Waco biker shoot-out leaves 9 dead at Texas' Twin Peaks Bar

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One gang 'ambushed the other' at recruitment event hosted by Twin Peaks Bar and Grill in Waco, Texas on Sunday afternoon and witnesses said the confrontation looked like a setup
The Waco Police Department said that 170 people had been arrested and will face organized crime charges
It started as a physical fight and escalated to involve chains, knives and guns
Diners and employees scrambled for shelter in the freezer as more than 100 rounds were fired
8 bikers died at the scene and a 9th in hospital, another 18 bikers were hospitalized, no civilians were injured
Police were monitoring the meeting outside but said owners refused to cooperate with them until shooting started
Twin Peaks insists they had 'positive communication with the police' but the police said that was nonsense

By Mia De Graaf For Dailymail.com and Dailymail.com Reporter

Published: 15:47 EST, 17 May 2015 | Updated: 18:19 EST, 18 May 2015

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The bloody confrontation between five biker gangs that left nine members dead and 18 others seriously injured at a Waco, Texas restaurant was planned by at least one of the gangs, it has emerged.

What started as a physical fight in the bathroom at the Twin Peaks Bar and Grill around 12.15pm spilled out into the bar and rapidly escalated to involve chains, clubs, knives and gunfire on a quiet strip. Employees and diners, including young children, scrambled and many took shelter in the freezer as hundreds of gang members ran rampage around the booths, according to KXXV.

In the parking lot, a SWAT team shot dead at least one biker and surrounded the rest. When the shooting ended, bodies were scattered across the tarmac and cars were riddled with bullet holes. On Monday, police said 170 people had been arrested on organized crime charges in relation to capital murder.

'In 34 years of law enforcement, this is the worst crime scene, the most violent crime scene that I have been involved in,' Waco police Sgt W Patrick Swanton said at a Sunday press conference. 'There were dead everywhere, blood everywhere.'

He also turned on the restaurant, Twin Peaks, for failing to let officers in to monitor the situation.

'If you have a police department asking for your assistance as a business, you ought to pay attention to that,' he said on Monday. 'If you don't bad things can happen, as evidenced here today.'

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Scene: Bikers lay dead by their motorcycles in the parking lot of Twin Peaks Bar and Grill in Waco, Texas, just after midday on Sunday

Shoot out: What started as a physical fight shortly after midday in Twin Peak restaurant rapidly escalated to involve chains, clubs, knives and gunfire, police said. The fight spilled into the parking lot where a SWAT team shot dead at least one biker and surrounded the rest

A biker sits next to what appears to be a covered body after several people were killed during the shoot-out

Police believe five gangs were involved in the shoot-out which has led to restaurants closing across the city

McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara says the nine dead were members of the Bandidos or Cossacks gangs.

Based on their leathers, it appears the Pirados, the Veterans (one sitting), and the Leathernecks (one standing, center) were involved

Panic: Families scrambled and some hid in the freezer of the diner as more than 100 rounds were fired

The recruitment event was hosted by the restaurant but despite police fears of conflict, management wouldn't let officers in

Witnesses described the scene in the quiet commercial shopping strip as a war zone

Families describe biker war erupting at Texas restaurant

On Monday it emerged that Twin Peaks company has revoked the franchise agreement for the Waco restaurant.

'We will not tolerate the actions of this relatively new franchisee and are revoking their franchise immediately,' the company said.

The company, which has 13 restaurants in Texas, blamed the restaurant's managers who 'chose to ignore the warnings and advice from both the police and our company, and did not uphold the high security standards we have in place to ensure everyone is safe at our restaurants'.

Swanton added that the restaurant would not be able to serve alcohol for the next week but added he hoped the restaurant would choose to close its doors during that time as a sign of respect to the community.

On Sunday, witnesses described the scene in the quiet commercial shopping strip as a war zone.

