004
00:35:13,645 --> 00:35:17,175
worrying... because they have.
1005
00:35:17,183 --> 00:35:18,523
>> NARRATOR: While the police
1006
00:35:18,517 --> 00:35:20,187
continue to search for ways to
1007
00:35:20,186 --> 00:35:22,786
break up the Angels' criminal
1008
00:35:22,788 --> 00:35:26,258
empire, the club keeps growing,
1009
00:35:26,258 --> 00:35:28,728
especially overseas.
1010
00:35:28,727 --> 00:35:30,657
But just how powerful and
1011
00:35:30,662 --> 00:35:33,402
dangerous are these new foreign
1012
00:35:33,399 --> 00:35:35,529
chapters becoming?
1013
00:35:35,534 --> 00:35:37,674
And can anything be done to
1014
00:35:37,669 --> 00:35:39,809
control them?
1015
00:35:42,908 --> 00:35:44,578
>> NARRATOR: Half a century ago,
1016
00:35:44,576 --> 00:35:46,776
the Hells Angels were a ragtag
1017
00:35:46,778 --> 00:35:48,648
group of rebels dedicated only
1018
00:35:48,647 --> 00:35:52,577
to bikes, booze and babes.
1019
00:35:56,855 --> 00:35:59,785
Today, the club is a global
1020
00:35:59,791 --> 00:36:02,931
empire with more than 100
1021
00:36:02,928 --> 00:36:05,928
sanctioned chapters in 25
1022
00:36:05,931 --> 00:36:08,731
countries around the world.
1023
00:36:08,734 --> 00:36:09,844
>> DROBAN: Biker gangs are
1024
00:36:09,868 --> 00:36:11,898
America's export.
1025
00:36:11,903 --> 00:36:13,873
Anywhere that you go, you're
1026
00:36:13,872 --> 00:36:15,512
gonna be able to walk into any
1027
00:36:15,507 --> 00:36:16,607
chapter and find exactly the
1028
00:36:16,642 --> 00:36:18,682
same thing.
1029
00:36:18,677 --> 00:36:20,647
And they have franchised
1030
00:36:20,646 --> 00:36:21,806
themselves so that they can
1031
00:36:21,813 --> 00:36:24,553
control the drug trafficking.
1032
00:36:24,550 --> 00:36:26,290
Their mission is to become the
1033
00:36:26,285 --> 00:36:27,885
dominant gang, so they do that
1034
00:36:27,886 --> 00:36:30,556
by absorbing other biker gangs
1035
00:36:30,556 --> 00:36:32,556
so that they can become the big
1036
00:36:32,558 --> 00:36:34,958
Red and White.
1037
00:36:34,960 --> 00:36:36,360
>> NARRATOR: As the
1038
00:36:36,362 --> 00:36:37,832
international money and power
1039
00:36:37,829 --> 00:36:40,299
has grown, so too has the
1040
00:36:40,299 --> 00:36:42,429
violence.
1041
00:36:42,434 --> 00:36:45,244
In Canada, a turf war involving
1042
00:36:45,237 --> 00:36:47,307
the Quebec chapter of the Hells
1043
00:36:47,306 --> 00:36:49,306
Angels witnessed the use of not
1044
00:36:49,308 --> 00:36:52,308
just military assault rifles
1045
00:36:52,311 --> 00:36:54,851
but bombs and rocket-propelled
1046
00:36:54,846 --> 00:36:57,546
grenades.
1047
00:36:57,549 --> 00:36:59,319
The fighting has left an
1048
00:36:59,318 --> 00:37:01,948
estimated 160 people dead and
1049
00:37:01,953 --> 00:37:04,423
countless more maimed or
1050
00:37:04,423 --> 00:37:06,293
injured, including innocent
1051
00:37:06,325 --> 00:37:08,985
bystanders.
1052
00:37:08,994 --> 00:37:11,004
>> FALCO: They're like the
1053
00:37:10,996 --> 00:37:12,996
equivalent of the cartels in
1054
00:37:12,998 --> 00:37:14,928
Mexico.
