Police worried about retaliation attacks after 170 people were charged in connection with Sunday’s shootout between motorcycle gangs that left nine dead and 18 wounded at a Waco, Texas, restaurant.
Bikers from at least five rival gangs attacked each other with guns, knives, brass knuckles, clubs and motorcycle chains at a Twin Peaks Sports Bar and Grill in the central Texas city. No bystanders or police were injured, police said.
When the bikers began shooting, officers moved in, some of them also firing their weapons. When the shooting ended, bodies were scattered in the restaurant and across two parking lots.
«I will tell you that we have had threats against law enforcement officers throughout the night,» Waco Police Sergeant Patrick Swanton told a news briefing, adding that hospital staff have also been threatened and bikers were reported to be traveling to the city following the shooting.
«Yesterday’s events was bad guys on bad guys. When our officers arrived, those bad guys turned their guns on our officers,» he added.
About 100 weapons were recovered from the crime scene strewn with shell casings, police said. They originally said 192 people had been arrested.
Police would not immediately release information about how they were holding the massive group, out of security concerns. Those taken into custody were charged with engaging in organized crime for capital murder and likely will face charges related to the bloodshed after an investigation of the sprawling crime scene that is expected to be lengthy, police said.
«Some of those may have been witnesses, many of those are going to be individuals involved in the shooting, and criminal charges may be applicable for that,» Swanton said.
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission closed Twin Peaks, located at a shopping mall by a busy highway, for at least seven days «due to the ongoing danger it presents to our community,» police said.
Source: Buenos Aires Herald