'There were maybe 30 guns being fired in the parking lot, maybe 100 rounds,' diner Michelle Logan, 37, told the Waco Tribune. 'They just opened fire. There's a lot of people in the hospital, a lot of people shot.'

She added that she did not get the impression that the incident was a random confrontation, telling the publication: 'It was a setup.'

Authorities said it appears one gang set up the other after arranging a meeting. Multiple police sources told the Waco Tribune it was a fight between the Cossacks and the Bandidos. Based on their leathers, it appears the Scimitars, Los Pirados, the Veterans, and the Leathernecks were also involved.

Waco police say 170 people arrested for deadly Texas shootout

The Cossacks (pictured left at the scene) and the Scimitars were working in alliance against the Bandidos (file image, right)

By late Sunday afternoon two groups of gunmen were sat unceremoniously on the tarmac at opposite ends of the parking lot

More than 100 weapons have been confiscated, and three armed individuals that arrived later have been arrested

Parts of downtown were on lockdown Sunday night and officials could be seen stopping and questioning motorcycle riders

Paramedics at the scene of the brutal shoot-out that involved the use of more than 100 weapons, according to police

Families were shaken as they left the crime scene which broke out at lunch time on Sunday

Police: Off-duty officers helped prevent further loss of life

'THEY ARE THE BADDEST OF THE BAD': WHAT ARE THE BANDIDOS AND THE COSSACKS MOTORCYCLE CLUBS?

The Bandidos Motorcycle Club has around 900 members in 93 chapters across the U.S., making the club one of the two largest outlaw motorcycle groups in America, according to the FBI. The other is the Hell's Angels.

The club, which the FBI has been labeled a 'growing criminal threat', was also named in a federal report as one of the country's four most dangerous outlaw gangs, alongside the Pagans, Hell's Angels, and Outlaws.

The group was formed in 1966 by Vietnam war veteran Donald Chambers in San Leon, Texas.

It has since grown to build factions across the world, as far as Germany, Norway and Australia. Its Norwegian branch was one half of the Great Nordic Biker War between 1994 and 1997, warring with Hell's Angels. At its climax, a missile was fired at a prison holding a Bandidos member.

In the U.S., members have been convicted of smuggling drugs across the Mexican border - an area they are said to specialize in. According to the FBI, Bandidos are major players in the marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine markets.

'The Bandidos see the Hell's Angels as too nice,' journalist Julian Sher, who has written two books about biker gangs, told NBC News. 'They relish their brutal pedigree. Among the bad guys, they are the baddest of the bad.'

The Cossacks Motorcycle Club is based 200 miles away in Callahan County, Texas. It was formed in 1969, with the motto 'we take care of our own' and using the colors black and gold. The club is much smaller than the Bandidos but like the Bandidos, the Cossacks have chapters overseas. The largest chapters outside the U.S. can be found in Australia.

In 2013, Bandidos head Jack Lewis was charged with stabbing two Cossacks outside a restaurant in Abilene, near Callahan County.

The Cossacks are challenging the Bandidos' dominance in Texas by looking to form alliances with other gangs, such as the Hell's Angels, former undercover agent Steve Cook told Vox.

Other clubs were reportedly seen at the fight in Waco but it is not yet clear if they were involved in the shooting. They include:

The Scimitars Motorcycle Club is a smaller group based in Texas and aligned with the Cossacks; they have previously supported them in their battle against the Bandidos. Their jacket patch is a red-eyed skull on two crossed scimitars, or sabers.

Photos on Facebook pages belonging to members of the Cossacks in Texas show the two clubs pictured together. Last year, the gangs even volunteered to build a park together in Odessa, Texas, according to the Odessa American.

The Leathernecks Motorcycle Club is made up of current or former members of the Marine Corps or Fleet Marine Force Corps and the group has chapters across the country. It claims its members include those who have worked in federal, state and local law enforcement.

