Bikers can face gang charges for I-11 shootings after Nevada Supreme Court ruling

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Seven alleged members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club can face gang prosecution for a 2022 shootout on a Henderson freeway following a Nevada Supreme Court ruling.

The high court filed a unanimous opinion Thursday deciding that the Clark County District Court erred in dismissing gang enhancements against seven men charged in the shootings.

Authorities alleged Richard Devries, the president of the Las Vegas chapter of the Hells Angels, and others waited on Interstate 11 to ambush members of the Vagos motorcycle club returning from a Memorial Day weekend event in Boulder City.

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Seven people were injured in the shooting, according to Henderson Police. The seven suspects face a litany of charges, including several counts of attempted murder.

An officer with Las Vegas Metropolitan Police who specialized in investigating outlaw motorcycle clubs testified to the grand jury as an expert witness, saying that Hells Angels members can be ordered to attack if they encounter a rival club. He also said there have been other violent encounters between Hells Angels and Vagos members in Nevada and other states in the past.

The seven men charged in the shooting filed a response arguing the evidence submitted did not support probable cause for gang enhancements because they had no history of felony convictions or documented violence against rivals. A Clark County District Court judge sided with them, ruling prosecutors failed to show the Las Vegas chapter of Hells Angels engaged in criminal activity to qualify as a gang.

In their opinion, the Supreme Court justices said the LVMPD officer’s testimony is admissible and that out-of-state history can be used to determine gang activity.

The LVMPD officer’s testimony provided evidence of coordinated activities at the national and regional level, the opinion states, and there was enough evidence showing the Las Vegas chapter had ties to the larger Hells Angels organization to warrant grand jury consideration.

“Furthermore, the grand jury could reasonably infer that this violent behavior was not simply attributable to the impulses of individual members; rather, it is perpetuated and celebrated as central to Hells Angels’ customs and culture,” the court wrote.

Devries and the six other men charged—Russell Smith, Stephen Alo, Cameron Treich, Taylor Rodriguez, Aaron Chun, and Rayann Mollasgo—are due back in court on Jan. 29 for a status check. A new trial date has not yet been scheduled.