1055
00:37:14,933 --> 00:37:16,673
>> DOBYNS: The Hells Angels wear
1056
00:37:16,668 --> 00:37:17,998
a tab on their vest-- the ones
1057
00:37:18,003 --> 00:37:19,373
that have earned it-- that says
1058
00:37:19,405 --> 00:37:21,435
"Filthy Few."
1059
00:37:21,440 --> 00:37:23,410
Now, their explanation of the
1060
00:37:23,409 --> 00:37:24,709
"Filthy Few" to the public is
1061
00:37:24,710 --> 00:37:26,280
that it's the "Filthy Few" that
1062
00:37:26,278 --> 00:37:28,478
remain at the parties after the
1063
00:37:28,480 --> 00:37:29,950
party's done.
1064
00:37:29,948 --> 00:37:31,748
The truth of it is, is that you
1065
00:37:31,750 --> 00:37:33,320
get a "Filthy Few" tab for the
1066
00:37:33,319 --> 00:37:34,589
Hells Angels if you've committed
1067
00:37:34,586 --> 00:37:37,586
a murder on their behalf.
1068
00:37:37,589 --> 00:37:39,289
>> NARRATOR: The U.S.
1069
00:37:39,291 --> 00:37:40,591
government declared the Hells
1070
00:37:40,592 --> 00:37:42,632
Angels "an organized criminal
1071
00:37:42,628 --> 00:37:46,628
gang" in 1981 and since 2012 has
1072
00:37:46,632 --> 00:37:48,902
prohibited international club
1073
00:37:48,900 --> 00:37:50,700
members from entering the
1074
00:37:50,702 --> 00:37:52,042
country.
1075
00:37:52,037 --> 00:37:55,507
But on August 16, 2012, the
1076
00:37:55,507 --> 00:37:57,907
Hells Angels filed a lawsuit
1077
00:37:57,909 --> 00:37:59,509
against the Department of
1078
00:37:59,511 --> 00:38:01,311
Homeland Security to have that
1079
00:38:01,313 --> 00:38:03,053
criminal label officially
1080
00:38:03,048 --> 00:38:05,718
removed.
1081
00:38:05,717 --> 00:38:08,387
How is it that this brotherhood
1082
00:38:08,387 --> 00:38:10,587
of bikers, with a reputation for
1083
00:38:10,589 --> 00:38:12,759
being "free-wheeling
1084
00:38:12,758 --> 00:38:14,728
anarchists," have become so well
1085
00:38:14,726 --> 00:38:17,526
organized they can take on the
1086
00:38:17,529 --> 00:38:20,369
U.S. government in a court of
1087
00:38:20,399 --> 00:38:22,769
law?
1088
00:38:22,768 --> 00:38:24,738
>> COOK: The Hells Angels are
1089
00:38:24,736 --> 00:38:26,736
so wealthy at this point that
1090
00:38:26,738 --> 00:38:28,668
they can hire the best
1091
00:38:28,674 --> 00:38:30,544
attorneys and they can really
1092
00:38:30,542 --> 00:38:32,482
fight anything that you throw up
1093
00:38:32,478 --> 00:38:34,348
against them.
1094
00:38:34,346 --> 00:38:36,516
But as far as their worth, they
1095
00:38:36,515 --> 00:38:38,075
let you see what they want you
1096
00:38:38,083 --> 00:38:39,823
to see.
1097
00:38:39,818 --> 00:38:41,018
>> DAVIS: There are about 240
1098
00:38:41,019 --> 00:38:43,019
charters in the club, and each
1099
00:38:43,021 --> 00:38:45,361
charter is a force unto itself,
1100
00:38:45,391 --> 00:38:48,091
and so there is no central fund.
1101
00:38:48,093 --> 00:38:50,103
>> DOBYNS: One of the things
1102
00:38:50,095 --> 00:38:51,895
that I learned on the inside is
1103
00:38:51,897 --> 00:38:53,567
that there's rules and
1104
00:38:53,565 --> 00:38:56,695
regulations and protocols beyond
1105
00:38:56,702 --> 00:38:59,442
anything I ever expected.
1106
00:38:59,438 --> 00:39:00,668
>> NARRATOR: Members are
1107
00:39:00,672 --> 00:39:02,442
required to attend regular
1108
00:39:02,441 --> 00:39:04,781
meetings and pay club dues.
