What Happened at the Texas Biker Brunch from Hell

Sunday’s biker bloodbath in Waco, Texas is a throwback to the classic outlaw biker gangs of decades past.

170 arrests, 18 injuries, over 100 confiscated weapons left nine dead before the Sunday brunch from hell was over. Nine people were shot at the brawl taking place at a hooters knock-off restaurant, called Twin Peaks. Half-naked waitresses were serving hundreds of hungry bikers looking to meet, recruit and, most importantly, settle a territorial dispute that involved a little more than the parking troubles earlier reports suggested.

Only a few days before, Twin Peaks refused to comply with local police’s request to cancel the event, so 20 cops, including 10 swat team members, were sent to wait in the parking lot of the restaurant.

The fight allegedly started with a shoving match near the bathroom, eventually escalating to decidedly deadlier methods of combat, including brass knuckles, chains, knives and, finally, guns.

If this all sounds like it’s straight from a season finale of recent hit TV show, Sons of Anarchy, and less like the reality of modern biker gangs, you’re not alone. Former biker gang member and author on the subject, Charles Falco, says quieter, behind-the-scenes work has become the norm for the 21st century Harley gangster. “There’ve been little shoot-outs—I wouldn’t say all the time, and none of them have resulted in this many killed, but they do happen. And then there’s small killings—where it’s just one guy, like every six months. So it’s a constant ongoing war between the biker gangs all over the country. And it’s very hidden until something like this happens.”

Three major biker gangs were involved in the fight, including the Bandidos, the Cossacks and the Scimitars. Reportedly, there were up to ten other biker gangs at the Twin Peaks meeting, including the Blackett Arms, Gypsys, HonorBound Motorcycle Ministry, Renatus, Escondidos, Sons of the South, Los Pirados, Leathernecks, Vietnam Vets, In Countrys and Tornado Motorcycle Club. Though no more than 30 bikers ended up in the fight outside the restaurant, 150 “club members” were arrested by association, triggering a threat from the Bandidos and Cossacks at approximately 10 p.m. on Sunday, to “kill anyone in uniform,” said local police.

The threats haven’t resulted in any further aggression, but police are still concerned out-of-state gang members are being told to arm themselves and head over to Texas to settle the new-fangled turf war between the Cossacks and Bandidos.

There’s no video footage of the gun fight but watch this short aerial footage of police arresting gang members.

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The Dispute

A statewide bulletin issued by police outlined escalating encounters between the Cossacks and Bandidos over the last two months. Police speculated that the disputes stemmed from the Cossack’s refusal to pay the Bandidos for their right to ride in Texas.

The Bandidos, founded in the mid 60s, are the largest and most infamous biker gang in Texas with 2,400 members and a history of trafficking cocaine, weed and meth. Historically any new club would need the Bandido seal of approval in order to ride safely in Texas territory.

The Cossacks are a local and rapidly growing club founded by Vietnam war vets with approximately 200 members and a junior club called the Scimitars.

“The Bandidos have always OK’d the Cossacks right to exist as long as they didn’t wear the Texas bottom rocker (a badge at the bottom of the vest signifying which territory a club owns, if any),” said Falco. According to him, the Cossacks are growing quickly and have begun recruiting tougher types as they prepare to challenge the Bandidos.

Read more of Falco's interview on the rising tension between the Bandidos and the Cossacks on Slate.com

Though Falco believes the days of badass biker gangs running drug smuggling and human trafficking operations have been all but eliminated from American society, the turf wars they engage in are still very real, as they are tied to territory and respect.

Edward Winterhalder, a former Bandido member who left after 20 years, explains why he thinks people join biker gangs in the video below.

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Sergeant Patrick Swanton, of the Waco Police Department explained that though the bikers call themselves club members, and claim they have no criminal intent, he calls the bikers at the Twin Peaks restaurant, “A bunch of criminal element biker members that came to Waco and tried to instil violence into our community and unfortunately did just that…. This is not a bunch of doctors and dentists and lawyers riding Harleys. These are criminals on Harley-Davidsons.”

See the mugshots of the arrested bikers

I was surprised to see the sheer number of gangs at the meeting in Waco. What's your take? Are biker gangs making a comeback, or is this just a flicker of the light before it cuts out?

Joel Ophardt