New video shows part of highway shooting between rival bikers
Newly released cellphone footage shows part of the confrontation between Hells Angels bikers and the rival Vagos Motorcycle Club last month on a Henderson highway.
A witness in a car behind the Vagos bikers pulled out her cellphone and began recording when she recognized a smaller group of Hells Angels members speed past her. The video, obtained this week by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, was included in exhibits from a grand jury hearing held June 9.
The witness, identified only by her initials “A.M.” in court documents, captured an initial burst of bullets when, according to officials, the Hells Angels opened fire on the rival motorcyclists.
In a recording of her 911 call, the woman told a dispatcher she had seen the Hells Angels stopped in an emergency exit lane moments earlier, appearing to be waiting for the Vagos motorcyclists to drive by.
“They were messing with them, and then shots got fired,” the woman told the dispatcher.
Six Vagos bikers were injured in the May 29 shooting on U.S. Highway 95 west of Wagon Wheel Drive. A seventh person, who prosecutors said was a Hells Angel member, also arrived at a hospital with injuries.
Three men — Richard Devries, 66, Russell Smith, 26, and Stephen Alo, 46 — have been indicted on 36 felony counts of conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, battery with a deadly weapon and discharging a gun at or into an occupied vehicle. Prosecutors have said Devries is the president of the Las Vegas chapter of the Hells Angels, while Smith and Alo have been described as “prospects.”
Prosecutors have said the gunfire may have been retaliation for a San Bernardino, California, shooting that left a Hells Angels member dead, although a Vagos member challenged the claim during the hearing, according to court transcripts.
The Hells Angels and Vagos members first encountered each other on May 29 during a Memorial Day weekend ride from the Hoover Dam to the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City, police have said.
At the cemetery, about nine Hells Angels bikers were riding around the parking lot, “revving their engines and setting off car alarms and yelling at people” before leaving, Vagos member Ted Lempart testified.
The shooting happened shortly after 11:45 a.m., when the Hells Angels rode up behind the Vagos members and started weaving in and out of traffic, the witness testified. Police later found at least 25 bullet cartridges strewn across the highway.
On Monday, District Judge Tierra Jones lowered bail for Devries, Smith and Alo from $380,000 each to $75,000. All three men have since posted bond, court records show.
They are due to appear in court again on Aug. 24.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.