Ontario Biker War

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Ontario Biker War
Date1999–2002
Location
Ontario, Canada
Caused byNarcotics trade, territorial and criminal disputes
Resulted inHells Angels victory due to police crackdown
Parties to the civil conflict

Hells Angels MC

  • Jackels MC

Support:

  • Sherbrooke chapter

Loners MC

Support:

  • Annihilators Motorcycle Club
Lead figures
Walter Stadnick
  • John Coates
  • Jimmy Coates
 Mario Parente
  • Thomas Hughes
Jimmy Raso
  • Frank Lenti
  • Wayne Kellestine
    		•
    Casualties
    Death(s)3+
    Injuries30+
    Arrested80+

    The Ontario Biker War in Canada saw the Hells Angels engage their long-term rivals the Outlaws Motorcycle Club for control of the province of Ontario. The war occurred between 1999 and 2002 and is also known as the London Biker conflict as a large majority of the events occurred in the city of London, Ontario. The Quebec Biker War, the largest motorcycle conflict in history was occurring during the same period in the province of Quebec.

    Prelude to conflict[]

    From 1977 to 1984, the event known in Canada as the First Biker War was raging in Quebec and Ontario. On 17 July 1983, while riding through northern Ontario, Mario Parente happened to see two Hells Angels from Montreal, Michel "Jinx" Genest and Jean-Marc Nadeau, on the bus to Vancouver to attend a funeral ceremony.[1] Enraged, Parente and the other Outlaws proceeded to shoot up the bus when it stopped at the Mr. Mugs coffee and doughnut shop in Wawa in an attempt to kill the two Hells Angels.[2] Though no one was killed, the Wawa incident showed how strongly Parente felt about Hells Angels moving into Ontario, which had been considered Outlaws territory since 1977.[2]

    During the 1990s, Hells Angels from Quebec would frequently visit the Ontario based Loners Motorcycle Club.[3] In June 1993, the Hells Angels, led by their National President Walter Stadnick, hosted a party in Wasaga Beach that was attended by all of the Ontario biker clubs except the Outlaws and Satan's Choice.[4] Frank Lenti and the Loners were guests of honor at the party.[5] Stadnick tried to persuade Lenti to have the Loners "patch over" to the Hells Angels, an offer that Lenti refused.[5] However, a working relationship was established after the Loners agreed to buy their narcotics from the Angels.[5]

    On April 7, 1998, Jeffrey Labrash, acting President of the Outlaws London chapter, and fellow Full-Patch Outlaw Jody Hart, were victims of a drive-by shooting in the parking lot of the Beef Baron, a strip club on York Street in London, Ontario. Also in April 1998, on the same day as the funerals, T. J. Baxter's Tap & Grill, a popular restaurant in London, was bombed, injuring five and causing an estimated $1,000,000 in damages. Two associates of the Hell's Angels were arrested and charged for the shootings. The Outlaws placed a $50,000 bounty on both.

    1999[]

    In 1999, the Hells Angels became seriously involved in trying to patch over the Loners Motorcycle Club which had been a dominant club in the province for decades. In June 1999, the Annihilators Motorcycle Club was "Patched-over" by the Loners.[6] One of the members of the London/Chatham chapter of the Loners, Jimmy Coates, had a brother, John Coates, who was a member of the Hells Angels Sherbrooke chapter.[7] John Coates was 6'7" tall, weighing 300 pounds, while younger brother Jimmy was not as large, but still intimidating.[8] Through his brother, Jimmy Coates opened a secret pipeline for buying drugs from Sherbrooke.[9]

    The President of the London/Chatham chapter, Wayne Kellestine, was adamantly against having the Loners join the Hells Angels, and when the Loners did not agree with him started meeting behind the clubs back with the Hells Angels Sherbrooke chapter, Kellestine stripped them of their colours. One Loner was also stuck with a pistol and robbed for making further comments.[8] Together, the Coates brothers worked to encourage a mutiny against Kellestine with the promise of joining the Angels as the reward. On 22 October 1999, an assassination attempt was made against Kellestine as he stopped in his truck for a red light in his hometown of Iona Station.[10] A car drove up alongside, driven by Philippe "Philbilly" Gastonguay of the Angels' Sherbrooke chapter, and a pro-Angel Loner, David "Dirty" McLeish. One of the two men opened fire, spraying Kellestine's truck with bullets. Both men would be arrested and Kellestine would survive unharmed.[11] The two shooters and both Coates brothers were charged with "conspiracy to commit murder". They would plead guilty to "conspiracy to commit bodily harm", and were jailed. When the brothers got out, they would be running the club's Hells Angels London chapter.[11]

