Eight members of Vagos, a rival motorcycle gang of the Hells Angels, were arrested yesterday in a massive roundup of alleged motorcycle gangsters -- dubbed "Operation Sand Castle" -- believed to be involved in a July brawl at Rio Lomas Beach in Bullhead City.
On July 18, police received reports of a large brawl happening on the beach. At the end, several people, including some teenagers, were "severely assaulted," but nobody wanted to cooperate with police out of fear of the motorcycle gang.
The Department of Public Safety's Gang and Immigration
Intelligence Team Enforcement Mission took over the investigation and
were able to link Vagos to the beat down.
Dale Warren Smith, 52, of Mohave Valley; Shawn Patrick Bailey, 35,
of Bullhead City; Shawn Lee Muncy, 41, of Bullhead City; Gabriel
Timothy Nader Jr., 25, of Golden Valley; and Robert George Keller III,
35, of Bullhead City, were the aggressors in an attack on several teens
and adults at the beach, a Department of Public Safety spokesman says.
They were each booked on charges of rioting-participating in a criminal street gang and aggravated assault.
Others arrested in connection to the brawl are Jeffrey Daniel Woods, 53, of Lake Havasu City, was booked on
charges of misconduct involving weapons and possession of drug
paraphernalia and Nick Bernard Prano, 54, of Lake Havasu City, was booked on
charges of possession of dangerous drugs and possession of drug
paraphernalia.
Also connected to the gang is Daniel Michael Macdonald, 52, of Bullhead City. He was booked on
charges of misconduct with weapons, possession of marijuana, possession
of drug paraphernalia and insurance fraud.
DPS says the men were each targets of separate investigations, which were accelerated following the brawl on the beach.
Vagos, you may recall, were involved in a shootout with their rival gang, the Hells Angels. More than 50 shots were fired, netting precisely zero deaths.
That shootout resulted in the arrest of 27 Hells Angels members.
