The Hells Angels biker gang has earned a fearsome reputation over the years, with experts saying the organisation is full of dangerous and violent criminals. There are chapters of the motorbike gang based in many countries around the world, including the UK, and researchers have claimed the crew lives up to its formidable reputation.
Violence and Criminal Activity
While the vast majority of the biker faction is peaceful, a select few are involved in international drug trafficking operations. There have been savage turf wars between enemy gangs, with members inflicting brutal injuries on each other. Some gang members have even been caught with rocket launchers on them.
Author Tony Thompson, who researched Britain's biker world for his book Journey into the Heart of the British Underworld, previously said: "There have been a few cases in the past decades where there have been murders. There is hand to hand combat and guns but a lot of it is stabbings and really brutal beatings. They are not afraid to hurt people."
Perpetual State of War
He claimed that some members perpetuate a constant state of war with other biker gangs such as the Outlaws, Bandidos or the Vikings through their "us and them mentality". He said: "In the biker world you have two sides, the Hells Angels and everybody else. The Hells Angels think there should be no other biker gangs in the world because they think they are the best. All the people who don't want to be Hells Angels think otherwise and don't think the Hells Angels should exist. You have this perpetual state of war."
Previous cases involving biker violence include Hells Angel Gerry Tobin, a 35-year-old mechanic, who was murdered on the M40. Sam Creighton, of Coventry, who was described as president of the south Warwickshire Outlaws, was jailed in 2008 for the killing, alongside others.
Expert Views and Notorious Chapters
A retired US federal agent has also agreed with the claim that a small element of the Hells Angels gang can be dangerous. Jay Dobyns, who used to work in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in the US, penetrated the American faction for three years resulting in the arrest of 50 members.
He said: "The Hells Angels have a PHD in violence and intimidation. They've been going about 75 years, made their name and established themselves through extreme violence. They say they are not a criminal organisation, they admit they may have criminals within their club.. But how many clubs reserve seats of honour for when someone is convicted for murder, rape, gun running, drugs?"
The Sonoma and Fresno chapters of the gang, in California, have particularly notorious reputations. Members have carried out a series of vicious crimes, ranging from burning bodies in a "pizza oven" to murdering own members and forcing victims to have a face tattoo.
