A downtown Cranbrook street fight between some Alberta Hells Angels and rivals from the Rebels motorcycle gang came as biker clubs have taken to the road again after the easing COVID travel restrictions.
Police from B.C.’s anti-gang Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit were called in after the chance encounter between the HA’s Southlands chapter and the Rebels group at a gas station in downtown Cranbrook about 7 p.m. on July 23.
Five bikers showed up at the hospital with stab wounds, prompting a police lockdown of the hospital as others arrived on scene.
Police escorted the Rebels back to the B.C.-Alberta border, while the Calgary-based Hells Angels left the province on their own the following day.
Biker gang experts told Postmedia Monday that members of the two groups were out on informal rides into B.C. but were not meeting Hells Angels or others from this province.
“They’ve been dormant for the last year and a half, right? Now they’re going to be anxious to get out there and display their presence,” said retired Vancouver Police biker specialist Brad Stephen.
He said the fight was “an example of the territoriality and the volatility of outlaw motorcycle gangs. The clear threat to the general public was on display at a gas station where innocent persons could have easily been hurt.”
CFSEU’s media officer, Sgt. Brenda Winpenny, said the agency’s uniformed gang enforcement team, as well as and “other specialized members of our team who deal specifically with outlaw motorcycle gangs attended the area of Cranbrook to assist the local police with mitigating any potential further violence and to ensure public safety.”
While the Cranbrook RCMP said in a news release that its investigation into the melee continues, both biker gangs have a history of refusing to cooperate with police.
A Facebook support page for the Southland Hells Angels said in a November 2020 post that “we don’t snitch on our neighbours.”
Pre-pandemic, outlaw motorcycle gangs like the Hells Angels held a series of annual rides in various locations to mark the anniversaries of their chapters as well as anniversaries of the death and disappearance of members.
Some of the rides have traditionally been large, with chapters from across the province or even the country meeting up. They can include 100 or more bikers.
But since March of 2020, B.C. Hells Angels have cancelled their riding schedule — which usually goes from April to October — because of COVID restrictions.
In recent weeks, the bikers have resumed smaller rides of individual chapter members around B.C. And earlier this month, the Kelowna Hells Angels held its annual anniversary party.
Winpenny said that CFSEU “has not seen the more formal rides taking place. However, individual chapters are participating in smaller rides with the COVID restrictions easing.”
The Southlands Hells Angels were already in Cranbrook at their own event when the Rebels rode into town Friday, sources confirmed.
Other Canadian provinces like Alberta, Ontario and Quebec have seen violent conflicts between the Hells Angels and rival biker gangs. But those events are rare in B.C. where the HA dominates the biker landscape.
“This is not something new,” Winpenny said of the brawl. “We have seen this type of behaviour in past situations when there is a conflict between rival outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs). However it is rare in B.C. to have another OMG challenge the Hells Angels.”
The Rebels club — which originated in Australia — has no members in B.C. despite the fact the group involved in Friday’s fight is billed as the Western Canada chapter. It consists of bikers from Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Stephen said that nothing is more important to the Hells Angels and other bikers “than underworld dominance which is created through violence, intimidation and fear. This is their brand.”
“Outlaw motorcycle gangs are territorial. The Hells Angels are territorial. And when they commingle there’s conflict,” he said.