    The Hells Angels were intent on gaining influence in Southern Ontario especially. In other areas of Ontario, clubs had been quite welcoming of the Angels; but here they faced stiff resistance, their main opposition being their old time rival the Outlaws Motorcycle Club (at the time, the largest motorcycle club in the province). As the club's Quebec chapters planned their expansion Eastward in late 1999, London was solidly in Outlaws control and had been since the late 1970s, but in establishing a chapter here, it would create a vital link between Windsor and Kitchener. The Outlaws London chapter clubhouse was located on Egerton Street East, near the grounds of the Western Fair, was considered a local landmark by the people of the city. Their President, Mario Parente, was an individual who could not be intimidated. By the end of 1999, the Hells Angels Ontario Nomad chapter and the Outlaws began to engage each other in both London and Hamilton, with several brawls and scuffles occurring between the clubs. A Biker Enforcement Unit representative stated:

    "They used to drive by and taunt each other, For the H.A., their priority is to absorb other gangs and gain territorial control. In order to do that, they either have to befriend or fight their rivals."

    2000[]

    The Quebec Biker War began in 1994 and saw the Hells Angels face the Canadian based Rock Machine for control of the narcotics trade in the province. By 2000, the war had intensified. The Rock Machine began expanding into Ontario with three chapters (Toronto, Kingston and Niagara Falls). Not wanting to fall behind the Hells Angels, it established its first Ontario chapter in Toronto in late 2000. This infuriated the Outlaws, and the Hells Angels sought to gain the upper hand, so they gave a limited time offer to Outlaw motorcycle clubs in Ontario (especially Satan's Choice and Para-dice Riders). There would be no probationary period for Hells Angels club membership, and all members would receive Full-Patch. This resulted in 168 members of the Para-dice Riders, Satan's Choice, Lobos and Last Chance "patching" to the Angels. Overnight, the Hells Angels went from one chapter in Ontario to 13, giving them a massive increase in both manpower and area of operation. Throughout 2000, brawls were common between the two groups across the province, with multiple injuries on both sides.[12]

    2001[]

    By early 2001, the Hells Angels had established a prospective chapter in London, Ontario. They began investing in businesses within the city, this would include strip clubs, tattoo shops and a half-dozen exotic-massage parlors, referred to as "rub 'n' tugs" by many in London. They were also involved in the automotive trade, but most specifically in the city's narcotics market. In addition to their own businesses, the Hells Angels allegedly supplied a group of up to 30 street gang members to cook cocaine powder into crack, and peddle it on London street corners, sources claim. A Hells Angels clubhouse was opened at 732 York Street, just up the road from the Outlaws main clubhouse, which had around to eight to ten "full-patch" members. The reason for the location seemed to be a deliberate provocation. On 12 April 2001, the Hells Angels promptly informed the Loners that they did not have the right to use "Ontario" on their patch, as the Loners were only a "regional" club.[13] Unable to stand on their own, the Chatham/London Loners joined the Bandidos on 22 May 2001, as probationary members becoming full members on 1 December 2001.[14] The Angels also began aggressively attempting to recruit Outlaws to the London chapter. The London chapter of the Outlaws countered this by putting restrictions and intense pressure on members not to defect, sometimes with the threat of violence. Some Outlaws did switch sides and suffered violent retaliation. More exchanges occurred during this period after three Outlaws in London defected to Hell's Angels. Exchanges saw at least 15 people injured in 2001.[14]

    During this period, both Coates brothers and their friends were released from prison. John Coates would become President of the London probationary chapter, and Jimmy would begin prospecting.[15] In June 2001, the Outlaws' Woodstock clubhouse was burnt to the ground in an act of arson. The Hells Angels were suspected to be involved. In August of the same year, a member of the Outlaws was pulled over by police en route to the York Street clubhouse of the Hells Angels, and authorities confiscated body armor, various firearms, and a pipe bomb.