'The Leathernecks Motorcycle Club is NOT an Outlaw Club,' it explains on its website, 'but a family orientated Club that brings together those that have TWO very special interests in life. The love for the Corps and the love for getting our face in the wind with our motorcycles beneath us.'

Los Pirados Motorcycle Club is another small group also based in the Waco area. A recent report on a website calling itself the 'Texas Motorcycle Rights Association' referred to the group as 'a new Mom & Pop riding group'. Facebook groups show the club has also recently been involved in fund-raising benefits for children in need of surgery.

Eight died in the parking lot and a ninth at a local hospital. A number of the 18 hospitalized are in critical condition, police said. McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara says the nine dead were members of the Bandidos or Cossacks gangs.

Jay Patel, Twin Peaks spokesman, said in a statement that the diner has 'ongoing and positive communications with the police', adding: 'We are horrified by the criminal, violent acts that occurred outside of our Waco restaurant today.

'We share in the community's trauma. Our priority is to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for our customers and employees, and we consider the police our partners in doing so.

'Our management team has had ongoing and positive communications with the police and we will continue to work with them as we all want to keep violent crime out of our businesses and community. We will continue to cooperate with the police as they investigate this terrible crime.'

Authorities said that the restaurant's claim that there had been 'positive communications with the police' was 'nonsense'.

By late Sunday afternoon the two groups of gunmen were sat unceremoniously on the tarmac at opposite ends of the parking lot surrounded by armed police.

Police refuse to say what is happening at the Waco Convention Center but numerous people are being detained, local media reports

Police warned locals to stay away from the area, which law enforcement has been monitoring for weeks in fear of conflict

A heavily armed police officer at the scene of the shoot-out, which left nine bikers dead and a scene of total carnage

Waco Police: Texas biker shooting 'complete absolute chaos'

However the scene was still being described as 'active but under control' at around 5pm as deputies warned individuals were still arriving with weapons.

Swanton said: 'We are prepared to deal with those individuals if they come to Waco. We are not horse playing. If we have the opportunity to put those individuals in jail, we will arrest them and keep them there.'

Local media reported numerous bikers were arrested at Waco Convention Center after the incident.

Some took to Twitter to suggest that the way the bikers found at the scene were treated is evidence that US authorities are racist

More than 100 weapons - including knives, brass knuckles and clubs - were recovered from the scene, police said.

Under a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission mandate, the restaurant must now remain closed for the next seven days as the investigation continues.

The Bandidos Motorcycle Club was named by Texan authorities as one of the four most influential gangs in the state alongside the Pagans, Hells Angels, and Outlaws. Members have been convicted of smuggling drugs across the U.S.-Mexican border - an area they are said to specialize in.

The outbreak comes just weeks after McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna told KWTX that law enforcement was aware of simmering conflicts between gangs that gathered at the restaurant.

A SWAT team has staked out the eatery on multiple occasions in recent months, most recently a week and a half ago.

Following the shoot-out, some took to Twitter to express surprise that the National Guard wasn't called out, as it was following recent unrest in Baltimore and Ferguson.

There were accusations on the social media site that the fact that many of those linked to the violence - all white men - were allowed to sit by the road and use their phones without being handcuffed is evidence that the US authorities are inherently racist.

Deray Mckesson tweeted: 'If you've never understood the intersection of media bias/race and policing re: whiteness, watch the #TwinPeaksShooting unfold.'

Twin Peaks is a national sports bar and so-called 'breastaurant' chain, akin to a Hooters. The Waco location opened last year in the quiet commercial strip and neighbors Don Carlos, a family eatery.

Dubbed 'the ultimate man cave', Twin Peaks has 55 flat-screen TVs and 24 beers on tap. Waitresses wear revealing red plaid shirts or bikini tops and khaki shorts. The slogan is, 'Eats. Drinks. Scenic Views'.

The managers host a 'Bike Night' every Thursday. Other special events include a beauty contest called Miss Twin Peaks. The bikini-clad winner stands on a table to receive her sash and bouquet.