NYPD Storms Hells Angels’ East Village HQ After Weekend Shooting

EAST VILAGE, NY — More than 30 NYPD officers raided the Hells Angels' East Village headquarters with a vengeance Tuesday morning, after members of the infamous biker gang refused to help officers solve a shooting that occurred outside the clubhouse Sunday morning, multiple news outlets report.

NYPD told Patch four summonses were issued, and the Department of Sanitation removed items from the headquarters at 77 E. 3rd St.

Officers are trying to identify the member who shot David Martinez, 25, for moving an orange cone outside the clubhouse early Sunday morning. Gang members use these cones to reserve parking spots for their motorcycles.

Officers ticketed the members for anything illegal they could find, regardless of how trivial—blocking the sidewalk with planters and failing to display license plates on motorcycles covered with a protective sheet earned summonses, the Daily News reports.

“It was done just to f**k with them,” a police source told the Daily News. “They’re not cooperating with the investigation. If they’re gonna give us a hard time, we’re gonna give them a hard time.”

See Related: Man Shot in East Village Brawl Outside Biker Gang Clubhouse

Martinez was driving with friends early Sunday morning when he stopped to move a cone that was blocking a parking spot, police said. A member from Hells Angels confronted Martinez, and as more people got involved, a full-out brawl ensued.

The fight came to an end when one of the gang members shot Martinez in the stomach, police said. He remains in stable condition at the hospital, while the suspect remains at large.

“We want them to feel our presence and to let them know we are here,” the source told the Daily News. “They don’t own that block and they have no right to block parking spots for themselves. It’s a public street.”

Officers also removed the bikers' beloved bench from outside the headquarters, according to Gothamist. Back in 2011, gang members attached a club-like device to the bench to prevent anyone from sitting on it, which apparently tourists from a nearby hotel were doing frequently.

“They want to bring chaos and outrage into the community, [so] we are going to enforce the law and ensure they are following the rules,” the police source told the Daily News.

Image: Google streetview