HENDERSON (KTNV) — Investigators tell us two rival motorcycle gangs were involved in a shooting on U.S. 95 Sunday that sent seven people to the hospital.
Three suspects have been arrested and booked at Henderson Detention Center on multiple felony charges, including attempted murder, battery, and discharging a gun at a vehicle.
Henderson Police say members of the Hells Angels and the Vagos motorcycle gangs were involved in the shooting.
Jack Gibson was one of the thousands of drivers impacted by the heavy traffic on Sunday, a consequence of the shooting.
“It was a bumper-to-bumper parking lot for like a good 2 miles of radius of this; it was absolutely insane,” Gibson said.
He says it was nerve-wracking. Police say a shooting between rival outlaw motorcycle gangs unfolded close to his home.
“With the stuff going on in Uvalde, Texas and in Buffalo, New York, just seeing something like that happen not 3 miles from my house was really crazy,” said Gibson.
NEW DETAILS: Hells Angels bike gang members shot at Vagos riders on Henderson freeway, report says
Around noon on Sunday, law enforcement arrived at the scene and closed the freeway in both directions for hours. Henderson Police investigators say members of the Hells Angels and the Vagos motorcycle gangs were involved. George Christie, the former Hells Angels leader of the Ventura, Calif. chapter is familiar with the rivalry between the two clubs. He says it’s been tense for a decade.
“Really, what it boils down to are territory and egos,” Christie said.
He claims back in 2011, a shooting in a Reno casino between the Hells Angels and the Vagos lit the fuse. He also says this past April, there was another shooting in southern California involving both clubs. Christie thinks it’s possible Sunday’s shooting was a reaction to escalating tensions.
“It was probably a chance encounter," he said. "There is an ongoing conflict and somebody sees a member of the other club and somebody reacts or possibly overreacts. The next thing you know, you got a conflict escalating in the middle of traffic."
Christie hopes the conflict can be resolved, and peacefully.
“This is not productive and if they are really involved in the sport of riding motorcycles and brotherhood they need to put this stuff behind them," he said. "It’s not good for anyone, and it puts people at risk."
As for Gibson, he says this is something you see in a movie.
“It is really crazy to see that happen, especially in Henderson, Nevada,” Gibson said.
Anyone with information that could help investigators in this case is asked to contact Henderson Police at 702-267-4911. Anonymous tips can be made through Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.
