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Tattooed bikie shot while getting out of his BMW had ‘recently defected from the Rebels to the Bandidos’ as tensions rise between the two gangs

  • Man shot three times identified as former Rebels bikie patched over to Bandidos
  • The 28-year-old was shot as he stepped out of BMW at Leppington, Sydney 
  • Former Bandidos member said gang was recruiting and stirred tension with rival

A tattooed man who was shot three times in Sydney’s southwest is believed to have been targeted for defecting from the Rebels bikie gang to their rivals the Bandidos. 

The 28-year-old was sprayed with bullets as he stepped out of his black BMW SUV at Leppington on Wednesday.

The man was taken to hospital in a serious condition and has allegedly refused to cooperate with police.  

Detectives allege it was a targeted shooting as tensions escalate between the two outlaw gangs.

A former Bandidos member claims the gang is on the hunt for new recruits and that the 28-year-old had recently left the Rebels to become a member of the rival gang.

A man who was shot three times in Sydney's southwest is believed to be a former Rebels bikie who defected to the rival Bandidos gang
A man who was shot three times in Sydney’s southwest is believed to be a former Rebels bikie who defected to the rival Bandidos gang

The 28-year-old was sprayed with bullets as he stepped out of his black BMW SUV at Leppington on Wednesday
The 28-year-old was sprayed with bullets as he stepped out of his black BMW SUV at Leppington on Wednesday

A former Bandidos member claims the gang is on the hunt for new recruits and that the 28-year-old had recently changed alliances
A former Bandidos member claims the gang is on the hunt for new recruits and that the 28-year-old had recently changed alliances

‘The Bandidos are on a recruitment drive at the moment and trying to bolster their numbers,’ they told The Daily Telegraph

‘A few Bandidos have patched over recently and it has stirred up trouble.’ 

Images from the scene showed the bearded 28-year-old man near-naked and covered with tattoos on a stretcher with a blanket over his thighs and groin area.

A blood-stained designer Fendi paper carrier bag could be seen abandoned next to the bullet-riddled vehicle.

Paramedics rushed the victim to Liverpool Hospital in a stable condition.

A burnt-out car, believed to be a BMW, was later found in a quiet backstreet at Nettletree Place in nearby Casula.

Neighbours say the car exploded after it was set ablaze in the cul-de-sac, with huge flames setting another car alight and threatening to engulf a nearby home.

Local residents battled with hoses to protect their homes from the inferno despite further explosions.

Two men were spotted fleeing the area in a second car which had been left in the street earlier that day.

A burnt-out car, believed to be a BMW, was later found in a quiet backstreet at Nettletree Place in nearby Casula
A burnt-out car, believed to be a BMW, was later found in a quiet backstreet at Nettletree Place in nearby Casula

Neighbours say the car exploded after it was set ablaze in the cul-de-sac, with huge flames setting another car alight and threatening to engulf a nearby home
Neighbours say the car exploded after it was set ablaze in the cul-de-sac, with huge flames setting another car alight and threatening to engulf a nearby home

Police set up a crime scene following the shooting at Leppington, in Sydney's southwest, on Wednesday
Police set up a crime scene following the shooting at Leppington, in Sydney’s southwest, on Wednesday

‘I ran into the street after we heard the explosions – I was 43 years in the Army in artillery so I recognised it as explosions immediately,’ said neighbour Col Watego. 

‘The whole street came out and tried to fight the flames while we waited for the fire brigade to arrive. It was very serious – very dangerous and very irresponsible.

‘There’s a lot of families and children on this street. It could have been catastrophic.’ 

It marks the second shooting in less than a week after a 29-year-old was gunned down in Potts Hill at 4.30am on Boxing Day.

The gunmen then fled the scene before setting fire to a stolen Toyota Hilux at nearby Yagoona.

The 29-year-old year old man was taken to hospital in a stable condition where he underwent surgery. 

Police have not linked the two shootings. 

Police inspecting the black BMW SUV following the shooting in Sydney's southwest on Wednesday
Police inspecting the black BMW SUV following the shooting in Sydney’s southwest on Wednesday

A blood-stained designer Fendi paper carrier bag could be seen abandoned next to the bullet-riddled vehicle
A blood-stained designer Fendi paper carrier bag could be seen abandoned next to the bullet-riddled vehicle