1109
00:39:04,776 --> 00:39:06,706
Even an ordinary activity like
1110
00:39:06,712 --> 00:39:08,852
riding around town is regimented
1111
00:39:08,847 --> 00:39:11,817
by what some call "the code of
1112
00:39:11,817 --> 00:39:14,717
the road."
1113
00:39:14,720 --> 00:39:16,720
>> FALCO: In most cases, when
1114
00:39:16,722 --> 00:39:18,522
riding in a pack, uh, Hells
1115
00:39:18,524 --> 00:39:20,134
Angels, you usually have your
1116
00:39:20,125 --> 00:39:22,985
president up front, and right
1117
00:39:22,994 --> 00:39:24,664
next to him would be your
1118
00:39:24,663 --> 00:39:25,963
sergeant-at-arms because he's
1119
00:39:25,964 --> 00:39:27,404
the bodyguard for the president
1120
00:39:27,399 --> 00:39:28,469
of the chapter.
1121
00:39:28,467 --> 00:39:29,667
And that way, you keep the
1122
00:39:29,668 --> 00:39:31,468
president up front and
1123
00:39:31,470 --> 00:39:34,110
protected, just like you would
1124
00:39:34,105 --> 00:39:35,465
the president of the United
1125
00:39:35,474 --> 00:39:37,144
States.
1126
00:39:37,142 --> 00:39:39,012
>> COOK: The Hells Angels are
1127
00:39:39,010 --> 00:39:40,610
the business model for every
1128
00:39:40,612 --> 00:39:42,412
other outlaw motorcycle gang to
1129
00:39:42,414 --> 00:39:43,624
follow.
1130
00:39:43,615 --> 00:39:44,815
They know what they're doing,
1131
00:39:44,816 --> 00:39:46,016
and they've obviously been very
1132
00:39:46,017 --> 00:39:47,887
successful in their endeavors up
1133
00:39:47,886 --> 00:39:49,146
to this point.
1134
00:39:49,154 --> 00:39:50,494
People can look at it and say,
1135
00:39:50,489 --> 00:39:51,489
"Oh, you know, they're
1136
00:39:51,490 --> 00:39:52,490
incorporated.
1137
00:39:52,491 --> 00:39:53,631
They can't be a bad
1138
00:39:53,625 --> 00:39:55,625
organization."
1139
00:39:55,627 --> 00:39:57,027
>> NARRATOR: But as they become
1140
00:39:57,028 --> 00:39:58,728
more corporate, are the Hells
1141
00:39:58,730 --> 00:40:01,430
Angels moving away from their
1142
00:40:01,433 --> 00:40:03,503
violent past?
1143
00:40:03,502 --> 00:40:05,172
Or has it only helped them to
1144
00:40:05,170 --> 00:40:06,670
wage a more effective public
1145
00:40:06,705 --> 00:40:08,735
relations campaign?
1146
00:40:08,740 --> 00:40:10,710
>> DALAIMO: Their motto is,
1147
00:40:10,709 --> 00:40:12,509
"When we do something nice,
1148
00:40:12,511 --> 00:40:14,181
everyone forgets, and when we
1149
00:40:14,179 --> 00:40:15,979
do something bad, they remember
1150
00:40:15,981 --> 00:40:17,851
forever."
1151
00:40:17,849 --> 00:40:19,919
>> HICKEY: There are gang
1152
00:40:19,918 --> 00:40:21,188
members who marry, have
1153
00:40:21,186 --> 00:40:22,186
children.
1154
00:40:22,187 --> 00:40:23,187
They have families.
1155
00:40:23,188 --> 00:40:24,658
They provide for their families.
1156
00:40:24,656 --> 00:40:26,656
Hells Angels want some of the
1157
00:40:26,658 --> 00:40:27,788
same similar things that we
1158
00:40:27,793 --> 00:40:30,003
want, but they're willing to
1159
00:40:29,995 --> 00:40:30,995
engage in criminal activities
1160
00:40:31,029 --> 00:40:34,529
to obtain them.
