A defiant biker has blasted the “masked and heavily armed” thugs who attacked him and his gang in a bloodbath motorway ambush.
Attack on M74 near Lesmahagow
Mark “Bruni” Brown – president of the Mad Dogs Motorcycle Club – said he and his fellow bikers were attacked with swords and bats by “cowardly cardboard gangster puppets”. He insisted “we’re still standing and always will be” after allegedly being set upon by 12 weapon-wielding yobs.
The tattooed 63-year-old has vowed to fight on after being hospitalised as a result of the shocking violence on Sunday, which is being investigated by Police Scotland. Officers were scrambled to the M74 near Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, after violence erupted on the motorway.
Social media post
In a social media post which has since been deleted, Bruni wrote: “A bit of background to what has been going on with the dogs. This is NOT rumours or bulls***, just straight facts.
“To set it straight YES we were attacked on the M74 motorway by 12 masked and heavily armed cowardly cardboard gangster puppets with swords, bats and anything they could grab as a weapon.
“Here’s their version, ‘We are all in hospital and some of us are dead’. Clearly not, you incompetent cowards. You know what, we’re still standing and always will be!
“We have the same rights to drive on the roads as anyone else, doing what we want to do, but some people just can’t handle the fact we’re still here and growing stronger.”
Previous incidents and feud
The post also referred to previous incidents between the groups. Last month, Bruni posted on social media: “On behalf of Mad Dogs I’d like to thank everyone for their continued support and encouragement over the last few weeks. It means a lot to us.”
It’s understood Bruni and other members of his Mad Dogs gang had been returning to Scotland from a weekend partying in England with fellow bikers when they were set upon.
The thugs responsible had been travelling in four vehicles and left the cars to attack Bruni, who is regularly seen wearing clothing emblazoned with 1% logos, in reference to outlaw motorcycle gangs.
Police appeal and investigation
Police have appealed for information over a red Mazda car used in the attack, which was later recovered in Ayrshire. And the force said that members of the public who witnessed the incident unfolding had been “left shaken” by what they saw.
The attack came amid a feud between Bruni’s Mad Dog MC gang and the Blue Angels biker gang, and days after he had thanked friends for their support amid the hostility. The public thanks for support came 10 days after an attack on Mad Dogs members outside a pub.
Bruni questioned whether there is a link to the Blue Angels, Scotland’s oldest outlaw motorcycle club, for both the pub and motorway attacks. But biker sources have cast doubt on whether the Blue Angels were behind the latest ambush.
One said: “There’s a long-running feud between Bruni and other Mad Dogs members and the Blue Angels, that’s no secret, and there have been plenty of incidents between them.
“But there’s question marks over this one. Something like this needs to be sanctioned from the top, and the talk is that is not what happened here.
“Also, the attackers jumped out of cars. Doing something in the name of the gang is one thing. If it is bikers, doing it in cars instead of on their bikes looks bad for them and bad for the club’s image and reputation.
“Bikers are proud and when they do things in the name of their gang, they want their rivals to know it was them. But there are question marks over this, with some bikers saying it might be connected to a relative rather than the feud. What is for sure is that the police want to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible.”
Detective Sergeant Craig Wait said: “We believe this was a targeted attack on the group of motorcyclists and it’s vital we trace the people responsible.
“One man has been seriously injured as a result of the attack and many others, including members of the public who witnessed what happened, have been left shaken.
“I’m appealing to anyone with information to come forward. Were you on the M74 near Lesmahagow and saw what happened?
“Did you see the motorcyclists or vehicles before the incident or the red Mazda and other vehicles leaving the scene?
“Do you have dash-cam footage which has captured anything of significance? If you do, please get in touch.”
The force said yesterday: “Enquiries are ongoing.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact 101 quoting reference 1458 of August 2. Crimestoppers can also be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.
The Scottish Ambulance Service has also been approached for comment.