    In July 2001, three members of the Hells Angels were charged with extortion when they attempted to get a $70,000 payment from a business owner.[16] The three men pled guilty to lesser charges.[17] In December 2001, the Hells Angels patched over a dozen more Outlaws in Ontario. Other Outlaws were faced with an ultimatum: switch sides or retire.[15]

    2002[]

    On January 7, 2002, the trial for the three Hells Angels members facing extortion began. On the same day, the tensions between the two groups in the city would escalate again, culminating in a exchange in gunfire that night between Hells Angels support clubs and Outlaws at 434 Egerton Street, close to the Outlaws clubhouse. Also in January 2002, Former President of the Outlaws London chapter, Thomas Hughes refused to agree to terms from the Angels. After midnight, he was attacked at his home by four members of a Hells Angels support club, the Jackals MC. He and another Outlaw, Marcus Cornelisse returned fire. A shootout ensued in which one member of the jackals was shot and injured severely. Nearby residents recount hearing sporadic gunfire and the squealing of car tires racing off.

    Hughes was charged with four counts of attempted murder. He also incurred 23 additional charges relating to firearms, ammunition, this included semi-auto rifles and explosives in his residence. Eventually the attempted-murder charges were dropped as self defense, he was sentenced to only 30 months incarceration.[18]

    By now, London City council and London Police Service were under intense pressure by the public to do something about the situation. Then in late January 2002, tensions in the conflict reached their height. Outlaws from locations all over Canada began to travel to London to assist the London chapter, along with some American Bandidos and other rivals of the Angels. The 2002 London Motorcycle Show, organized at London's the Western Fair District, was promoted by the Hells Angels, who had run London's annual motorcycle-trade show for the last two years in a row. It was one of the "top five events of its kind in Canada." This venue would be the target of retaliation by the Outlaws and Bandidos.

    The 2002 London Motorcycle Show[]

    In February, 2002, the expo was on a Saturday and was open to the public. Around mid-afternoon, 120 Outlaws and Bandidos arrived at the Western Fair district in London. Also in attendance were 110 Hells Angels and their support club, the Jackals, as well as hundreds of civilians. Some of the Outlaws arriving wore body armour. Some brandished large knives on their belts. The Bandidos, who had traveled up the Highway 401 from the US city of Detroit, arrived in a large group. They made a public display of respect for the Outlaws, then positioned themselves with their allies, surrounded on three sides by Hells Angels, surprised spectators fled to safe distances. Before hostilities could begin, a team of over 40 police officers from the London Police Service intervened and physically separated the two groups, demanding that the Bandidos, especially members of international status to depart. Police Chief Murray Faulkner said:

    "If the police weren't there, we were in for trouble. Big-time. I was guessing a multiple shooting or stabbing."

    Either way, the Western Fair committee barred the Hells Angels who organized the event from future use of the venue. London's then-mayor Anne Marie De Cicco was successful in her attempts to ban the London Motorcycle Show from the city as long as was directed by the Hells Angels.[18]

    On March 10, 2002, near Kingston, the OPP pulled over for speeding on the 401 highway a car carrying Daniel Lamer and Marc Bouffard, both of whom were members of the Rockers, the Hells Angels' puppet club in Montreal.[19] Lamer opened fire on OPP constable Dan Brisson, who returned fire, killing him.[20] Found inside the car were four handguns, a silencer and pictures of Alain "Red Tomato" Brunette, the national president of the Bandidso, together with various other Ontario Bandidos, which suggested the two Rockers from Montreal had been sent to kill them.[20]

    The Coates brothers' attempts to replicate the brutality of the Quebec club brought unnecessary complications. That did not sit well with the club's leadership, who quickly realized that these actions were damaging for the club business and image. In early July 2002, London chapter President John Coates and his Hells Angels sponsor, George Beaulieu of the Sherbrooke chapter, attended a meeting with Gerald Ward, head of the Niagara chapter, and William Miller, President of the North Toronto chapter. Coates was told "you're done" as far as the city of London was concerned. The Coates brothers and some of their associates were transferred to the Niagara Falls chapter under Ward's supervision. The London chapter was temporarily put under direct administration by the Toronto North chapter, led by Miller. A relatively peaceful period would follow these events, at least to the public eye. With the recent pressure, the unfinished conflict with the Outlaws went on hiatus and it would never end up resuming. Police had started infiltrating the Outlaws MC in the late 1990s, at that time they were the largest motorcycle club in the province.[18]

