LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Police believe three suspects in a shooting early Sunday at the El Cortez were members of a motorcycle club affiliated with the Hells Angels.
Officers responded to calls of shots fired and a person injured at the El Cortez early Sunday morning, according to an arrest report filed in the case.
When police arrived, they found four victims who had received apparent gunshot wounds. All four were wearing clothing and indicia associated with the Vagos motorcycle gang, according to the arrest report.
Officers found four other Vagos members and prospects near the crime scene and detained them for questioning, the report said.
Detectives viewed El Cortez surveillance footage and observed the Vagos taking a casino elevator. Shortly thereafter, three suspects, later identified as members of Sons of Hell motorcycle club — a support club of the Hells Angels — took the elevator, the report said.
On the video, the Vagos and Sons of Hell members were seen having a verbal argument, according to the report. A Sons of Hell member was seen pulling out a handgun, pointing it and shooting one victim in the chest at close range. The suspect fired three more rounds, striking the other victims.
Officers obtained a search warrant for rooms in the hotel and recovered Vagos clothing and indicia, as well as blood evidence, the report said. They also found a gun, but it was not believed to have been related to the incident currently under investigation.
After the shooting, the three suspected Sons of Hell members — later identified as Roberto Romero Jr., 30, from Arizona, Travis John Callahan, 35, of Las Vegas and Matthew Lee Norris, 34, of Reno — were seen on surveillance footage entering one of the rooms, then exiting a few minutes later carrying various items, the report said. They left the property in a red 2005 Subaru Legacy.
While executing a search warrant on a room registered to Romero, police found a Sons of Hell jacket and a red smear on the door that was consistent with dried blood, the report said.
About 1:15 p.m. Sunday, the Subaru was seen parked in front of a Hells Angels clubhouse, according to the report. About 1:30 p.m., three men recognized as Romero, Callahan and Norris exited the clubhouse and got into the vehicle.
Patrol officers conducted a felony stop on the Subaru in the parking lot of the 7-Eleven at Bonanza Road and Las Vegas Boulevard North, the arrest report said. Officers cleared the vehicle and observed items of Sons of Hell indicia in the vehicle, as well as a flannel shirt consistent with the one worn by Romero during the shooting on the surveillance video. Police also saw a dried red substance on the back of the driver's seat.
A search warrant was obtained for the Subaru, and officers recovered two revolvers, two handguns, magazines and ammunition, Sons of Hell cuts, Sons of Hell hats, cell phones, a Marilyn Monroe hoodie worn by Callahan during the shooting and a flannel shirt worn by Romero during the shooting, according to the report.
The three suspects were placed under arrest and taken to police headquarters for questioning, the report said. Norris and Romero both invoked their rights to counsel, at which point the questioning stopped.
During his interview with police, Callahan said he had been contacted by Romero and Norris, who were in town for a a motorcycle-related event, the report said.
While walking on Fremont Street, they were confronted by three Mongols regarding their Sons of Hell cuts, the report said. Fearing retaliation, Romero, Norris and Callahan removed their Sons of Hell clothing, Callahan told police.
After arriving at the El Cortez, Callahan said, a large group of Vagos, including one holding a knife, rushed them, according to the report. Callahan said he pulled out his Beretta handgun and held it at "the low ready."
After an argument ensued, Norris pulled out a gun and began firing it, the report said. The three men left the El Cortez after the shooting, Callahan told police.
Callahan said he returned the Beretta to the person he got it from and believed Norris and Romero may have put firearms with their luggage in the trunk of his vehicle, the report said.
All three suspects have been charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. They were booked into the Clark County Detention Center.