1161
00:40:34,533 --> 00:40:36,503
>> NARRATOR: Is it possible that
1162
00:40:36,502 --> 00:40:38,042
the Hells Angels' most dangerous
1163
00:40:38,036 --> 00:40:40,906
crime has been convincing the
1164
00:40:40,906 --> 00:40:43,036
public that they are simply a
1165
00:40:43,041 --> 00:40:45,211
band of rebel bikers out in
1166
00:40:45,210 --> 00:40:49,050
search of the American dream?
1167
00:40:49,047 --> 00:40:50,817
>> DROBAN: They have a... an
1168
00:40:50,816 --> 00:40:51,946
image for the public, and then
1169
00:40:51,950 --> 00:40:53,220
they have their private image.
1170
00:40:53,218 --> 00:40:55,488
And so the public image is what
1171
00:40:55,487 --> 00:40:56,957
they would like people to
1172
00:40:56,955 --> 00:40:58,515
believe that they are just
1173
00:40:58,524 --> 00:40:59,634
motorcycle enthusiasts that have
1174
00:40:59,625 --> 00:41:00,825
come together and they, um, fund
1175
00:41:00,826 --> 00:41:03,696
charities, Toys For Tots, and
1176
00:41:03,695 --> 00:41:05,225
the public image is really a
1177
00:41:05,230 --> 00:41:07,700
foil for criminal exploits.
1178
00:41:07,699 --> 00:41:08,829
>> BRUNWIN: They exist to
1179
00:41:08,834 --> 00:41:09,944
commit crimes to protect each
1180
00:41:09,968 --> 00:41:11,968
other.
1181
00:41:11,970 --> 00:41:15,710
And yet, for most of the public,
1182
00:41:15,707 --> 00:41:16,777
it's hard to accept that
1183
00:41:16,808 --> 00:41:20,108
something could be that bad.
1184
00:41:20,111 --> 00:41:22,111
>> DOBYNS: A lot of these guys
1185
00:41:22,113 --> 00:41:23,853
don't fit the stereotype.
1186
00:41:23,849 --> 00:41:25,219
You could be standing next to
1187
00:41:25,216 --> 00:41:26,586
one of these guys pumping gas or
1188
00:41:26,585 --> 00:41:28,845
at a grocery store or at a movie
1189
00:41:28,854 --> 00:41:30,664
theater, and you wouldn't know
1190
00:41:30,656 --> 00:41:33,726
they're Hells Angels.
1191
00:41:33,725 --> 00:41:36,255
As a society, as civilians in
1192
00:41:36,261 --> 00:41:38,231
communities where the Hells
1193
00:41:38,229 --> 00:41:39,999
Angels are present, have we seen
1194
00:41:39,998 --> 00:41:42,528
the tip of the iceberg?
1195
00:41:42,534 --> 00:41:44,874
Just the tippy tip of it, and
1196
00:41:44,870 --> 00:41:49,810
it's massive beneath it.
1197
00:41:49,808 --> 00:41:51,238
>> NARRATOR: The Hells Angels
1198
00:41:51,242 --> 00:41:54,012
live by a creed of Angels
1199
00:41:54,012 --> 00:41:57,852
Forever, Forever Angels.
1200
00:41:57,849 --> 00:42:00,889
It's a lifelong bond and a
1201
00:42:00,886 --> 00:42:03,716
brotherhood forged in chrome,
1202
00:42:03,722 --> 00:42:06,762
leather and blood.
1203
00:42:06,758 --> 00:42:09,158
And until law enforcement
1204
00:42:09,160 --> 00:42:11,900
agencies and the public take
1205
00:42:11,897 --> 00:42:14,997
their threat more seriously, no
1206
00:42:15,000 --> 00:42:17,640
doubt the Angels will ride on
1207
00:42:17,636 --> 00:42:21,166
through the 21st century
1208
00:42:21,172 --> 00:42:24,282
bigger, bolder and badder than
1209
00:42:24,309 --> 00:42:26,309
ever.
1210
00:42:26,311 --> 00:42:27,281
Captioning sponsored by
1211
00:42:27,312 --> 00:42:28,312
A&E TELEVISION NETWORKS
1212
00:42:28,313 --> 00:42:29,313
Captioned by
1213
00:42:29,314 --> 00:42:30,324
Media Access Group at WGBH
1214
00:42:30,315 --> 00:42:32,245
access.wgbh.org
79496
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.