A Nevada court rules that the Las Vegas Hells Angels can face gang prosecution | Dishes

Members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club in Las Vegas who are accused of attacking a rival club in a freeway shootout in Henderson can be prosecuted as gang members under state law, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

Seven people were injured in the Memorial Day 2022 shooting on Interstate 11 that the Clark County District Attorney’s Office said targeted members of the Vagos Motorcycle Club.

In this case, the High Court concluded that there were sufficient probable cause to classify the Hells Angels as a criminal gang.

The president of the local group, Richard Devries, was among the accused members of the Hells Angels.

District Court Judge Tierra Jones in 2023 dismissed some of the charges against the suspects, including extortion, gang violence and 20 of 25 shooting-related charges.

Jones had sided with defense attorneys who argued that the indictment did not specify which defendants were involved in alleged racketeering activities.

Police told a grand jury that investigators recovered 25 spent bullets on the highway.

Jones pointed out that the prosecution only presented evidence from a witness who said one of the suspects fired five shots.

Defense attorneys countered that the state did not consider exculpatory evidence that some of the Vagos members had guns and that one of the accused suspects, Rayann Mollasgo, was also shot.

“Criminal gang”

“We conclude that this was a mistake because the State presented at least minor or marginal evidence to support a reasonable conclusion that members of the Hells Angels frequently engage in felony-level violence against rival motorcycle clubs, making this group a criminal gang the Supreme Court justices wrote in their ruling.

The high court added: “Because the district court made a significant error in dismissing the gang expansion, we reverse and remand.”

The other Hells Angels members charged were Stephen Alo, Russell Smith, Aaron Chun, Cameron Treich and Taylor Rodriguez.

After Jones’ verdict, they still faced 17 charges, including attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Roneric Padilla, who was also charged, was charged with aiding and abetting a felony.

The Vagos group was on its way back to Las Vegas from the Hoover Dam to commemorate the holiday when Hells Angels motorcyclists drove up behind the victims, according to prosecutors, who allege the Vagos were ambushed.

The suspects broke up the group of victims and then shot at individual drivers, the public prosecutor’s office said.

Prosecutors alleged that the shooting may have been in retaliation for a shootout in California that killed a Hells Angels motorcyclist, an accusation that was disputed by Vagos members during a grand jury hearing.

NSC Hells Angels decision from Las Vegas Review-Journal on Scribd

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at [email protected].