Expert links shooting suspects to Mongols motorcycle gang
Sean Garmire/The Times-Standard
Article Launched: 12/17/2008 01:30:42 AM PST
An expert on outlaw motorcycle gangs testified in court Tuesday,
explaining that three of four men implicated in the non-fatal shooting
of a suspected Hells Angels member appear to be patch-wearing Mongols
gang members.
Chris Cervantes, a Montebello police detective and ATF investigator, was
brought from the Los Angeles area to provide expert testimony at a
preliminary hearing for the men suspected of shooting 43-year-old Robert
Thompson.
Authorities have seized the men's property, including clothing
reportedly emblazoned with the gang's logo and an application to join
the Mongols Motorcycle Club -- an outlaw motorcycle gang the U.S. Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has labeled as the most “violent and
dangerous” in the nation.
On Nov. 8, authorities responded to shots fired on Third Street in
downtown Eureka. There, police found Thompson lying in an intersection,
bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds.
Later that night, authorities located a dark-colored van, similar to one
witnesses saw at the scene, and arrested Eric Gunner Lundin, 28, Dustin
Christopher Liebes, 36, Brad Lee Miller, 26, and Redding resident Eric
Dean Garcia, 28.
Upon searching the van, investigators reportedly located a disassembled
semi-automatic hand gun.
The four have pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder, assault
with a firearm and participating in a criminal street gang.
Three of the suspects bear tattoos, which Cervantes said linked them to
the gang.
Lundin, Liebes and Garcia all have diamond-shaped “1%” tattoos inked on
their necks. Called the “one-percenter” tattoo, Cervantes said, it has
been adopted by the Mongols and refers to the traditional concept that
99 percent of motorcyclists are law-abiding citizens.
Lundin has the letters “MFFM” -- or Mongols Forever Forever Mongols --
tattooed on his knuckles, and has the traditional Mongol head on his
chest and right arm.
The Mongol head, a Genghis Khan look-alike wearing sunglasses, is also
tattooed on Garcia's forearm.
The letters “RFFN” -- Respect Fear Fear Nothing -- are displayed across
Liebes' chest.
Cervantes said that tattoo can only be worn if the member has committed
violent acts against Hells Angels members.
As the story goes, the Mongols were formed in the 1970s by a small group
of Latinos who were denied entry to the Hells Angels due to their
ethnicity, he testified. There are now between 500 and 600 members in
chapters throughout the United States, including California, Oregon,
Nevada and Florida.
The Mongols Web site declares the organization's support of a new
chapter that has opened in Italy.
Although the Mongols' regional presence is not strong enough to warrant
a Humboldt chapter, Cervantes testified there is a Northern California
chapter. No matter where the chapters are, they are governed by the
“Mother Chapter” which hands down orders, many of which are based on the
gang's constitution.
The long-standing rivalry between the Hells Angels and the Mongols began
early on, emanating from similarities between patches worn by the two
gangs, he said. The violence escalated over time into a bloody gang war,
with the Mongols perpetrating the majority of the attacks.
”This is a war. These guys are trying to kill each other, and the
Mongols are winning,” Cervantes said. “There are a lot of (Hells Angels)
dying at the hands of (Mongols') knives and guns.”
On Oct. 22, a U.S. District Court judge granted an injunction banning
gang members, family and any associate from wearing, licensing or
distributing the Mongols' logo.
With the banning of the Mongols' trademark, officers have ordered
members to stop wearing the logo, Cervantes testified.
However, during a search of a storage unit rented by one of the
suspects, authorities located Mongols paraphernalia, including a T-shirt
with “prospect,” which is worn by someone intending to be initiated into
the gang, and a gang application, he said.
The application had been mailed to “The Mayor,” which Cervantes said is
Lundin's moniker, leading him to believe “Lundin is the president of
this Northern California chapter.”
During recorded interviews taken at the jail, Lundin reportedly told
officials he would be willing to give up his patch as a “bargaining
chip,” Cervantes said.
”I have a really hard time believing he would be giving up his patch if
he didn't have a patch,” he said.
(NOTE: have a hard time he would be willing to give up his patch and bargain if jail was in the cards)
All the suspects were returned to the Humboldt County jail, where they
remain on $500,000 bail. Their preliminary hearing is expected to end
today.
Sean Garmire can be reached at 441-0514 or sgarmire@times-standard.comAdd to Technorati Favorites.
respect & loyalty are all 1%ers have. when even one member bails(quits,)to save his ass, he must be banned & punished. from lone wolf,, no club. HAMC, 81 WILL ALWAYS BE THE ONLY TOP DOGS OF 1%ers
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