    Ontario's Biker Enforcement Unit inadvertently delivered victory to the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club when raids launched in the early morning of September 25, 2002, crippled Outlaws operations in 11 of Ontario municipalities. The Ontario Provincial Police had launched Operation Retire, a concurrent investigation with Operation Amigo and Operation Summertime, targeting the Bandidos(operation was originally created for the Rock Machine until they merged into the Bandidos in 2001) and Hells Angels in Canada. Project Retire was intended to cripple the Outlaws Motorcycle Club in Ontario.[21] The Police seized six stolen vehicles, 44 firearms, narcotics worth about $1.6 million, and five properties owned by the Outlaws.[22][18] The operation resulted in all 58 full-patch Outlaws in Ontario being arrested,[21] including virtually all of the Ontario-based leadership. The club has never been able to fully recover. As a result, since late 2002, the Hells Angels, despite periodic run-ins with authorities, controlled London's motorcycle scene, and had begun solidifying their hold on the province, a hold they have maintained ever since.

    Parente, now in prison, called James Wheeler, the President of the American Outlaws, who in turn contacted Sonny Barger, the leader of the American Hells Angels.[23] Barger ordered Stadnick to stop trying to recruit Outlaws in exchange for a promise that there would be no biker war in Ontario. This saw an official end to the conflict.[23]

    Continued tensions and incidents[]

    London Conflict[]

    In early 2012, tensions between the two groups erupted again in London, Ontario. After years of remaining out of the headlines for the most part, the city's street gangs began to gain notoriety in the 2010s when a war broke out between the London chapter of the Hells Angels MC and the FU Crew, a local street gang backed by the London chapter of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. This resulted in the deaths of several individuals, and the arson of several biker and gang-owned businesses and vehicles, with some of the bikers fleeing town temporarily.

    The dispute first flared up when a tattoo parlor associated with the Outlaws motorcycle club was set ablaze on the morning of January 7th. During this period, the Hells Angels had begun to lean on the FU Crew to operate for them in London. When this was refused, a vehicle belonging to the leader of the street gang (who had connections with the Outlaws) was burned. Tensions continued with two separate fires at a massage parlour and a strip club, and then the shooting on January 11th of two people associated with the Hells Angels. On the same day, a massage parlor in St. Thomas, Ontario was burned down. Two more tattoo parlors were also threatened, and some Hells Angels pulled back to regain their footing. The conflict would eventually deescalate with a presumed peace being declared.[24]

    See also[]

    References[]

    1. ^ Langton 2006, p. 70-71.
    2. ^ a b Langton 2006, p. 71.
    3. ^ "Loners Motorcycle Club establishes chapter in Stratford | Toronto Sun". Retrieved 2020-11-20.
    4. ^ Langton 2010, p. 116.
    5. ^ a b c Langton 2010, p. 117.
    6. ^ Edwards 2010, pp. 61, 81.
    7. ^ Langton 2010, p. 127-128.
    8. ^ a b Langton 2010, p. 128.
    9. ^ Langton 2010, p. 118.
    10. ^ Langton 2010, p. 130.
    11. ^ a b Langton 2010, p. 130-131.
    12. ^ montrealgazette. "Quebec's biker war started 25 years ago today". montrealgazette.com. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
    13. ^ Edwards 2010, p. 87.
    14. ^ a b Langton 2010, p. 135.
    15. ^ a b Langton 2010, p. 137.
    16. ^ Langton 2010, p. 138.
    17. ^ Langton 2010, p. 140.
    18. ^ a b c d Appleby, Timothy (July 17, 2004). "When Hell comes to town" – via www.theglobeandmail.com.
    19. ^ Edwards 2010, p. 97.
    20. ^ a b Edwards 2010, p. 98.
    21. ^ a b Langton 2010, p. 158.
    22. ^ Schneider 2009, p. 428.
    23. ^ a b Langton 2010, p. 23-24.
    24. ^ "London, Ont., gang war brewing for weeks". torontosun.com. Retrieved 2016-09-28.

    Books[]

    • Edwards, Peter (2010), The Bandido Massacre; A True Story of Bikers, Brotherhood and Betrayal, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, ISBN 978-0307372765
    • Langton, Jerry (2006), Fallen Angel: The Unlikely Rise of Walter Stadnick and the Canadian Hells Angels, [HarperCollins Publishers, ISBN 144342725X
    • Langton, Jerry (2010), Showdown: How the Outlaws, Hells Angels and Cops Fought for Control of the Streets, John Wiley & Sons, ISBN 978-0470678787
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